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The birth of the Fourth Republic in Nigeria in 1999 pushed
forward the ever increasing need for government to be closer to the people. It
also opened up the door for inclusive government where the citizenry would
directly participate in the governance process.
Such participations are not
limited to casting of votes for representatives of choice in election circles
only, but also benefiting from the direct essence of governance as can be
interpreted in the provision of infrastructures for even development.
Thus, constituency projects
became one of the viable ways through which government can directly provide
broad base infrastructures across the country. More so because it includes
tapping from the opinions of elected representatives from the constituencies on
what projects most suit the needs of the people and funding same.
However, the executions of
constituency projects have been shrouded in secrecy and lots of controversies
over the years, despite huge federal government funding. There have been
increased complaints by citizens on the shoddy completion, non-completion or
outright non-existence of these projects in their locale even where they were
huge releases from the government.
The Independent Corrupt
Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), buoyed with the need to
ensure that the people get value for money spent on constituency projects by
the federal government has commenced a special initiative to ensure the proper
implementation of funded constituency projects.
The initiative tagged, Constituency
Projects Tracking Group which also involves other stakeholders in the
anti-corruption fight is to help the Commission to proactively prevent the
diversion of funds by any public officer or elected representatives and their
collaborators.
The Commission has already made
appreciable gains just weeks after the start of CPTG. Notably, officers in the
field tracking the execution of projects have uncovered plenty malfeasances in
the execution of constituency projects.
A
case in point was the diversion of a generator and equipment meant for a
cottage hospital in Ukana, a community in Akwa Ibom State, by a private company
in charge of delivering the equipment to the hospital. But for the intervention
of ICPC through the CPTG, the people of Ukana and its environs would have lost
the use of the equipment. Polska Bitradex
