The issue of constituency projects and funds voted for them have become contentious. While the lawmakers justify it, the electorate question it. The controversy that has surrounded the matter has drawn the attention of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related matters Commission (ICPC) which has begun investigations on it, writes ONYEDI OJIABOR
The funding and prudent utilisation of funds appropriated for constituency projects have become matters of intense scrutiny lately.
Before now, the controversy trialing the funds has been the necessity for the appropriation with less attention paid to the way and manner the funds are deployed.
It is apparent that constituency project funds have been serially abused over the years, either by poor project execution, projects abandonment, or outright non-execution of projects.
More often, value for appropriated funds was thrown overboard. Funds appropriated for constituency projects are mostly seen as loose funds to line the pockets of those who recommended the projects and the beneficiaries. No questions are asked.
The narrative is gradually changing for the better. All thanks to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) which has taken up the challenge to ask questions.
The fear of ICPC has become the beginning of wisdom for beneficiaries of the hitherto wobbly constituency project funds.
In its effort to track the funds, the anti-graft agency, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), has placed tracking of the utilisation of the constituency project funds on the front burner.
Working with MacArthur Foundation, ActionAid and UpRight for Nigeria, ICPC held a talk shop on the necessity for community ownership of constituency projects.
It also launched a national awareness campaign on community monitoring and ownership of constituency projects tagged “My Constituency, My projects.”
The campaign is essentially aimed at addressing misconceptions and corrupt practices in the implementation of constituency projects as revealed by the report of its first phase of the ICPC-led constituency projects tracking group exercise.
It was equally aimed at securing the buy in of the media and stakeholders for the campaign, which focuses on creating awareness in beneficiary communities on the need for them to monitor execution, take ownership and safeguard constituency projects in their localities.
To further ensure that communities get value for released constituency projects funds, ICPC said it is also working with the Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office, Bureau of Public Procurement and Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation.
The commission said its trip to 12 states to track constituency projects which contracts had been budgeted for and awarded, revealed a lot of wrongdoings concerning how the contracts were carried out resulting in the communities not benefiting from the projects.
It classified constituency projects to include health, education or infrastructure projects recommended by legislators at federal level-Senate and House of Representatives- or state House of Assembly or projects identified by government agencies and recognised as beneficial to the people for government to carry out in their various constituencies for the benefit of the people they represent.
Constituency projects, it said, may also include “empowerment” projects such as the distribution of motorbikes, Keke NAPEP and sewing machines which it listed are difficult to track for transparency and accountability, and are often used to divert public funds and therefore should be discouraged or closely monitored.
To further throw light on proposal for the projects, the ICPC explained that during budgeting, it is expected that members of the National Assembly and members of the State Houses of Assembly know the areas of need of their constituents and recommend the inclusion of projects that will address such areas.
While the projects are recommended by the legislators, the budget/funding are domiciled with relevant MDAs which, in turn, oversee the implementation of the projects in various constituencies.
The execution of the projects on the other hand is handled by contractors with the supervision of relevant government agencies.
It is emphasised that since the projects are funded by public money raised from taxes paid by citizens and from other sources of government revenue, no individual should claim accolade for them.
The commission made it clear that the people who recommended them ought not to claim ownership of the projects, nor should the projects be regarded as favour done to communities by them.
For the ICPC, as a result of the corruption associated with constituency projects over the years such as poor quality work, abandoned work or no work at all as money goes into private pockets or where equipment are purchased for public projects but are diverted to private use; or even where money is spent on equipment but they are left to rot and dilapidate, it has become necessary for members of the community to take more interest in the projects.
The battle of wits has always been between members of the National Assembly who feel that it is only through the execution of constituency projects that they can remain politically relevant in communities and the Presidency that sees the appropriation of constituency projects funds as unnecessary duplication of functions.
That constituency projects and their funding have more than ever before been in the eye of the storm. Most of the beneficiaries of the funds are running for cover. Some are dissociating themselves from the fund under the guise that they never asked for it.
President Muhammadu Buhari raised the stake in the examination of constituency projects funds with his damning revelation that more than N1 trillion was voted for the execution of constituency projects in the last decade with little or nothing to show for the huge allocation.
Members of the National Assembly, who were obviously jolted by the critical revelation, launched a counter-offensive to clear their names.
For the legislators, N1 trillion may have been appropriated for constituency projects in the last decade but not as much was released for the purpose.
The issue is still hanging, begging for further clarifications for the benefit of the communities.
Documents accessed from ICPC revealed new dimensions that apart from legislators, MDAs receive billions of the constituency projects funds under what the government tagged Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP).
In the 2019 Budget, the sum of N100 billion was allocated to ZIP. The Presidency, agriculture, water resources topped list of beneficiaries of the funds.
Even some MDAs that ordinarily has nothing to do with constituency projects, benefited from the allocation.
ICPC described the sum of N3.76 billion curiously built into ZIP fund as “unclassified” and therefore “at the risk of being stolen.”
Unclassified allocation is said to represent “allocations with no specific projects” attached to them.
Apart from the N3.76 billion unclassified vote, questions were also raised on the allocation of N2.9 billion earmarked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Breakdown of the N100 billion ZIP allocations to MDAs show that N13.3 billion was allocated to the Presidency, Agriculture got N15.4 billion, Water Resources received N13 billion while Science and Technology was voted N10.7 billion.
Others included Education N7.6 billion, Industry, Trade and Investment N7.9 billion, Information N4.1 billion, Labour and Employment N5.7 billion, Health N3 billion, Humanitarian Affairs N3.4 billion, Environment N2.7 billion, Special Duties N1.9 billion, Justice N2.7 billion, Communication N1.1 billion and Works, Power and Housing N1.2 billion.
The allocations also included Defence N444 million, Transportation N807 million, Women Affairs N310 million, Budget N311 million, Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) N217 million, Solid Minerals N270 million, FCTA N59 million, Head of Civil Service N120 million, Interior N6 million and Youth and Sport N10 million.
All the agencies and commissions attached to the office of the President and Vice-President are said to draw their funds from the allocation to the Presidency.
Allocation on geo-political zones showed that Northwest received N17.97 billion, Northeast N16.06 billion North Central N17.90 billion, Southwest N14.28 billion, Southeast N14.83 billion while Southsouth received N15.14 billion.
Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye threw more light on the controversy trailing the over N1 trillion voted for constituency projects over the years.
For the ICPC boss, the commission did not set out to embarrass anybody but the fight against graft must be fought to its logical conclusion.
Owasanoye agreed that constituency projects are in the eye of the storm in recent times but emphasised there was absolutely no plan to do anybody in.
The aim of the commission, he said, is to ensure that the projects are sited in the communities and for Nigerians to get value for money.
For him, ICPC has the duty to ensure that the law is complied with at all times.
On the N1 trillion voted for constituency projects over the years, he said even if 10 per cent of the fund was released, “we must see what it is used for and Nigerians must begin to get value for money.”
One of the things they found in the field, he said, was complete lack of information about constituency projects.
Owasanoye further said the commission is determined to focus on systemic issues, and added that part of their experience in the field is also that empowerment that takes a large chunk of the vote is so opaque to measure.
For ICPC boss, communities should understand that constituency projects are their projects hence the commission has recommended that projects should be handed over to communities for them to take ownership.
He stressed the need for communities to appreciate the fact that projects do not belong to the sponsors or legislators who recommended them since they were not funded from their pockets.
On allocations to MDAs that ought not to receive such funds, he said some MDAs have written to dissociate themselves from such allocations.
Asked what allocation for constituency project is doing for instance, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Owasanoye insisted the ICPC is determined to correct such anomaly.
Leave a Reply