Federal legislators in Nigeria have so far frittered away a huge N2.00 trillion on constituency projects without any commensurate development at the grassroots, an anti-graft agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed.
ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, made this startling revelation at the induction of newly-qualified members of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors in Abuja, the country’s capital city.
The Commission’s spokesperson, Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa, in a statement said while making emphasis on the ongoing tracking of constituency projects by the anti-graft agency in 12 states of the federation, Owasanoye pointed out that the exercise was not to witch-hunt anyone.
According to him, the tracking of the the constituency projects was an important assignment for ICPC as the country had spent N2.00 trillion on funding the federal lawmakers’ projects since 2000 without commensurate impact at the grassroots.
Owasanoye, however, said that ICPC will not hesitate to prosecute any contractor that has failed to deliver on the projects, including accomplices, pointing out that the Commission commenced the Constituency Projects Tracking Group (CPTG) initiative to ensure proper implementation of funded projects at the various constituencies across the nation.
While saying that the initiative is already yielding positive results as some contractors have gone back to site to complete unfinished projects, he, however, noted that the anti-graft commission was collaborating with the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) in the on-going exercise.
