ICPC to track N3.8 billion constituency projects in Sokoto

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has started following up on 72 executive and constituency projects in Sokoto that are worth more than N3.8 billion.

The investigation is a part of the ‘ICPC Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking (CEPT)’ initiative, which is now being carried out in a number of states around the nation.

The team’s leader, Sa’idu Yahaya, stated on Monday that it will be reviewing projects in a range of industries, including water supply, electrification, health, and education.

“These projects were awarded at an approximate cost of N3.8 billion and are expected to be fully executed. Our group, consisting of members from the ICPC, the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors, civil society organisations, and the media, will commence the exercise.

“This is in order to monitor and assess projects’ performance, the value of work done, contractor identification, payment details, and project status,” he said.

The team’s objective, according to Mr. Yahaya, included figuring out the importance and effects of these programmes on the communities they serve.

The team went to the Sokoto State University’s recently built and furnished Faculty of Engineering.

Other initiatives include the installation of 38 solar street lights in the Mabera neighbourhood of Sokoto South LGA and a freshly built block of classrooms with furnishings at Tafida Aminu Primary School.

Constituency projects, also known as Zonal Intervention Projects (ZLP), were first introduced in Nigeria during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999.

The project is conceived to ensure equity in the allocation of projects sited in the constituencies of state and federal lawmakers by various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of government in the budgets of the federation or state.