From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has embarked on Phase 7 tracking of Constituency and Executive Projects valued at N13.9 billion across Niger and N6,320,433,398.13 in Rivers State.
The tracking of the projects is an initiative of the Commission that started in 2019, focusing on how well the funds allocated to critical sectors of agriculture, education, health, power and water resources, among others, by government are utilised.
The tracking agencies are the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the National Productivity Centre (NPC), the Niger Delta River Basin Development Agency (NDRBDA), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute NBRRI and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
Mallam Sai’du Yahaya, a tracker from the ICPC, said during the tracking exercise in Minna that about 80 projects would be tracked across various sectors, including education, health, water resources, power, empowerment and agriculture, among others.
Yahaya disclosed that the projects, valued at N13.9 billion, commenced in 2022 and 2023.
“The primary objective of the tracking exercise is to ensure that the Federal Government’s projects are executed according to specifications and contract agreements.
“This is also to detect potential fraud, identify instances of contractors or supervisors conspiring to defraud the Federal Government.
“It is also to ensure quality execution, that is to verify if projects met contractual specifications.”
He said the commission was collaborating with the Nigeria Institute of Quality Surveyors to assess the projects to enable it recover any losses from contractors of projects found to be substandard.
He said the Nigeria Institute of Quality Surveyors was to provide expert valuation and assessment services to ensure that project specifications are met and that contractors deliver quality work.
Yahaya disclosed that the exercise would cover all the three senatorial zones in Niger state,” he added.
In Port Harcourt, the team leader, Wulangs Buba Yohsi, said the objective of the exercise is to deepen adherence to due process in the execution of the government projects, improve value for money and entrench the culture of compliance with the scope and specifications as contained in the contract documents.
The tracking is also focused on investigating fraudulent procurement practices in the award of executive and constituency projects.
The 7th phase, involving 1,500 projects, with a total project value of N610 billion, commenced on November 18 in 22 states across the six geopolitical zones.
The states are Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia and Enugu states, plus the FCT.
The phase 7 tracking exercise will cut across the government’s intervention on REA, National Primary Health Care Development Authority (NPHCDA), TETFUND and Ecological Funds.