ICPC begins compilation of abandoned constituency projects in Delta

From Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has commenced the compilation of abandoned constituency projects in Delta, its Edo/Delta Commissioner, Mr Yusuf Olatunji. Has said.
The ICPC commissioner stated this while addressing stakeholders at the Town Hall Meeting on ‘My Constituency, My Project’ on Tuesday in Asaba.
The programme was organized by ICPC and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
Olatunji noted that the commission’s drive to stop corruption in project executed by government led to the launch of its Constituency Project Tracking Group (CPTG) initiative in 2019.
The Commission had commenced its first phase of tracking with 12 states.
He said that the tracking has yielded lots of results, adding that many projects which were abandoned came to life as concerned contractors returned to site to complete the projects.
Olatunji called on the people to support the ICPC by reporting any abandoned projects in their communities to the commission for onward investigation, adding that fight against corruption was a collective one.
According to him, the meeting is to bring to the knowledge of the public that constituency projects are for the communities and not a donation by their political representatives.
“In our pilot phase, we have tracked constituency projects in 12 states and now we are set to move to other states, including Delta.
“The commission has the mandate to investigate reports of corruption and to prosecute offenders.
“To examine the ways government organisations carry out their work and correct those practices that allow corruption to take place.
“We are also to carry out public enlightenment and education to gain the public support for the anti-corruption fight.

“Today’s town hall meeting centers on constituency and government project in this community and the roles citizens have to play to make everyone benefit from the projects.
“The CPTG was a huge success with the communities in all the states, a lot of abandoned projects were completed, while others are being completed.
“We have started compiling abandoned projects in Delta among other states as we are about to commence the second phase of the CPTG to cover other states,” Olatunji said.
Dr Garba Abari, Director -General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), represented by Mr John Emah, Delta Director, of the agency, said constituency projects were meant to improve the well being of the people.
He called on the people to adopt a new template for implementing constituency projects by owning the entire process from conception to execution.
“It is through this that the aims of bringing government to the grassroots will be achieved.

“Constituency projects help to give tangible meaning to the people representation at the National Assembly.
“It also gives the representatives of the people the required opportunity to identify infrastructural lapses in their domain for government intervention.
“This is two decades of uninterrupted democracy in our country; our concern should be how this vehicle of development can be made to deliver the desired gains to the people.
“This is the basis for the new partnership between NOA and the ICPC,” Abari said.
our correspondent also reports the meeting was well attended by various stakeholders, including public servants and paramilitary agencies, who sought to know how to confront situations of poor execution of constituency projects.