By Muhammad Nasir Bello
Yauri (Kebbi State) – The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Constituency Project Tracking Group (CPTG), on Saturday says it is tracking projects worth N3.5 billion in Kebbi State.
The Team Leader, Mr Akibu Garba, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), while inspecting a Solar powered borehole project in Yelwa East Ward of Yauri Local Government Area of the state.
The project was awarded in December 2016.
According to him, the committee was set up to monitor and track the performance of constituency projects and value work done.
He added that the committee was to also identify the contractual sum and contractors, unearth payments made, identify the status and persons behind the projects.
Garba added that the team would also track contracting companies for all statutory regulatory compliance, including tax obligation as well as ascertain the value and impact of the projects for the various communities, where they were established.
The team leader, who is also the Assistant Chief Education Officer, ICPC, Sokoto Zonal Office, said the exercise was part of the second phase of tracking of constituency projects across some selected states of the federation.
“We are to make recoveries, as the need may arise and also determine whether or not, the contract sum is inflated.
“This is done alongside tracing the level of compliance of the contracting companies, with the statutory compliance organisations.
“Moreover, the exercise is also aimed to recover bidding and tender documents for the constituency projects,” he added.
Earlier, while paying homage to the Emir of Yauri, Alhaji Muhammad Zayyanu, at his palace, Garba briefed him on the mission of his team and appealed for the cooperation of the emirate council toward achieving success on the assignment.
Responding, Zayyanu commended ICPC for the initiative and recommended the tracking of an abandoned project of Garin Baka Dam, in Ngaski Local Government Area of the state.
The project sites visited by the group included Solar powered borehole at Tondi, Yelwa West, Yelwa Central, Yelwa North and Yelwa South Wards, respectively.
The group also visited the Community Hall at Yauri town, as well as office blocks at Birnin Yauri, all in Yauri Local Government Area.
NAN recalls that the CPTG began the second phase of tracking of constituency projects, having recorded huge success in the first phase of the exercise carried out in 12 states across the country.
The affected states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Enugu, Edo, Lagos, Osun, Imo, Sokoto, Kano and Kogi.
The ICPC Chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, during a pre-planning retreat for officers of the commission and stakeholders in CPTG on Nov. 13, 2019, stated that over 200 contractors had returned to sites to complete water, healthcare and other abandoned projects.
Owasanoye added that the CPTG recorded other successes that included the recoveries of six tractors, ambulances, dialysis machines and other hospital equipment from the sponsors of the projects across the 12 pilot states.
He explained that the successes further include the recovery of huge sums of money from the sponsors of the projects.
According to him, ensuring the distribution of hundreds of tricycles, grinding machines and other empowerment items, some of which were secured in 2016, to beneficiaries, were also part of the success.
He said but for the CPTG initiative, monies released by the Federal Government for the benefit of the people through the implementation of constituency projects, would have been diverted by the sponsors of the projects, contractors and other collaborators.
The ICPC boss also reiterated that the Constituency Projects Tracking exercise was not targeted at anybody or group.
According to him, it is a means of ensuring that the constituents are not shortchanged by their elected representatives in quality project delivery. (NAN)
