The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) said it uncovered corrupt practices by lawmakers in
the implementation of constituency projects.
In a report, the Constituency Projects Tracking Group (CPTG), a task
force of the ICPC, revealed how Nigerian lawmakers connive with
agencies to embezzle billions of naira meant for constituency
projects.
The report, which is in its first phase, tracked 424 projects from
2015–2018 zonal intervention projects between June and August, 2019.
The report covered 12 states and the federal capital territory. The
states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Kano,
Kogi, Lagos, Osun and Sokoto.
According to the ICPC, findings from the first phase of the tracking
exercise contained in the report corroborate the “perception of
average Nigerians that ZIPs have become a conduit for corruption” .
The report revealed duplications of some contracts of same
description, same narrative, same amount, same location awarded by the
same agency.
“This we found, is being done by the legislators in order to bring the
total amount allocated to individual legislators within the approval
threshold of the executing agency so as to avoid ministerial tender
processes,” the report said.
“An example is the project for the supply 8 unit tractors to Bauchi
Central Senatorial Zone supplied in 2016. A project of about N91, 935,
546 was split into 4 lots and awarded to 3 different contractors.
“A fluidy specie of Constituency Projects created is the so called
Capacity Building and Empowerment projects. It entails training,
supplies and distribution of varieties of such implements and tools as
motorcycles, tricycles, sewing machines, grinding machines etc to
constituents, to empower them to own and operate their own businesses.
“It may also include cash grants in some cases. These Capacity
Building and Empowerment projects have become a convenient conduit for
embezzling public funds by the sponsoring legislators and the
executing agency as they are difficult to track and verify due to
their “soft” nature.
The report said the wide disproportionality between appropriations for
constituency projects and core-mandate projects of some implementing
agencies evident in Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency
(SMEDAN) and Border Community Development Agency (BCDA).
“For instance, in 2015, while the total mandate allocation for SMEDAN
was N1,592,323,599, constituency projects allocation was
N5,814,369,579,” it said.
“This appropriation jumped up in 2016 to N11,120,099,958; 741 per cent
of mandate budget with empowerment and capacity building projects
taking 99% of the amount.
“Similar situation was noticed in Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA).
“The size, number and types of Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP)
domiciled in SMEDAN and BCDA for instance have turned them into
conduits for, and means of abuse of constituency projects and
therefore vulnerable to corruption.”
The ICPC report said there is a need to review the statutory mandate
of SMEDAN and BCDA against the types of projects embedded in them.
