ICPC Tracks N3 Billion Worth Projects in Two Kebbi Senatorial Districts
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Constituency Project Tracking Group (CPTG) says it has tracked projects worth N3 billion out of the N3.5 billion expected to be tracked by the group in Kebbi.
The CPTG Team Leader, Mr Akibu Garba, disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi on Friday after visiting various constituency projects in the state’s central senatorial district. The team visited Shanga, Yelwa, Danko/Wasagu, Sakaba, Aleiro, Jega, Birnin Kebbi local government areas in Kebbi South and Kebbi Central Senatorial districts.
The first phase of the projects tracking was conducted in 12 states of the federation in 2019 and was concluded with 16 states earmarked for the second phase, including Kebbi. Other states covered in the second phase of the tracking are Cross River, Taraba, Ekiti, Ogun, Gombe, Nassarawa, Kwara, Jigawa, Abia, Delta, Ebonyi, Niger, Rivers, Oyo, and Kaduna.
The projects are those sponsored by federal lawmakers but funded by the Federal Government in the various constituencies of the lawmakers. Garba said the exercise was to ascertain how contracts for projects awarded were executed in various communities across the state.
He said that Kebbi was among the 16 states earmarked for the second phase of the exercise, which would cover Water Resources, Agriculture, Health, Power and Education sectors. The team leader, who is also the Assistant Chief Education Officer, ICPC, Sokoto Zonal Office, added that the group would also track contracting companies for statutory regulatory compliance.
“This includes tax obligation and the value and impact of the projects for the various communities, where they are established.”
The Investigation Officer in the team, Malam Sa’idu Yahaya, said that “the exercise focused on fraudulent procurement practices in the award of contracts for constituency and executive projects.
“Our other objectives are to make recoveries on projects or contracts confirmed to have been inflated or in which contractors under-performed or did not perform at all; and track contracting companies for statutory compliance. So far, we have been able to do what is expected of us in those areas we visited and we are filing our reports to the commission for further directives to the contracting firms on statutory compliance,” he said.
He also said the group had visited Kebbi South and Kebbi Central Senatorial Districts and located most of the projects that were carried out and those about to be completed.
“We are now waiting for specification on projects to be tracked in Kebbi North Senatorial District,” he said.
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.
The officer said the exercise was conducted in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Quality Surveyors (NIQS), NGOs and the media.
Ayooluwa Joshua