By Abolaji Adebayo
The residents of Lagos State across the 24 federal constituencies will soon witness massive infrastructure development and empowerment as Federal Government is set to embark on constituency projects.
The projects expected to be executed in each constituency are contained in the Invitation To Tender for 2022 Capital and Constituency Projects released by the National Productivity Centre.
The projects to be executed in Lagos State as contained in the document obtained by ECHONEWS include supply of food items and consumables for vulnerable persons in Ajah, Obele, and Iponri, Lagos; provision of starter packs for skilled cooperative women and youths in Ikeja, Agege, Ejigbo, Oto-Awori, and Oloja in Lagos.
Other expected projects are supply of development materials for women and youths in Alimosho federal constituency; supply and distribution of deep freezers and grinding machines in selected areas of Isolo and Ejigbo in Oshodi-Isolo constituency 2; provision of empowerment materials for unemployed youths in Ikeja; provision of E-Hailing transportation empowerment in Surulere 1 federal constituency; provision of security patrol vehicles for security agencies in Surulere 1.
Lagisians are also expecting other constituency projects from their House of Representatives members such as supply of medical equipment to Araromi Health Centre in Lagos Island federal constituency 2; supply of empowerment materials for youths and women in Alimosho federal constituency; construction of selected township roads in Surulere 1 federal constituency; strategic empowerment for unemployed youths , supply and installation of solar powered streetlights in Oshodi-Isolo constituency 2; as well as retroviting, installation of solar powered streetlights in few communities within Lagos State.
Meanwhile, many of the projects are not delivered while the few executed are used to campaign by some reps members in their constituencies.
Following the trend, the House of Representatives committee on constituency project outreach said it will now encourage lawmakers to monitor and ensure the successful implementation of their constituency projects.
The committee reached the decision at the end of a two-day agenda setting retreat held in Owerri, Imo state capital recently.
The committee in a communique signed by its members said discussions at the retreat were on oversight, constituency projects for inclusive governance, constituency engagement and democratic accountability in Nigeria.
“At the end of the retreat, the committee resolved as follows: To utilise its powers and mandate to ensure proper education and improve citizens understanding of constituency projects and effective ways of engaging lawmakers on constituency project implementation. This will build public trust and promote democratic accountability,” the communique read.
“To ensure proper implementation and release of funds for members’ constituency projects in line with the demands of their constituents. The committee also commits to provide an updated database of constituency projects as allocated in the Appropriation Act annually for ease of monitoring and assessment of constituency projects.
“To deploy its oversight powers to ensure that members set up functional constituency offices as statutorily required. This will enable effective communication between constituents and their representatives and deepen legislative accountability. The Committee is committed to promoting regular engagement between constituents and their representatives to promote inclusive governance.
“To encourage lawmakers to monitor and ensure the successful implementation of their constituency projects and for ease of identification appropriated constituency projects should labelled as ‘facilitated by’ in place of ‘donated by’.”
The committee also said it would partner with civil society organisations (CSOs) and development partners in the monitoring and tracking of constituency projects and constituency offices.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it has commenced the tracking of 550 constituency projects across the country.
According to a statement issued on Friday, Azuka Ogugua, ICPC spokesperson, said the tracking exercise is phase four of the commission’s constituency and executive projects’ tracking operation.
Ogugua said the operation started on May 9, focussing on federal government-funded executive projects in 18 states — Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Edo, Lagos, Ogun and Ekiti and the federal capital territory (FCT).
“The Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTI) is an initiative of the ICPC that commenced in 2019 with the aim of promoting social accountability and transparency in the conception, execution and management of public-funded projects as well as ensuring value-for-money in the execution of the projects,” the statement reads.
“The first phase of the exercise in 2019 had a total of 424 projects tracked across 12 states, while the second and third phases conducted in 2020 and 2021 featured 722 projects in 16 states; and 1,098 projects in 16 other states and the FCT respectively.
“The focal sectors of the Phase 4 exercise remain Education, Health, Water Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development as well as Power sectors among others.
“The mandate of the tracking exercise is to investigate fraudulent procurement practices in the award of contracts for the projects, ensure projects are executed to the specified standard and that value-for-money is obtained, monitor the implementation of the projects from inception to completion in collaboration with critical stakeholders, and make recoveries on projects/contracts confirmed to have been inflated or in which contractors under-performed or did not perform at all.”
The ICPC spokesperson added that the tracking operation will compel the “return of runaway contractors to sites to complete hitherto abandoned projects, tracking contracting companies for all statutory regulatory compliance, among others as well as prosecuting persons or institutions found culpable in undermining the execution of government-funded projects”.
