lCPC, NOA sensitise communities on constituency projects
lCPC, NOA sensitise communities on constituency projects
By Adekola Afolabi
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) have stressed the need for communities to monitor and take ownership of any constituency project embarked upon by government through their various political representatives.
This, according to the two Federal Government agencies, would ensure accountability and quality execution of such constituency projects for the overall benefit of the people of the affected communities.
ICPC Commissioner in-charge of Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states, Mr. Baba Shuaib and the Director General, NOA, Dr. Garba Abari, made the revelation in Akure yesterday in their separate presentations at a Town Hall meeting on ‘My Constituency, My Project!’, aimed at sensitising the community people on how they could be involved in the process of selecting, implementing and monitoring constituency projects for the purpose of transparency and accountability.
The town hall meeting jointly organised by ICPC and NOA had in attendance participant including traditional rulers, community leaders, security agents, media practitioners, NGOs, Civil Society groups, professionals, representatives of market women and other relevant stakeholders.
In his address, the ICPC Commissioner explained that the essence of the public enlightenment and education was to get all to play their parts to ensure constituency and government projects in various communities were well executed for the benefit of the people and public funds did not go down the drain.
He explained that it is the responsibility of the legislators both in the state and the National Assembly to facilitate constituency projects to their respective constituencies based on the needs of the people, and that such projects would then be funded by the executive for the benefit of the people.
He said in its drive to stop corruption in the projects executed by government, ICPC launched its Constituency Projects Tracking Group initiative in 2019 and commenced the first phase of the tracking with 12 states to see whether constituency projects were executed and if they were done satisfactorily.
According to him, the exercise known as CPTG was a huge success with the communities in the pilot states, on account of the fact that a lot of abandoned projects were completed or are now being completed because of the intervention by ICPC, just as the exercise also led to the recovery of equipment and machinery meant for the benefit of ordinary people which were kept away and were not distributed.
The ICPC Commissioner who solicited the support and cooperation of all to collectively fight corruption in the society, also encouraged the constituents to always show interest in the selection, execution and use of those projects and protect them against vandals.
“I wish to state with emphasis that Constituency and other projects are funded by government with public money. This means that the projects are not gifts or donations to your community by political representatives. They belong to you as fruits of national resources and government responsibility to the people”, Shuaib stressed.
He advised the public to monitor, protect and report all fraudulent or unwholesome acts regarding those projects to the ICPC for appropriate actions.
On his part, Director General, NOA, Dr. Garba Abari, represented by the Director, NOA Ondo State Directorate, Mr. Bode Famose, who challenged the people to always be ready to ask relevant questions and hold their representatives accountable, further added that such constituency projects were to get development closer to the grassroots.
He called on the people of various communities to take ownership of the projects with a genuine interest to preserve and protect them.
Abari stressed that since such constituency projects are being funded by public funds, the people who are the direct beneficiaries must be part of the conception and execution to ensure the money budgeted for it did not go down the drain or projects are well executed to standard.
Participants at the event appreciated the organisers for the programme which they described as eye opener, saying it would enable them to hold their representatives accountable and responsible to ensure the development of the society.
Highlight of the event was inauguration of 11-member State Action Committee on Tracking of Constituency Projects.