Femi Mustapha
Connected Development (CODE) is to partner the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), other Stakeholders in tracking Constituency projects in all the Local government areas of Kaduna State.
Director of Programmes, CODE, Mrs. Lucy James Abagi disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting on Deepening Citizens Interest in government spending (DeSPAAC) held in Kaduna.
She hinted that the accountability group, otherwise known as ‘Follow The Money’, had tracked Constituency projects worth N1.1 billion in Kaduna State.
She further said the projects are spread across the 23 Local government Area of the state.
According to her, the Federal Government budgets N100 billion for constituency projects across the country annually, hence the need to track the projects to ensure value for money and the delivery of good governance to Nigerians.
She explained that 2020 and 2021, over N6.4 billion was earmarked for constituency projects across Kaduna State and these projects are 118 in number in two years; 65 projects for 2020 and 53 for 2021. A careful look at these projects show that, they are projects that will affect the lives of people at the grassroots.
To make this a seamless exercise, CODE sought the support and cooperation of the respective ministries, departments and agencies of Kaduna State Government during the tracking activities, he said.
In his own remarks, Mr. Bello from the Kaduna Zonal office, ICPC noted that it is not enough for politicians to receive funds for constituency projects, but rather they should account oh how such funds are being utilized.
He lauded CODE for tracking the constituency project in the state and reporting suspicions case on the state of the projects to the commission, noting that in view of that, such projects have been corrected to standard.
Also, the Program Manager Kingsley Agu said , CODE have Community Monitoring Team (CMT) champions across the 23 local government areas of the state, tracking these projects, monitoring progress and giving feedback,
‘So, we in Follow The Money have our champions across the 23 local government areas of the state, tracking these projects, monitoring progress and giving feedback, but it is not a work that just Connected Development can do alone. So, we are seeking the partnership of Accountability mechanism.
Agu clarified that CODE is currently focusing on 23 projects with N1.164 billion value, which falls under its thematic areas of education, health and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
The Chairman of Kudan Local Government Area HON, Shaiubu Jaja commanded the effort of CODE in ensuring Transparency in
Constituency projects saying Kaduna state been an OGP state welcome the development.
