Abandoned Projects: ICPC returns over 500 contractors to sites – Official

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said it has returned over 500 contractors to sites to complete abandoned and shoddily completed projects.

The commission said this was achieved through its Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Initiative (CEPTI).

The spokesperson of the ICPC, Demola Bakare, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

He quoted the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, as saying this at a policy dialogue on the Role of the Private Sector in the Implementation of Constituency Projects in Nigeria.

The dialogue was organised by OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative in Abuja.

The chairman, represented by the Secretary of the Commission, Clifford Oparaodu, said CEPTI had saved the country hundreds of millions of naira in the process.

“CEPTI, through its various phases has tracked over 3,485 projects between 2019 and 2023.

“Some of the uncompleted projects not only deprived Nigerians of basic amenities and infrastructure but also posed the risk of increased security risks.

“Some of the projects or buildings might be inhabited by unscrupulous members of the community,” he said.

Mr Aliyu underlined the importance of the private sector in monitoring the implementation of constituency projects in the country.

He said that completed constituency projects were major dividends of democracy, which fostered growth and development at the grassroots.

The ICPC chairman said that lack of accountability in the execution of projects was “a red flag of systemic corruption” that shortchanges the electorate and deprives them of beneficial social systems that should be readily available.

Mr Aliyu further said that the private sector had a major role to play in identifying and preventing corruption in project execution and highlighted the successes recorded via the project tracking initiative of the commission.\

He lauded the increased impact of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), NGOs and other stakeholders in the private sector.

“Private sector participation in constituency project implementation is integral to the execution of such projects; hence, it should be accorded the necessary encouragement.

“This is based on the conviction that the process stands to benefit more from value chain in areas like funding and investment” the chairman added.

Mr Aliyu stated that the Supreme Court’s recent pronouncement on local government autonomy necessitated increased efforts to optimise the resources allocated to the grassroots.

While welcoming participants to the policy dialogue, the Executive Director of Orderpaper, Oke Epia, stated that “Constituency projects are no longer matters under the radar.”

He said that they were meant to benefit communities and improve the living standard of the society.

Mr Epia further said that Orderpaper, from its inception, has been in the business of correcting erroneous information and misconceptions about lawmakers’ roles in implementing constituency projects.

He maintained that corruption and lack of accountability in executing such projects should not be apportioned to lawmakers alone; rather, the spotlight should also focus on contractors.

According to Mr Epia, “corruption cannot happen without the connivance and collaboration of contractors and the financial system (institutions) too.”

He urged stakeholders to see the dialogue as an opportunity to facilitate robust conversation and focus on how to collaborate with the private sector to de-escalate issues hampering transparency and accountability.

Also, the Senate majority leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said that the success of implementing constituency projects depended on the conduct of all key players in the sector.

“No government, no matter how well organised, can guarantee a nation’s rebirth,” Mr Bamidele said.
He called on private sector members to dedicate time and resources to the growth and development of their communities as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, stated that key players of the private sector should work in tandem with Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA).

According to him, working with LEAs like ICPC and EFCC will help curb the corruption in constituency projects.

Mr Olukoyede, who was represented by Eze Johnson, added that the input of community members was equally important in implementing projects.

He said they were the end users, and their input would automatically reduce waste and prevent corruption.

The EFCC chairman praised the initiative of the policy dialogue, stating that constant discourse creates multiple solutions to prevailing issues in the implementation of constituency projects.

(NAN)