A non Governmenal Organization,
Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education CHRICED has charged Journalists and stakeholders to strategically and consistently beam the search light on constituency projects to ensure they are determined by participatory planning, timely delivery and value for money.
Executive Director of CHRICED, Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi made the appeal at One Day Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on Fostering Transparency and Accountability in Constituency Project Service Delivery, held in Kano.
Comrade Ibrahim Zikirullahi said stakeholders equally have the big role of ensuring the benefits of constituency projects are not lost to corruption.
“We are equally convinced that it should be the interest of duty bearers in government, communities, the media and CSOs to ensure public resources are used for the collective good of everyone in the society”
He described constituency projects as one of the key governmental programmes that could spread development while providing citizens an avenue to benefit from public resources at federal and state level.
“If the intended service delivery envisage through the constituency project is as effective as the intentions should be, such basic things as rural roads, cottage industries, health facilities, recreational spaces and so many more would have been built in communities across the country. Unfortunately, what we have seen since Nigeria’s return to civil rule is a constituency project system that has been severely damaged by corruption, inefficiency, and lack of accountability”
The Executive Director appealed to stakeholder to take advantage of anti-corruption tools available in law and international commitments such as the Open Government Partnership (OGP), Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, and the Fiscal Responsibility Act, in ensuring proper utilization of public funds.
In a remark, the Senator Representing Kano Central Malam Ibrahim Shekarau ,who was represented by Malam Sule Yau Sule said constituency projects were targeted at ensuring that dividend of democracy get to the grass root.
” Constituency Projects are really good, and I think if it is been abuse by few, it should be rectified”
Earlier, Chairman of Public Account Commitee ,Kano State House of Assembly Alhaji Salisu Mohammad Riruwai said constituency projects bridges the gap in infrastructural deficit in the society.
The workshop was attended by journalists, representative of Anti Graft Agencies and other stakeholders
From Abdullahi Jalaludeen