Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE) has revealed that a total of 182 federal capital projects approved in the 2015 appropriation Act to the tune of N2,021,548,008 billion could not be identified in the six states of Benue, Imo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Cross River, and Gombe.
Acting General Secretary of the group, Ms. Mma Odi‎, disclosed this in Abuja while presenting a-152 page report on budget tracking of the 2015 Appropriation Act.
She also stated that the report would also be made available to the leadership of the National Assembly, stressing that the aim was not to name and shame but to ensure the implementation of the projects through oversight function by respective MDAs.
Odi noted that ACE-Nigeria Project was aimed at promoting citizens’ participation in the fight against corruption and good governance in Nigeria through mobilisation and building capacity of citizens and groups, as well as tracking capital projects in the six states, adding that each state was selected from the geo-political zone.
She noted that 899 citizens were mobilised, while a total of 1,232 stakeholders were trained for the project.
Furthermore, she said that ACE discovered that whereas some projects have been completed, some of the ones completed are not being used by the communities while some are on-going. She also noted that some of the projects were abandoned, while some were not executed at all.
According to her, in Benue State, 37 capital projects were identified and tracked, while seven could not be fully identified amounting to N247,750,000.
The breakdown of some of the projects that are yet to be properly or fully identified include Sentisation of Human Rights Abuses for 10,000 persons in conflict areas of Gboko/Tarka LGAs with a sum of N85,000,000; Skill Acquisition Training & Empowerment, at‎ Oju/Obi Fed Constituency ‎a tN12,250,000; HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign/Free Medicine Outreach at Apa and Agatu LGA, N50,000,000 among others.
The situation was the same in Cross River State, as ACE identified and tracked 18 capital projects, while 14 capital projects were not identified amounting to N435,000,000.
‎Some of the projects that the group could not identify included Provision of water projects in selected communities of Obubra LGA at‎ N187,500,000; ‎Grants to Purpose Cooperative Societies in Obanliku/ Obudu/ Bekwarra LGA, at the sum of N20,000,000; and‎‎ Supply of tricycles to selected youth in Ikom LG CRS at N50,000,000.
Odi‎ explained that in Ekiti State, 12 capital projects were identified and tracked, while 10 capital projects could not be identified amounting to N391,834,008.
These include; Supply of motorcycles (Jincheng) to Ekiti West, Efon, Ijero LGAs at N43, 000,000; Training and empowerment project in Ado Ekiti& Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA‎ at N42,500,000; Vocational Training for 400 women across Ekiti north federal constituency II‎ at N41,666,750‎ among others.
‎Similarly, in Gombe State, the group identified and tracked 10 capital projects, while seven capital projects to the tune of N265,000,000 were not identified.
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‎‎Odi explained further that ACE identified and tracked 79 capital projects in Imo state. She added that out of 18 projects that were not fully identified, 13 were not seen; 11 were identified, while four were tracked.
The unidentified projects include Liability for the Nodal Expansion for NASENI programme at Ahiara Mbaise at the cost of ‎N30,000,000; ‎Liability for the Installation of solar lights in communities in Imo, no location was given at the cost of N50,000,000. Another project not identified was the procurement and installation of equipment at Waste Recycling Facility at Owerri to the tune of N80,000,000.
Odi revealed that fresh awareness about the project and the boldness of the stakeholders to ask questions had resulted in the mobilisation of contractors back to the site of Mbaise link road in Imo State.
This according to her, also included the completion of erosion and flood control works on road, as well as the construction of the drainage from Akabo Ikeduru Local Government to Amankuta Mberi Mbaitoli LGA, Imo State.
In Jigawa State, the group identified and tracked 14 capital projects, while 16 others could not be identified.
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