According to him, a bill he is sponsoring to give legal backing to the various constituency projects has scaled the first reading in the Senate and would soon be passed into law.
The constituency projects, which were initiated by the Federal Government, usually come to the National Assembly as an Executive Act Special Intervention Fund. The aim is to foster a good relationship between the Executive and Legislature and also assist in providing basic infrastructures to the various constituencies across the country.
Ndume spoke told journalists during a stakeholders’ forum on the implementation of constituency projects, organised by the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs that, “the National Assembly usually budgets N100 billion for constituency projects every year since 2004 for the six geo-political zones.”
According to him, “the money is domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria, with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs serving as clearing house to approve the release for payments to the various contractors.”
Ndume noted that the bill presently on the floor of the Senate aims to provide projects for grassroots development, adding that most of the projects embarked upon by the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are only beneficial to the elite in the cities instead of for rural development.
He further defended the legislators’ right to choose contractors for the projects, explaining that it was for accountability sake and for employment generation for a majority of the rural populace.
Earlier in his speech, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, assured that the era of abandoned projects was over. According to him, “the government has decided that each member of the National Assembly has an envelope, and an exclusive discretion about which MDAs execute their projects.
“They also have exclusive rights to determine which project is suitable for their constituencies. The MDAs are, however, responsible for the actual implementation of these projects while my ministry will monitor, evaluate, verify implementation and authorise payments at the various stages of execution.
“Therefore, payments for contracts under the constituency projects will be made based on satisfactory performance in order to ensure value for money.”
He added: “Contractors handling constituency projects will only be paid upon authorisation by this ministry to the Federal Ministry of Finance. I seek your cooperation to carry out this important exercise diligently and effectively, bearing in mind that the essence is to ensure accountability and transparency.
Source: Guardian
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