The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has begun the tracking of constituency and executive projects in Lagos State.
The tracking exercise, which began Wednesday, would last for 12 days, the state commissioner for ICPC, Kabir Elelu, said.
Mr Elelu said a total number of 123 zonal intervention projects are expected to be tracked in Lagos, in the space of 12 days.
According to the state commissioner, the Lagos tracking exercise would be carried out by three teams comprising ICPC staff, quantity surveyors, accountants, civil society organizations, the media, and grassroots community development associations.
“The objective of the tracking exercise is to ensure that the Appropriation Act is fully implemented as contemplated by law, monitor the implementation of the projects from inception to completion, make recoveries on projects/contracts confirmed to have been inflated, and investigate fraudulent procurement practices in the award of contracts for constituency and executive projects,” Mr Elelu said.
The Lagos teams are tracking projects across the 20 local governments areas and three senatorial districts of the state.
Some of the places visited in the tracking exercise on Wednesday were schools in Lagos Island, Ikoyi, Obalende, and other areas that were listed as beneficiaries of the constituency projects.
The commission had announced the commencement of the third phase of constituency and executive tracking exercise in 17 states and the FCT.
In a statement by the spokesperson of ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, a total number of 1,251 projects will be tracked in the 17 states.
The projects are 1,024 constituency and 227 executive projects respectively appropriated for in the 2019 and 2020 budget.
The projects are in the critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources and power.
The commission said 524 projects were tracked in the first phase of the exercise in 2019, across 12 states and the FCT, while the second phase in 2020 had about 822 projects tracked in 16 states.
“The first 2 phases led to the recovery of assets worth billions of naira to the government, return of equipment to communities for whom they were meant. Also, about 300 contractors returned to sites and completed hitherto shoddily done or abandoned projects. The exercise led to revelation that some projects were excellently and completely executed, ” the spokesperson said in the statement.
