A Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO), Connected Development (CODE), is to collaborate with Kaduna State Government and local government councils in the state to track constituency projects and promote transparency in their execution.
The NGO’s Chief Executive Officer, Malam Hamzat Lawal, gave the assurance in Kaduna, when he led other officials of the organisation on a courtesy visit to the state Commissioner for Local Government Affairs.
He said that effective tracking of constituency projects was important for rapid development.
Lawal said that CODE had secured the support of MacArthur Foundation to track constituency projects across the three senatorial zones of the state from 2021 and 2023.
He said that the constituency projects would be tracked under a project tagged: “Deepening Citizens’ Interest in Government Spending and Addressing Accompanying Corrupt Practices (DeSPAAC)”.
According to him, collaboration with the ministry is crucial to enable the organisation’s Community Monitoring Teams (CMTs) to gain access to project sites in local government areas.
“Tracking of constituency projects will deepen citizens’ interest in government spending and help in curbing corrupt practices in the implementation of projects.
“There is the need, therefore, for a strong collaboration with the ministry to ensure that CMTs made up of community groups, including religious and traditional leaders, have access to information,” he said.
Lawal said that the NGO had successfully tracked Universal Basic Education interventions projects worth over N560 million, in four council areas of the state.
He disclosed that the organisation also conducted a needs assessment of schools, and submitted its findings and recommendations to the government.
“I am impressed that most of our recommendations, such as provision of toilet facilities, water and other infrastructure, were addressed by the state government,” he said.
Lawal, who equally addressed the 23 local government chairmen in the state, at the conference hall of the ministry, solicited their collaboration to ensure a robust tracking of the projects.
“CODE, along with community members, will be working in your domains to track constituency projects.
“We need your support for a robust monitoring of the delivery of the projects in the next three years,” he told the chairmen.
Responding, the state Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Malam Ja’afaru Sani, thanked CODE for working with the state government to ensure timely delivery of quality UBE projects.
Sani described tracking of constituency projects as a welcome development, saying that it would improve delivery of the the projects.
The commissioner, who received the Impact Assessment Report of the tracked UBE spending in the state, assured CODE of the ministry’s support in tracking constituency projects.
“We will work with you and provide the necessary security to the community monitoring teams to enable them to track the projects so that contractors will deliver according to contract specifications,” he said. (NAN)
