ICPC to kickstart tracking of Projects by MDAs – Owasanoye

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission  (ICPC) said Sunday, it  is set to start the tracking of projects being executed by  government ministries and departments to ensure quality projects  delivery across the country.

Chairman of ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, revealed  this at a  two-day retreat for management of the Commission and members of the  National Assembly Committees on Anti-Corruption.He  said that tracking of  executive projects, in addition to the on-going tracking of constituency  projects would start in March this year.

Owasanoye said that the new initiative, called Constituency and  Executive Project Tracking Group, became necessary following the huge  success recorded by the Commission in the tracking of constituency  projects.

He said, “We fully appreciate that apart from constituency projects,  other projects being executed by ministries, departments and agencies  that are not connected to members of the National Assembly will also be  tracked.

‘Consequently, starting from March, ICPC will commence the tracking of  both executive and constituency projects.”

The ICPC boss stated that the Commission had already listed priority  sectors and projects for the exercise adding that the focus would be on  key sectors of education, health, agriculture, power and water  resources.

He further said that the Commission would employ technology to track all  priority projects, even as the 2020 national budget had been broken down  and analyzed by ICPC to ensure proper tracking.

According to him, “We have already dissected the 2020 budget. We have  broken it down on a sectoral basis. We will also leverage on technology.  We have engage partners who have technologies that will track all the  hospitals in Nigeria. We will use these technologies so that nobody will  lie to us.”

Professor Owasanoye used the retreat to also speak on the perceived  misconception surrounding constituency projects tracking.

He said it was a well thought initiative by legislators to bring  government closer to the electorate, however, the implementation had  become a source of concern.

Consequently, the aim of the tracking was to ensure that projects that  touched the lives of Nigerians at the grassroots were delivered to the  people.

He also spoke on pending legislations such as the Special Crime Court,  the Proceeds of Crime and other anti-corruption bills before the  National Assembly, urging the members to quickly pass them into law to
boost the fight against corruption.

The Chairman, House Committee on Anti-Corruption, Honourable Shehu Sani,  in his paper presentation, observed that the retreat offered the  National Assembly and ICPC opportunities to build good working
relationship.

He said, “As one of the agencies the Committee is and will be  over-sighting and appropriating funds for over the next three years,  this engagement provides us with an opportunity to establish a common
ground in our desire to work in sync with ICPC in the discharge of its  mandate as spelt out in its enabling law.”

Sani decried the negative impact of corruption on the country saying  “The theft of public funds earmarked for development of critical sectors  such as health, education and infrastructural projects inevitably denies  the nation and its people of progress and improved well-being.

‘A people denied good health are being killed physically, a people  denied good education are being killed mentally, and a people denied  adequate regular power supply, good transportation system, and other  infrastructural necessities that facilitate productive and gainful life,  are being killed economically and emotionally.”

He added that the 9th National Assembly would support the  anti-corruption agencies through review of existing legislations and  increased funding for ICPC and EFCC to enable them perform effectively.