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Olanrewaju Lawal,Birnin Kebbi
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Constituency Project Tracking Group (CPTG), on Friday says it has tracked projects worth N3 billion out of the N3.5 billion expected to be tracked by the group in Kebbi State.
The Team Leader, Mr Akibu Garba, disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi to newmen, shortly after visiting various constituency projects in the state central senatorial district.
The team had visited Shanga,Yelwa,Danko/Wasagu,
Garba said the exercise was to ascertain how contracts for projects awarded are executed in various communities across the state.
He said Kebbi state was among the 16 states earmarked for the second phase of the exercise which would cover Water Resources, Agriculture, Health, Power and Education sectors.
The team leader, who is also the Assistant Chief Education Officer, ICPC, Sokoto Zonal Office,added that that the team would track contracting companies for all statutory regulatory compliance.
“This includes tax obligation and the value and impact of the projects for the various communities, where they are established.”
Also speaking, the Investigation Officer in the team, Malam Sa’idu Yahaya, said the exercise focused on investigating fraudulent procurement practices in the award of contracts for constituency and executive projects.
“Our other objectives are to make recoveries on projects or contracts confirmed to have been inflated or in which contractors under-performed or did not perform at all; and track contracting companies for all statutory compliance.
“So far, we have been able to what is expected of us in those areas we visited and we are filing our reports to the commission for onwards commendation or direction to the contracting firms on statutory compliance,” he said.
Yahaya said so far, the group had visited Kebbi South and Kebbi Central Senatorial Districts and found most of the projects that were carried out and about to be completed.
“We are now waiting for specification on projects to be tracked in Kebbi North Senatorial District,” he said.
According to him, the committee was set up to monitor and track the performance of constituency projects and value work done.
He added that the committee was to also identify the contractual sum and contractors, unearth payments made, identify the status and persons behind the projects.
The officer said the exercise was conducted in collaboration with Nigerian Institute of Quality Surveyors (NIQS), NGOs and media..
