The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it is tracking 12 constituency projects valued at N872 million in Niger.
The ICPC Team Lead for the tracking, Shettima Saleh, a Chief Superintendent, disclosed this on Friday in Bida to reporters when the team visited some projects.
Saleh said that the commission would ensure that public funds were judiciously used.
He said the projects were located in Edati, Lavun and Mokwa Local Governments Areas (LGAs) of Niger South Senatorial District and Bosso, Chanchaga and Paikoro LGAs of Niger East Senatorial District.
The projects include the distribution of grinding and sewing machines, food items to vulnerable persons, exercise books to schools and the installation of solar street lights.
Saleh said the exercise was part of the commission’s Phase 8B tracking of Zonal Intervention and Constituency Projects for 2023 and 2024.
“We have been doing this for quite some time, but this time around, we are tracking 12 projects in Niger under Phase 8B.
“The projects, we are tracking worth N872 million and cut across various parts of the state.
“The projects are largely empowerment projects. In the past, we have tracked capital projects.
“Some of these projects are from 2023 and 2024, while in some cases, they are from 2025,” he said.
According to him, the essence of the exercise is to ascertain whether the targeted beneficiaries actually received the items or interventions allocated to their communities by their senators or members of the House of Representatives.
He said the exercise was important because constituency and zonal intervention projects were designed to benefit communities and improve the lives of citizens.
Saleh explained that the commission had taken remedial measures in cases where projects were not executed according to specifications.
He said where substandard items or equipment were supplied; ICPC would assess the difference between what was supplied and what was specified in the Bill of Quantities and, where necessary, recover the balance from the contractor.
“Sometimes, where such infractions can be remedied, we direct the contractor to go back to the site and effect corrections under our supervision.
“Where it is a completely bad case, it goes for prosecution,” he said.
The ICPC official said the commission’s next phase would focus on tracking projects and social interventions awarded and executed by the state government.
“Our next trajectory is to track state government-awarded and executed projects or interventions. We are coming after state government projects and social interventions too.
“We are going into partnership with several organisations within the state to track state government projects and social interventions.
“The idea is that public sector funds are being used for these projects and social interventions. So, as long as it is public sector funds, the ICPC would have to track it.
“We will ensure that projects are executed according to specifications,” he said.
Saleh, however, identified insecurity as a major challenge to the exercise in some parts of the state.
He said some project locations and areas where social interventions were carried out were in security-challenged communities that the tracking team could not physically access.
“We will still track them when the security situation improves in those areas. Alternatively, we do the tracking by proxy through contact persons.
“But insecurity does not stop us from tracking projects and social interventions,” he said.