ICPC tracks 33 constituency projects in Ondo
By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has tracked no fewer than 33 constituency projects execution in Ondo state.
The exercise which was started in Ile-Oluji, Ikare-Akoko and Oka-Akoko in the South and North Senatorial Districts of Ondo state, aims to investigate fraudulent procurement practices in the award of contracts for the selected projects across the state.
NewsDirect reports that the projects were facilitated by some of the Senators and House of Representatives members from the State.
Osove Andrew, the Assistant Chief Superintendent Investigation, ICPC who led the team to move round to see the current situation of the projects in Ondo state while speaking with journalists said the essence of the exercise was to ensure that all government funded projects are executed fully to their specifications and to make recoveries where the project costs are inflated by contractors or are poorly executed.
According to him, “the first phase project we visited at Ile-Oluji was an empowerment project that are already be done. So to capture that kind of the project is not that very easy but from the list of register of people that took the motorcycles was 124 and we can actually call them to ascertain, to make sure that they actually took the delivery of the motorcycles.
“Also the second project we visited which was the construction of fence of Muslim Primary School Ilepa, Ikare-Akoko, we can see that the fencing proper is good. But the gate has two bridges which needs to be addressed.
“While the third project, the construction of kilometers of road in Oka-Akoko is still under construction. One of the things that is of concern is that the contractor has over short is expected date of completion. But from the information we’ve gotten from the agency supervising the project, they told us that he has remobilised to site last month and we are hoping that they will continue and complete the job.
“Above all, the essence of this exercise is to basically to ensure that federal government projects assigned to communities has value for money.
“Value for money in the sense that, when project are signed they are done to a specification and they are beneficial to community as expected at the point of allotment of those projects.
“So when projects are not done, when they are done but not done to specifications those are the issue we are here to address.”
While Clement Akerele, the Chairman, Owese Community Development Committee, who spoke with journalists on behalf of the Oka-Akoko community said “actually they have started this road project for a long time and we have been expecting them to complete it but they have not and the road is lead to the Federal Medical Centre Annex in Oka. The condition of the road is too bad, we do find it difficult to transport patient to the place.
“We are appealing to the contractor handling the road project to fasting-up to complete the road for us, the road is giving us difficulties, we cannot transport patient from our community here to the FMC Annex in Oka.”
