• As 16 states abandoned 221 constituency projects

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari was using an equally “corrupt” Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to fight corruption.

He insisted that the President must start the corruption fight from his party and immediate aides “since charity begins at home.”

“The EFCC leaders’ opinions remain their opinions and if they are so sure of whatever information they have, they should go to court and stop subjecting Nigerians to media trial and that no amount of media trial from the same elements that orchestrated my removal in 2006 can erode my popularity among Ekiti people,” Fayose said.

The governor said any property that might be linked to him or his company was bought legitimately and they were duly declared in his assets declaration form, adding that sources of such funds were not illicit.

Fayose, according to a press release on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, maintained that his election was funded by Zenith Bank as well as donations from friends and associates.

He said, “As a promising candidate of my party, I cannot stop Nigerians from supporting my election like every other candidate of other political parties, including President Buhari.”

Fayose said since the money he got for his election was from legitimate sources and not from the Office of the National Security Adviser as being concocted, how the money was spent remained his own business and not that of anyone.

The governor also debunked the reported allegation by the EFCC that he received bribes from some contractors in Ekiti.

“If they have anything against me, they should keep their gun powder dry, because in 2006 when they took me to court, their allegations crumbled like a pack of cards because court decisions are founded on facts and law, and not on media trial as currently being done by the EFCC as tele-guided by the APC leaders in their desperation to set the people against me knowing fully that they are not on the ground.

“Having failed to buy the conscience of the Ekiti House of Assembly members, the APC people have become increasingly afraid of 2018 and the agencies of the Federal Government should know that no matter how hard they try, Ekiti electorate will not be deceived by their blackmail and media trial.

“The EFCC should be told in clear terms that this is 2016 and not 2006 when impeachment notices against governors were signed on the table of the EFCC operatives. Those who are tele-guiding the EFCC now should also be reminded that they did more than what they are doing now in 2006, yet I was overwhelmingly voted for by the Ekiti people eight years after the orchestrated impeachment which the Supreme Court declared illegal.

“Should Nigerians now conclude that the EFCC is an appendage of the APC? Is the EFCC for investigation of corrupt practices among all Nigerians or members of opposition parties alone?” Fayose queried.

The governor said as of today he had not been accused of stealing from Ekiti treasury.

“The EFCC has not also said that Ekiti money was stolen and that my election was funded with Ekiti State money,” he said.

Accusing the EFCC of carrying out the APC agenda to force him out of office as was done in 2006, the governor added, “It is sad that some politicians from Ekiti State now resume and close in EFCC offices in Lagos and Abuja and we wonder whether those politicians have now taken over the job of the EFCC.”

Fayose maintained that he  would continue to speak his mind on issues affecting Nigerians and could never be cowed.

“Nigerians are suffering. states can no longer pay workers’ salaries, a litre of kerosene is now N220,  a bag of rice is now N20,000 and some people will sit in the Presidential Villa and expect that all of us should keep silent?  That’s not possible!

“No amount of media trial by agents of the Buhari-led APC government will make me to stop baring my mind on the cluelessness of the Federal Government,” he said.

In the meantime, more than 221 constituency projects were abandoned in 16 states in 2015, a civic technology organisation, BudgIT Nigeria, has said.

Of the 436 projects tracked in the 16 states, about 145 projects were completed, while 77 of the projects are ongoing, the organisation said.

The states tracked by BudgIT include: Lagos, Edo, Ondo, Delta, Jigawa, Niger, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Kogi, Ogun, Imo, Anambra, Cross River and Oyo.

Every year, the Federal Government budgets huge amounts on constituency projects across the country.

The government budgeted N100 billion for the same projects in the N6.6 trillion budget this year.

BudgIT’s Team Leader/Founder Oluseun Onigbinde explained that contract inflation by contractors was one reason constituency projects are abandoned.

Onigbinde, who said this in Abuja at the weekend at the launch of 2015 constituency project report, said one of the challenges to development was the lack of access to information about projects in communities by citizens.

“The unusual cost of construction in the country compared to its peers worldwide is mindboggling, thereby making contractors the biggest beneficiaries of developmental projects rather than the people,” he said.

Onigbinde said most citizens are not aware of the existence of constituency projects in their communities because of secrecy in the preparation, enactment and lack of transparency to show that such project exists.

He said: “We have 221 abandoned projects, 145 were completed, and 77 are ongoing. The number tracked was 436 in 16 focus states. One of the challenges to development is the lack of access to information about projects in communities.

“Public projects, such as the construction of rural roads, schools, clinics and religious houses are often phrased in technical jargons, making it difficult for citizens to comprehend the budgetary information.

“Citizens are not aware of the budgetary provisions for constituency projects. Secrecy in the preparation, enactment, and implementation of the budget, as well as a pervasive lack of transparency conspires to keep citizens in the dark as to what their government owes them.

“Many projects were signed off and contractors were paid, with little or no follow-up reporting and assessment by government authorities. A corollary effect is that citizens are often restricted from asking questions due to the absence of information on project stipulations and status. Lack of an effective monitoring and evaluation body to verify project implementation and standards budget or project tracking is a vital aspect of the budget implementation process.

“Certain projects in the budget are brazenly not executed as specified in the budget. There are several instances where the actual work done does not match the description of the budget provision. An example is the N20 million construction of two units of two blocks of three classrooms at Dakata and Tudun Murtala wards in Nasarawa Local Government in Kano State, where only one block of  two classrooms was built, despite an awareness of the authorities that this project was being tracked.”

He, therefore, called on government to ensure that constituency projects are effectively monitored to ensure proper implementation.

“Effective monitoring of awarded projects eliminates the opportunity for corruption; the use of substandard products; ensures the durability of project structures; enhances citizens’ trust in government and safeguards innocent lives from untimely death and needless injury,” he added.

Punch with additional report from Nation