The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has called on politicians in the country to make available details of constituency projects to their constituents.
He stressed that constituency project funds must be fully disclosed to the public and the details of the contractors, timelines, and budgets should be made available for community scrutiny.
Olukoyede said this will not only promote transparency but also give communities the tools to monitor progress effectively.
He made the call in Kano while speaking at a “One-Day Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting on Fostering Transparency, Accountability and Citizens’ Participation In The Implementation Of Constituency Projects In Nigeria” hosted by the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies.
He also charged Nigerians across the country to rise to the task of monitoring constituency projects being embarked upon by their elected leaders to drive positive changes and development in their environments.
According to him, sustainable development can only come when Nigerians take the initiative to interrogate projects being embarked upon by politicians in their respective constituencies.
“We must recognize that true and lasting change comes when communities are empowered to hold their leaders accountable, particularly in the monitoring of constituency projects”, he said.
While speaking on “Imperatives of Community Driven Anti-Corruption Fight: Enhancing Constituency Project Service Delivery in Nigeria,” the anti-graft agency boss tasked both politicians and people with five crucial areas that will enhance accountable project delivery.
The areas, according to him, are Community Engagement, Transparency in Funding and Execution, Strengthening Oversight Mechanisms, Public Access to Information, and Partnership with Anti-Corruption Agencies.
“There must be deliberate efforts to involve communities in the identification of their priority projects. This ensures that projects are aligned with actual needs rather than being imposed or politically motivated”, he said.
He equally stressed the need for the availability of public data on constituency projects for communities to have easy access to relevant information to help them make informed decisions about the projects in their areas.
“When communities report discrepancies or suspected cases of corruption, these reports must be promptly investigated. By working together, we can build a feedback loop that ensures prompt action is taken against any corrupt practice”, he said.
