Unmasking the Shadows – A Critical Look at Constituency Projects in the Niger Delta
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by
Isaac Botti
Citizens Report of Constituency Projects Monitoring in the Niger Delta.
A recent citizens report by Social Action, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, reveals deep-seated issues in the implementation of Constituency Projects (Zonal Intervention Projects) across Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. Despite being designed to bring development to the grassroots, these projects are plagued by a lack of transparency, mismanagement, and poor accountability.
Key findings from the report include:
- Vague Project Locations: Budgets often fail to specify exact communities where projects are to be located, making monitoring nearly impossible.
- Sectoral Misalignment: Projects are frequently assigned to agencies whose mandates do not align with the tasks—e.g., agricultural institutes handling electrical repairs.
- Poor Implementation: Many projects were found to be abandoned, non-existent, or non-functional, despite significant budget allocations.
- Limited Citizen Involvement: Communities are largely excluded from project planning and oversight, leading to misaligned priorities and wasted resources.
The report covers case studies from Rivers, Ondo, Edo, Delta, and Akwa Ibom states, highlighting a consistent pattern of failure and calling for urgent reforms to ensure that public funds truly benefit the people.
