The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has launched a statewide monitoring exercise covering 72 constituency projects valued at N16.3 billion spread across Kogi’s three senatorial districts.
ICPC Assistant Commissioner Wale David revealed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Lokoja, saying the exercise is designed to ensure projects are executed to specification and actually deliver value to local communities.
David warned that contractors behind uncompleted or substandard projects would face serious consequences. “The ICPC will recover funds for uncompleted projects and investigate cases of sub-standard work. Contractors will be required to upgrade projects that don’t meet standards,” he said.
The monitoring sweep covers a broad range of sectors including power, water supply, roads, housing, and empowerment programmes. The team will verify both project quality and the authenticity of programme beneficiaries — a task David acknowledged would be more challenging on the empowerment side, though he assured the commission would be thorough.
The exercise kicked off in Lokoja, with two flagship projects already under scrutiny: the N6.2 billion Federal Secretariat Complex and the N6.4 billion Inland River Port. From there, the team will fan out across all 21 local government areas in the state.
Quantity Surveyor Ogunseemi Bayo is accompanying the team to help assess project costs and construction quality. David called on residents to take ownership of the projects in their communities and hold contractors accountable.
The ICPC described the initiative as a push toward greater transparency and accountability in government contracting, with the ultimate goal of ensuring Kogi communities receive the full benefits they are entitled to from federally funded projects.
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