EFCC, ICPC should investigate 2016 audit report – CSO

A civic organization, Paradigm Leadership Support Initiative (PLSI) on Wednesday called on the anti-graft agencies the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission to investigate the 2016 Audit Report.

The organization stated that N2.97 billion meant for 30 critical projects in the country was unaccounted for as stated in the report.

Executive Director of PLSI, Olusegun Elemo, stated these at the launch of its Independent Findings of priority projects captured in the 2016 audit report.

Elomo stated that the organization monitored 19 priority projects in 12 states captured under the report this year and found out that most of them have been abandoned.

According to him, ten out of the projects have been abandoned even when monies have been paid for them.

He noted that only one out of the 19 projects had been completed when PLSI visited the states this month.

The monitored states by PLSI include; Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Adamawa, Imo and Enugu.

Some of the abandoned projects include; construction of mini-water scheme phase two, contract for the construction of small earth dam, rehabilitation of two-township water supply schemes, improvement of Olode water supply scheme under the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority.

Others are construction of Weru bridge fencing of Okene water works among others which was supposed to be implemented by the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority.

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Projects abandoned under the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing include the rehabilitation of Ikorodu road with about N112.8million unaccounted for, also the rehabilitation of 24km Akungba-Ikare-Omuo-Kabba road among others.

Elomo said: “We visited 12 states over the last six months and monitored 19 out of the 30 priority projects highlighted in this report. While one of the projects had been completed, two were not executed, 10 abandoned, three poorly implemented, another two currently ongoing and one now provided for in the 2018 Appropriation Act.

“The major issue for us is how procurement laws and financial regulations are flagrantly disregarded at the risk of public funds and the negative effect on Nigerians, many of which are in rural areas in terms of access to clean portable water, access roads, quality health facilities.

“A total of N2.97 billion is said to be unaccounted for by different contractors on these 30 projects and we are calling on the anti-corruption agencies to quickly investigate these cases in order to ensure deserved value for money is achieved.”

Also, Project Director, TrustAfrica, Chinedu Nwagu, called on the National Assembly to carry out a review of the 2016 report.

He said it is only when a review of the report is done and recommendations forwarded to the Executive arm of government that the anomalies found in the report could be corrected.

Nwagu said: “There is need for the National Assembly to do the needful by ensuring extensive review of the 2016 audit report of the federation. It is only when this is done and recommendations forwarded to the Executive Arm that these anomalies can be corrected.

“Parliament should equally make effort in sending the new Audit Service Commission Bill 2018 to the president for assent. The new law will go a long way in preventing such illegality from occurring again,” he said.