A report on the distribution of Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs) has shown that the South West has the lowest appropriation of funds amongst the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.
The report was prepared by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
It shows the zone by zone and state by state distribution of the N100 billion constituency projects sponsored by members of the National Assembly in their various constituencies in the 2019 budget.
According to the report titled: “Breakdown of 2019 Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP) Allocations,” the South-West got N14.28 billion worth of projects for the year while the South-East got the second least allocated funds for projects worth N14.85 billion.
The North-West got N17.97 billion and is the largest beneficiary of the ZIP projects, while the North-Central got N17.90 billion to come second.
For the other regions, the North-East, where millions have been displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency, was appropriated N16.06 billion and the South-South got N15.14 billion.
The appropriated amounts are different from the actual releases which the ICPC did not include in its report.
Formula of ZIP’s sharings
The zonal intervention projects in Nigeria were first introduced during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999. It aims to ensure equity in the allocation of projects sited in the constituencies of federal lawmakers by various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of government in the budgets of the federation.
THISDAY reported how over 400 participants from government agencies, CSO’s and Media, at a two-day summit attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, suggested that the mode of payment and execution of the ZIP’s were enmeshed in corruption and should be reviewed.
Similarly, the newspaper, in a major analysis on the sharing of the N100 billion ZIP’s funds, reported that the annual N100 billion allocation is shared on an agreed 60:40 per cent ratio by the two legislative chambers. The House of Representatives with 360 members takes N60 billion while the Senate with 109 members gets N40 billion.
It added that out of the N40 billion budgeted for the Senate, the leadership of the chamber takes N20 billion to fund projects in their constituencies with the remaining N20 billion going to other members.
More ZIP’s Allocation breakdowns
Of Nigeria’s 36 states, Kano had the highest appropriation for constituency projects (N5.2 billion). Zamfara and Sokoto states got the least appropriations at a total value of N1.4 billion each.
On the allocation to MDA’s, the agricultural sector got the highest allocation of zonal project funds worth N15.4billion, while the agencies under the presidency emerged second receiving N13.3 billion.
Other MDA’s include the Ministry of Water Resources, N13 billion, Ministry of Science and Technology, N10. 7 billion, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, N7.9 billion and Ministry of Education, N7.6 billion.
The Ministry of Interior, and the Youth and Sports ministries got N6 million and N10 million respectively.
Resolutions
In his remarks, the ICPC Chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye, during the presentation of the report, said the duty of the commission is to track projects until they are completed.
”For us, at ICPC, our efforts are not to say you have to stop constituency projects but to say if the law and money have been appropriated for projects and developments for the people, we would try and track it to completion. because that is what is expected of us.
Mr Owasanoye also said the essence of the meeting was to make citizens realize that every project in their constituencies belongs to them, as it is sourced from taxes and revenue generated in the country.
“Every citizen should know the project belongs to them, it is their right,” he said
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Participants suggestions
Some of the participants suggested that the legislators should be involved in the tracking of executed projects.
Many suggested to the ICPC that it should extend its Constituency Projects Tracking Group (CPTG) to the local government level and that it should also track major projects and the appropriation of funds to ministries of works and power.
Some also called on citizens to monitor the extravagant lifestyle of their political representatives while many agitated for punishment for defaulters in the execution of zonal projects.
THISDAY
