MDAs to execute 23,999 constituency projects this year

NO less than 23,999 constituency projects have been slated for execution this year by the concerned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in line with the 2013 Appropriation, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter—Governmental Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, has said. 

   Turaki also said his ministry is already collating data from participating MDAs on all projects and programmes from 2009 till date. 

  The minister made the announcement yesterday in an address to a Service Wide Meeting of Head of Service of the Federation and Permanent Secretaries held in Abuja. The meeting was aimed at enhancing a good working relationship between the Ministry, Head of Service of the Federation and concerned permanent secretaries as partners in the implementation of the zonal intervention/constituency projects and programmes nationwide. 

  Turaki who used the occasion to brief the gathering on the success so far recorded by his ministry on constituency projects said: ‘’We are also compiling a list of abandoned projects/programmes and updating submissions received from MDAs and I implore permanent secretaries to ensure quick returns to my ministry. We are compiling names of MDA contact persons on constituency projects, we have put in place a monitoring, evaluation and verification agenda which includes hiring of consultants. 

 ‘’We have gone ahead to hold a stakeholders forum on the 5th September, 2013 where some resolutions were reached. Among the resolutions are that the widely held belief that constituency projects are conduit pipes for members of the National Assembly is wrong. It is also wrong to say constituency projects are conceived and allocated by Members of the National Assembly. The implementation is done by MDAs with just supervisory oversight from members of the National Assembly whose role is key in identification and location of projects.’’  The minister stressed the need to establish a legal framework for implementation of constituency projects.  

  In his remarks, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Goni Aji said: ‘’In the last two weeks,  we had a meeting with all the permanent secretaries where directives were given to update the present status of each project and today’s meeting further attested to that by reviewing progress made in all the areas of implementation. 

  “Some of the projects are in various stages of costing and awards, some have already been awarded, some are being completed, some are ready for completion and payments.

 ‘’Today’s exercise enabled us to  collate and have a reliable document under the control of the Minister of Special Duties so that from time to time, he can also brief the National Assembly members on the state of the projects.’’

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