Tackle constituency project fraud, HEDA tells ICPC

HUMAN and Environmental Development Agenda ( HEDA) Resource Centre has charged the new leadership of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ( ICPC), under Dr Musa Aliyu ( SAN), to conduct a comprehensive review of the outcomes of the Commission’s investigation under his predecessor and take legal action against suspects implicated in constituency project fraud spanning over a decade.

ICPC reports from 2003 to 2024 revealed approximately N2 trillion allocated to Nigerian lawmakers for constituency projects yielding minimal results in terms of completed projects or community impact.

The group lamented that the pattern underscored a systemic failure to achieve the misplaced developmental objectives established, outside the ambits of the law and separation of power under former President Olusegun Obasanjo government, with the reports highlighting instances of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.

HEDA Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, on behalf of the organisation, emphasised that the failure to prosecute those implicated by the outcomes of the investigation undermined accountability and tended to perpetuate and embolden a culture of impunity.

He lamented that despite clear evidence of financial impropriety and misuse of public resources, there had been inadequate action to hold responsible parties accountable.

According to Suraju, ICPC, both by its mandate and operations, is a prosecutorial and law enforcement agency, not a recovery agency.

“We therefore call for a comprehensive review and urgent action by the ICPC to ensure accountability and prosecution of all suspects named in these reports.