WHERE ARE THE CONSTITUENCY PROJECTS?



THE CONSTITUENCY PROJECT CHALLENGE

I had an interesting conversation with a friend online today and he drew my attention to The Guardian Sunday August 10, 2014 report with the Caption; FATADE: Nigerians Must Question Their Legislators on Constituency Project Funds. (See the report http://tinyurl.com/obmoqs3)

This was our Conversation:
My Friend: Do you know your Senator?
Me: Yes!!! And as a typical Nigerian I retorted with another question, am a political blogger, why won't I know my Senator?
My friend: Who is your Senator?
Me: Barr. James E. Manager
My Friend: where does he represent?
Me: Delta South Senatorial District
My Friend: How many local Governments does he represent?
Me: Eight (8) Warri South, Warri North, Warri South-West, Isoko North, Isoko South, Burutu, Bomadi and Patani
My Friend: How long has he been in the Senate?
Me: Since 2007 (feeling very good with myself)
My Friend: How many constituency projects are located in your own Local Government Area?
Me: I will have to Google that as I have no idea, but am sure there will be a litany of them in all Eight Council Areas as I know the Man to be an Achiever per Excellence.
My Friend: You find out and get back to me.
Me: I definitely will.
And we said our byes.

I tried the Senators official website and the thing refuse to open, I tried Constituency projects and the First link that caught my attention was “How Nigerian Lawmakers feed Fat on Constituency Project Funds!” the Caption was a story done by Street Journal and the report says each Senator receives N60 Million, while a member of the House of Representative receives N40 Million per Quarter (Three Months) as amount due to them as allocation for Constituency Projects (see complete report http://tinyurl.com/lwustzc)

The report paints a grim picture of the Constituency Projects. For those like me who are at a loss as to the meaning of Constituency Projects, another report quotes Jamaican Member of Parliament Mrs. Natalie Headley’s insight on the subject during the 2010 56th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Nairobi. She said “…….national development began at the community/constituency level through effective representation by elected officials and the integral involvement of the community members in the decision making process.”

She further observed “The duties of every Legislator towards constituency projects to include: conceptualization of four years (as in Nigeria) development plan for his or her respective constituency, keeping in mind that these should bear relationship to national policies and programmes; developing plans, after consultation with constituents, comprising projects from specified eligible categories to be undertaken on a year to year basis such as development, rehabilitation and maintenance of small scale community development (physical and social infrastructure), economic enablement welfare and emergency needs and social housing; and ensuring proper monitoring and evaluation and reporting of projects being undertaken under the fund in order to ensure transparency, probity and guarantee that the taxpayers money is effectively and efficiently expended.”


What it means to the layman is; our Senators and Members of the House of Representatives are supposed to consult the people to know the kind of project needed per time before such projects are executed and they should be executed with the people monitoring such projects to ensure transparency. (See complete report http://tinyurl.com/qzb7e5p)

There had been a lot of talk about the jumbo pay of our federal legislators. In a recent article Prof. Femi Ajayi puts the DAILY INCOME of the Honorable Senator representing me James Manager at FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT THOUSAND, SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY NAIRA, THIRTEEN KOBO (N498, 630.13) A DAY. THAT IS MORE THAN WHAT A UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR EARNS IN A MONTH. (See Prof. Ajayi’s article http://tinyurl.com/lj4gtwh) if that figure is correct then am not surprised no member of the Upper and Lower chambers of the National assembly replied former President Obasanjo when he called them “Rogues and armed Robbers.”

That is by the way, am so confident of my Senators Performance that am picking up Media Support Centre Challenge (Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/ocncgc7)to ask my Senator James E. Manager to furnish us with a list of Constituency Projects and their value executed till date. I will then go to the projects site and take pictures to let them know, we have a performing Senator. A small search in vanguard boosted my confidence as I read key headlines “Group Lauds Sen Manager on Devt” Vanguard May 29, 2014 (see more: http://tinyurl.com/pyxl2qv)
N-Delta ex-militants pass confidence vote on Manager Vanguard January 21, 2014 (See More at: http://tinyurl.com/oo25dx6)

If you are an indigene of these 8 local Government Areas in Delta State; Warri South, Warri North, Warri South-West, Isoko North, Isoko South, Burutu, Bomadi and Patani or you are resident in them and you have these Constituency Projects in your Area please oblige me a picture, while I urge staff of our Honorable and Distinguished Senator to send a list of constituency projects executed from 2007 till date. I will greatly appreciate that and call on others to accept the Media Support Centre Challenge.  It is our little way of Nurturing and Preserving our Nascent Democracy.

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