Despite N190 Million Allocation, Awka Ibom Skill Acquisition Centre Remains Abandoned

Mr. Bassey Albert a lawmaker from Awka Ibom state has abandoned his N190 million constituency project.

Under the deal, the lawmaker who represents Awka Ibom North and East at the upper federal legislative chamber, the senate, nominated the project in the year 2016 and 2017 respectively.

In the year 2016, the lawmaker nominated the construction of a Comprehensive Skill Acquisition and Recreational center at the Ifa Ikot Akpan in Uyo local government area of Akwa Ibom State.

The sum of N90 million was allocated to the project, while it was left undone until 2017 when the lawmaker nominated the same project, and the sum of N100 million was allocated to it, making a total sum of N190 million.

Tall as the constituency project is, despite the 2016 and 2017 allocations made, the lawmaker has since abandoned the project while grasses have taken over the project site.

Tracka, a public accountability organization, said its team visited the project site and found that it has since been abandoned.

Good as constituency project initiative seems the Nigerian experience has shown that the initiative is characterized by corruption, with lawmakers conniving with the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to nominate projects, get allocations from the government and carry out substandard work.

In some cases, the projects are abandoned, while in many instances the projects are highly inflated with the community residents who are the direct beneficiaries of the constituency project not knowing anything about the project.

Worse still, some lawmakers claim constituency projects as donations to the community without disclosing to the residents that the project is a government intervention for the welfare of the people.

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