Mr. Idris Wase, a lawmaker from Plateau state and Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian 9th House of Representatives, has allegedly blocked Tracka from tracking and inspecting his constituency Projects.
Wase whose Personal Assistant (PA), Mr. Danjuma allegedly blocked Tracka official from tracking and inspecting his constituency projects at the Wase Local Government Area of Plateau state threatened the official to leave the town or face severe consequences.
You do not have the right to track my constituency projects, leave the Wase community immediately before a terrible thing happens to you, go to the government agency in charge of the projects and ask them about updates, Wase’s special assistant said.
A senior Tracka official while narrating the incident to MAWA FOUNDATION disclosed how Mr. Danjuma, the lawmaker personal assistant (PA) threaten and forced their official who visited Wase to track the 2020 constituency projects out of the community while assuring them of severe consequences if they dare them.
“I was at the Wase community to track and inspect the 2020 constituency projects nominated by Mr. Idris Wase, their lawmaker; the traditional ruler welcomed me, and linked me to the lawmaker personal assistant who will help take me around the community to see the projects. To my surprise, the PA instead of showing me the projects threatened to deal with me if I don’t leave the community”, Tracka official told MAWA FOUNDATION
“Leave this community before something terrible will happen to you”, the lawmaker PA told Tracka official.
When MAWA FOUNDATION sought the explanation of Mr. Danjuma, the PA to the Plateau lawmaker, he denied threatening Tracka official but admitted he refused to show his principal constituency projects because it is only the government agency that is in charge of the projects that has the right to inspect them.
Mr. Idris Wase, who reached out to MAWA FOUNDATION in response to the earlier text message sent to him, said he has never at any time stopped anybody from inspecting his constituency projects. He, however, said he is a man of integrity who is ready to conduct anybody around his constituency projects to see how well he has done.
When MAWA reminded the lawmaker of Mr. Danjuma his PA refusal to allow Tracka official to track and inspect his constituency projects, Wase said his PA at the lower level does not have knowledge about his projects and cannot adequately give proper information.
Constituency projects are nominated by the lawmakers for the needs of their constituents and recommend same to the executive during budgeting; this will help to improve the living condition of the people in their constituents through building local infrastructures.
However, Nigerian experience has shown that Federal Lawmakers do not execute constituency projects as they appear in the national budget, and getting them to account for monies approved for such intervention is always difficult.
And, often community residents are not aware such monies have been given to their representatives, and that makes accountability very difficult.