Mr. Mansur Manu Soro, a federal lawmaker from Bauchi State has facilitated the grading of 7 kilometres road for the sum of N80 million as his constituency project.
Soro, a federal lawmaker in the House of Representatives had in 2020 nominated the construction of Soro- Gungura-Shila and Youtare roads located in Ganjuwa/Darazo Federal constituency, Gunjura Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State as his constituency project.
The lawmaker while confirming the project cost, said the sum of N100 million was first allocated to the project, but after the COVID- pandemic, the sum was reduced to N80 million.
The contract for the project was awarded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture who supervised it.
Tracka, a public accountability organization that visited the community to inspect the project, says 7 kilometres of the road has been graded.
Mr. Soro, the Bauchi lawmaker while reacting to Tracka report via a telephone conversation, said the sum of N100 million was initially allocated to the project, but was reduced to N80 million as a result of COVID-19 impact on the nation’s economy.
He added that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture that awarded contract for the project, asked the contractor to construct only 7 kilometres at the price of N80 million.
Justifying spending N80 million on grading 7 kilometres of road, the lawmaker said the amount is not enough to build a single bridge considering how expensive road construction is in Nigeria.
This is even as the lawmaker claims that he is doing his best for his people, pointing out that whoever goes to his community will be told by his people how well he is trying for them.
“I am doing the best for my people, whoever goes to my community will be told by my people how well I am trying for them,” the lawmaker said.
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 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.