Soji Ajibola, Ibadan
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission has queried the effectiveness of the constituency projects in the rural communities in Oyo State.
Speaking during an on the spot assessment of some of the projects on Tuesday in Ibadan, the ICPC monitoring team led by Mrs Adeoluwa Karakaraye Faustina said the huge amounts voted for the projects by the National Assembly could not be justified.
The team, during their visit to Ajinaps water scheme, Ibudo-Ode, Kajola Ogbin ile, Afafila, Onikoko, Aipo Isale Agbele, Ijio, Iwajowa and Papa Abede, noticed that the use of solar pumping system had rendered the projects useless and of no benefit to the various communities.
Faustina noted that the essence of the exercise was to track the executive projects in rural areas, see where those projects had been executed and whether they were serving the purpose they were meant to serve.
She said, “What I have noticed in the last three weeks is obvious. We have discovered that none of these projects is serving the purpose they are supposed to serve.
“From experience, we were told that some of those faulty items have to be transported back to Germany. When you initiate a scheme that is not helpful because people are not actually benefitting from it, this is just a waste of money.
“The money invested in this project is not justified. So, let’s stop the use of solar pumping system. Electricity is almost everywhere now and buying machine that is not repairable is a waste of money, it’s better to stop it.”
She urged the Federal Government to put an end to the use of solar pumping system, saying that the money expended on such project was not justified as people did not benefit from it.
Also, the Civil Society Operation team leader for ICPC executive and constituency projects tracking, Prof Adewole Adeyeye, faulted some of the projects evaluated.