A civil society group in Osun State, Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG), has stated that the projects nominated by some senators of the state are obvious attempts to shortchange their constituencies.
In a press release titled ‘2021 ZONAL INTERVENTION PROJECTS: THE UPCOMING PROFLIGACY OF OSUN FEDERAL LAWMAKERS’, signed by the group’s spokesman, Com. Ayo Ologun, on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, the group did a review of the ZIPs for Representatives from the state as extracted from the 2021 Appropriation Act.
The full statement:
The intention, as the projects were designed, was to give an annual project budget to each Federal lawmaker, for which he is expected to nominate projects that best address the needs of his/her people. The nominated projects are then placed for execution, in the relevant Ministry, Department or Agency of the Federal Government while the lawmaker who nominated them ensures execution through personal monitoring.
As it affects all areas of our National life however, corruption has eaten deep into the nomination and execution of Zonal Intervention Projects in the country and it has now become a means of personal enrichment of the Federal Lawmakers who nominate phantom projects that the Constituents neither directly benefit from, nor can monitor.
In the 2021 appropriation act, the Transparency and Accountability Group found that the projects nominated by the Federal Lawmakers from Osun show clearly, an attempt to shortchange the people of their Constituencies yet again.
Ranging from suspiciously-named training programmes to phony empowerment programmes to mind-blowing costs for installing solar streetlights, Osun Federal Lawmakers seem to be planning to make a lot of fortune off the 2021 Zonal Intervention Projects.”
We will do a quick review of the ZIPs as extracted from the 2021 Appropriation Act, starting from the three Senators representing the State at the Senate. We will follow quickly with a review of the ZIPs for Representatives from the State:
Sen. Ajibola Basiru – Osun Central Senatorial District
Training on good Agricultural practices for sustainable farming in Osun Central Senatorial District
N60,000,000
Federal College of Agriculture, Moore Plantation, Ibadan
Provision of solar street lights to farmers’ communities in Osun Central Senatorial district
N140,000,000
Federal College of Agriculture, Moore plantation, Ibadan
Provision of solar-powered streetlights to selected cooperators’ communities in Osun Central Senatorial District
N167,000,000
Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan
Provision of solar-powered boreholes for selected cooperators’ communities in Osun Central Senatorial District
N60,000,000
Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan
Total
N427,000,000
From the table above, it can be seen that Sen. Ajibola Basiru has nominated a whooping Three Hundred and Seven Million Naira (N307,000,000) to “Provision of Solar streetlights” alone. More worrisome is the fact that the beneficiaries earmarked are vague. We are compelled to ask the Distinguished Senator, where are the Farmers’ and Cooperators’ Communities in his Senatorial District? What is a Cooperator Community, in fact?
What further worries us, is the fact that in 2020, Sen. Ajibola Basiru nominated the total sum of Two Hundred and Thirteen Million (N213,000,000) for just two items -N50,000,000 on “Capacity Building for Cooperators, ICT, Entrepreneurship, Management, Cooperate Law, Values and Studies in Osun Central Senatorial District” and N163,000,000 on “Supply and Distribution of Empowerment tools for Trained Cooperators in Osun Central Senatorial District.”
Another worry we must express, is Sen. Ajibola Basiru’s obsession with the Federal Cooperative College Ibadan. In 2020, his N213,000,000 was placed fully under this Institution. In 2021, he has placed a total of N227,000,000 under the same institution. We wonder why this is so, especially for projects like Installation of Solar Street Lights, Provision of Empowerment items and Provision of solar-powered boreholes.
In conclusion, are there no more beneficial projects to expend such huge funds on, other than streetlights? At what cost per unit will the streetlights be installed that will justify those figures? Are streetlights so pressing where several locations in Osun Central Senatorial District require Access roads and Electrification?
Sen. Adelere Oriolowo – Osun West Senatorial District
Provision and installation of integrated solar streetlight in selected areas of Osun West Senatorial District
N40,000,000
Fed. College of Produce Inspection and Technology, Kano
Community support Agric programs in selected communities in Osun West Senatorial District
N50,000,000
NCAM, Ilorin
Construction of 1 block of 2 classrooms in selected area of Osun West Senatorial District
N20,000,000
UBEC
Provision of instructional materials such as notebooks in selected area of Osun West Senatorial district
N50,000,000
National Commission for Refugees
Supply of sewing machines and grinding machines to some selected areas in Osun West Senatorial District
N30,000,000
Labour
Provision of all in one solar light in Eleyele area, Osun West Sen. District
N10,000,000
Aquatic bio-resources centre, Tunari
Community support programs for selected communities in Osun West Senatorial District
N40,000,000
National Boundary Commission
Total
N240,000,000
There are loads of questions we are compelled to ask the Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Sen. Adelere Oriolowo.
First on this long list of questions concerns the two projects, amounting to N50,000,000 that he nominated to Institutions in Kano and Taraba States. Are there no Ministries, Agencies or Departments of the Federal Government possessing the capacity to execute these projects? Do we have to remind him that Solar Streetlights can be fabricated and installed by the Works arm of the Federal Polytechnic, Ede?
Second on our long list of questions to Sen. Oriolowo is the meaning of “Community support Agric programs in selected communities in Osun West Senatorial District” with an allocation of N50,000,000? How is this any different from “Community support programs for selected communities in Osun West Senatorial District” with an allocation of N40,000,000? Why is splitting his ZIPs into so many intangible, but similar directions?
We also wish to ask Distinguished Senator Oriolowo why he is specifically providing Solar streetlights worth N10,000,000 to Eleyele Area? Where is Eleyele Area in the whole of Osun West?
In conclusion, we seek to clarify the other instructional materials added to “Notebooks” to make up a budget of N50,000,000 for Provision of Instructional Materials under the National Commission for Refugees. If it will be just Notebooks, we wait to know the quantity of Notebooks that will make up a budget of N50,000,000.
Sen. Francis Fadahunsi – Osun East Senatorial District
Provision of strategic empowerment program for people of Osun East Sen. district
N55,000,000
SMEDAN
Training on entrepreneurship and grants for youths and women in Osun East Sen. district
N50,000,000
SMEDAN
ICT and solar energy training and empowerment for youths in Osun East Senatorial District
N50,000,000
NPC
Purchase of tricycles,motorcycles and sewing machines to empower youths and women in Osun East Senatorial District
N75,000,000
National Commission for Refugees
Total
N230,000,000
Sen. Francis Fadahunsi tried to keep things very brief as he concentrated his N230,000,000 ZIP allocation on just four items. We are constrained to ask however, why in the 21st century, a Senator thinks purchase of Motorcycles, Tricycles and Sewing Machines as items of empowerment, is a wise economic decision? A whooping N75,000,000 to be spent partly on motorcycles that are being banned in more urbane Cities in the country? Should a Leader not be more visionary?
We also must ask what the true meaning of “Strategic Empowerment” is, that will make it attract a N55,000,000 allocation when there is already a needless N75,000,000 for empowerment of youths and women? Is this his attempt at duplicating the same project with the intent of getting shady benefits?
In conclusion, we will love to ask Sen. Fadahunsi, why he thinks the National Population Commission is the correct Agency for “ICT and solar energy training and empowerment for youths in Osun East Senatorial District” with an allocation of N50,000,000. When did the Population Commission become a Training Institute?
Conclusion
We identified several anomalies in the nature of projects nominated, the costs of these projects and the Agencies to which the projects are tied and we have the following overall questions for the three (3) Senators:
The common practice of placing projects in irrelevant Agencies that all three Senators brazenly perpetrated; is it to hide projects in ‘friendly’ Agencies for the purpose of receiving kickbacks? If not, why are projects placed in irrelevant Agencies?
The common practice of attaching nose-twitching figures to intangible and irrelevant training and empowerment projects; is it an attempt to siphon money, knowing that expenses on training and empowerment cannot be correctly measured?
Are their Constituents aware of the nature of projects they have nominated and are they happy with these phony choices?
It can be recalled that the group had on Sunday said the Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, and serving federal lawmakers representing the state must answer to the allegations of violation of the state’s procurement law.
The group in its recent statement said it will continue “to pursue accountability, transparency and probity in Governance as we stay committed to the true tenets of democracy.”
