The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) on Wednesday in Ilorin began the tracking of N1.802 billion executive projects in Kwara.
Mr Nathaniel Sikpi, the.Principal Superintendent Investigation, ICPC Kwara Office, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin that the essence of the tracking was to ensure value for money.
Sikpi said the tracking exercise, which is in its 6th phase, comprised 15 projects across the three senatorial districts in the state.
He explained that the tracking was to ensure that the projects were not executed only on paper, but physically on ground.
”The contract may be awarded and executed on paper and monies paid fully, but at the end of the day, no location and the supposed beneficiary (in case of empowerment) are not even aware of such.
”The tracking of projects cuts across both executive and constituency projects, and the ones we are tracking now are majorly executive projects,” he said.
The ICPC officer added that Quantity Surveyors (QS) were part of the team of trackers to ensure that reports were made from the professional angle.
Sikpi added that the commission always followed up already tracked projects to ensure compliance of orders given.
”There is always a follow up after tracking these projects and the commission adopts two major strategies.
”If it is a construction project, and we discovered that it was not well carried out, we force the contractor to go back to site and complete such, so that it will benefit those it is meant for.
”If it is an empowerment project, which is a bit tricky, we have a way of going around it, when we discover that the job is not executed effectively, we will recover funds.
”And so far, we have recovered funds in billions which is available for the public to see on the website of the commission at www.icpc.gov.ng,” he said.
For the tracking at the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), the ICPC official said the vehicles procured were not the ones specified in the contract.
He said the contract indicated 2022 model 32 seater Toyota Coaster Bus, but Mikano Hilux was procured.