Nsukka-----The Divine Era Development and Social Rights Initiative, DEDASRI, has said that the Federal Government sited 291 intervention projects under the constituency projects programme attracted by federal legislators between 2016 and 2019 legislative years.
DEDASRI jointly organised to "project tracking report" under the auspices of UP Right Nigeria, alongside actionaid, Ukaid and the Community Committee on Projects in Igboeze North at Enugu Ezike on Thursday at a stakeholders meeting attended by traditional rulers and religious leaders among others at the Applause Hotel in the arrea.
Under the programme, Senators and members of the House of Representatives from Enugu West Senatorial District including Awgu, Eziagu, Aninri, Oji River and Udi got the list highest number of projects within the period with 140 followed by their colleagues in Enugu East who got 73
Their counterparts in Enugu North got 69.
According to the number of projects attracted to local governments, Udi topped the list with 45, with Awgu and Oji River getting 38 and 28 respectively to become second and third highest beneficiaries.
Nsukka Local Government Area came fourth with 22 projects while Igboetiti and Igboeze South had six projects each. Igboeze North and Uzo Uwani placed ninth with 11 projects each.
A report released by the organisers said that some projects said to have been sited in some communities could not be traced although they had been paid for and certificate of completion issued to the benefitting communities.
For examples, the report stated that "the community committee on project tracking discovered that the supposedly solar powered borehole (at Amalla- Obollo and Umuonehe -Aji communities in Udenu and Igboeze North local governments respectively), while they had overhead tanks erected, and the electrical wiring for electricity done, is powered by a generator owned by a community member who sells the water from the borehole to other community members (in the case of Umuonehe -Aji specifically).
Also, "at Iyionu, Aguibeje in Igboeze North, the committee found the motorised water borehole, with overhead tank abandoned even though it was awarded for completion in 2019. At the site, there was no project board, a drilling point and overhead tank found.
"On interviewing the community leader, he showed us a certificate of completion of the project that was issued to the community. We found a phone number of the contractor and site engineer on it.
"According to the community leader, the project has never functioned. When the contractor and site engineer were called, they both refused to comment on the project...
"The same situation was found in Isiugwu Community in Igboeze North, for same motorised water borehole that was awarded for completion in 2019.
"There was no project sign on site and a community .ember that lives nearby said a project board was erected and removed same day after pictures were taken with it. The point of drilling was seen but there was no water..."
