Fed. Govt halts payments on unverified constituency projects
Any constituency project not verified and certified by the Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs Ministry will no longer be paid for by the Federal Government.
Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs Permanent Secretary Onwusoro Ihemelandu made this known during his visit to the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Babatunde Ogunjimi.
Ihemelandu implored the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) to cooperate with the government to ensure that guidelines/circulars on execution and payment for constituency projects were fully adhered to.
He raised concerns over the growing number of cases where agencies execute and process payments for constituency projects without following the guidelines or undergoing proper verification.
The permanent secretary lamented that such irregular practice compromised the value government and citizens were supposed to derive from the projects.
He stressed that collaboration between his ministry and OAGF was critical in blocking leakages and ensuring efficient use of public funds.
“Many agencies proceed with execution and payment without observing the guidelines or verifying the projects. We need to ensure our funds are delivering real outcomes,” Ihemelandu said.
Accountant General Ogunjimi pledged the full cooperation of his office with the ministry’s compliance initiative.
He said the OAGF was committed to operating strictly within its mandate and would support the process of integrating constituency project guidelines into all stages of project documentation and payment.
“We will give bite to these guidelines; we will ensure that this guideline is projected adequately and that it becomes part of the prerequisite documentation for all constituency projects,” Ogunjimi stated.
He added that moving forward, the guidelines would be featured prominently in OAGF’s engagements with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as other relevant stakeholders.
To reinforce this, he pledged to make provisions for the ministry to present the guidelines/circulars during stakeholder forums and technical sessions organised by his office
Ogunjimi also said future circulars from the OAGF concerning the closure of accounts and management of capital projects will contain clear instructions on adherence to constituency project guidelines.
The National Assembly and some government agencies are the major executors of constituency projects.
