The Federal Government has moved to end project duplication and strengthen oversight of regional development commissions, directing that all Zonal Intervention and Constituency Projects be centralised under the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs for monitoring, evaluation and verification before payments are made to contractors.
The Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Zephaniah Jisalo, said the long-standing practice of allowing other Ministries, Departments and Agencies to execute constituency projects had contributed significantly to rising corruption in the country. “The Minister urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies to allow the Ministry to fully perform its mandate of monitoring, evaluating and verifying zonal and constituency projects before contractors are paid,” the Ministry said. He made the call in Abuja at a stakeholders’ interactive forum on the implementation of the 2025 Zonal Intervention and Constituency Projects.
At the forum, stakeholders warned that the current dispersal of projects across ministries and agencies has led to waste, poor execution and weak accountability. “The present practice of scattering Zonal Intervention and Constituency Projects across various MDAs must stop immediately. All such projects should be domiciled in FMSDIGA to enable it assume its statutory responsibility as the anchor and implementation organ,” the communique stated. The forum noted that ZIP/CP projects account for over ₦4 trillion annually in the Federal Government budget.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission disclosed that out of the N4.7 trillion allocated for zonal and constituency projects in the 2025 budget, over N500 billion worth of projects were discovered to be duplicated. Head of Project Monitoring and Tracking at the ICPC, Mr. Bello Bakore, said the findings underscore the need for tighter coordination and verification.
Under revised guidelines issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation dated 20th September, 2023, all ZIP/CP must be duly certified and approved by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs before any payments are made to contractors. The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Onwusoro Maduka Ihemelandu, met with the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Shamsudeen Babatunde, to ensure strict adherence to the new guideline. “The revised guidelines provide that all ZIP/CP must be duly certified and approved by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs before any payments are made to contractors,” the Ministry said.
On regional commissions, the Federal Government said it would track all projects implemented by the North East Development Commission and other Development Commissions recently established by the administration. Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Mamman, said the government would establish a mechanism to track projects to ensure they align with the Renewed Hope Agenda. “Our major focus and commitment would be to ensure that you deliver well on the implementation of projects. Nigerians focus more on this Ministry than others because they are expecting much in terms of infrastructure and other social amenities,” he said. “The Ministry will monitor and track progress of works and ensure that we do not have abandoned projects anywhere.”
The Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, also tasked the newly appointed officials of the North Central Development Commission to ensure equal distribution of projects across the region. “President Bola Tinubu has consistently emphasised that development must not be concentrated only in urban areas, but must spread to every rural area, region, every state, and every community,” he said.
Stakeholders argued that centralising projects under one ministry would improve coordination, enhance accountability and ensure better value for public funds. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, stressed that constituency projects must be driven by genuine community needs. “The choice of constituency projects must be guided strictly by their socio-economic benefits and the real needs of the people, not the whims or selfish interests of individuals,” Kalu said in remarks delivered on his behalf by Hon. Stanley Ukuku.
