BY OKEY NDIRIBE
ABUJA—The Federal Government has warned all heads of its ministries, departments and agencies that no excuse would be accepted for non-implementation of constituency projects contained in the 2013 budget.

This was disclosed, weekend, by the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, SAN, while flagging off monitoring and evaluation of 2013 constituency projects across the country at the site of the newly completed NYSC road in Kubwa.

He further stated that  President Goodluck Jonathan was particularly committed to the implementation of  capital aspects of the 2013 budget “because such projects touch directly on the lives of the people”.

His words: “You may wish to know that these projects are very dear to President Jonathan. All efforts need to be deployed to ensure  their actualisation and thus implementation of Mr. President’s goal of bringing development to the grassroots.”

He further stated that the monitoring and evaluation exercise was expected to cover not only the 2,399 constituency projects contained in the 2013 budget,  but also other constituency projects of previous years adding that the exercise would be carried out in phases.

According to him: “The first phase is expected to cover 24 states and the FederalCapitalTerritory. The monitoring teams apart from assessing the level of implementation of these projects are also expected and are also expected to interact with the communities, the key beneficiaries to ascertain their views on the implementation”.

Turaki further stated that the ministry had sent its officials to some states of the federation, for the purpose of on-the-spot assessment of Zonal Intervention Projects.”

He further stated that the construction of NYSC road which was captured under “Provision of Infrastructure to KubwaSatelliteTown”  in the 2013 budget was jointly sponsored by all members of the National Assembly representing FCT.

He added that the manner in which the federal legislators pooled resources together in order to complete the project was commendable.

In her own remarks at the occasion, the Minister of State for FCT,  Olajumoke Akinjide said that the contract was awarded in 2007 at the cost of N42 billion.

Said she: “What members of the National Assembly representing the  FCT did about this project was very patriotic.”

She further stated that FCT was the fastest growing city in the world adding that completion of the project was a manifestation of President Jonathan’s commitment to the implementation of the 2013 Budget.

In his own comments at the occasion, Senator Phillip Aduda hailed the quality of the completed road noting that the project was handled by a competent contractor.