By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – A civil society group, Connected Development (CODE), has announced the tracking of an impressive N9.4bn ($2.8m) spent across 47 constituency projects in Kaduna State over the past two years.

Hamzat Lawal, the Chief Executive Officer of CODE, made this announcement in Abuja yesterday during the performance review of its project, Deepening Citizens’ Interest in Government Spending and Addressing Accompanying Corrupt Practices (DeSPAAC), which is supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

According to him, the project, which started in 2021, aims to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, ensuring that government spending directly translates into meaningful development.

He explained that the tangible improvements resulting from these efforts can be seen in communities such as Chikaji and Sabon Gari in Zaria. These communities now have fully functional Primary Health Centers (PHCs) worth N50m.

Additionally, in Pala, Ikara local government area, a previously under-equipped Primary Health Center now boasts access to over 80 medical equipment items.

Lawal noted that the initiative has directly reached 30 communities, with a combined population of approximately 990,000 people, from the three senatorial zones in Kaduna State.

However, Lawal noted the project faced a significant challenge.

“The actual needs of constituents often did not align with the projects nominated by legislators. In response, CODE developed the Constituency Nomination and Monitoring Tool to ensure that projects truly address the needs of the constituents.

“This model has allowed constituents to actively participate in the project selection process, and has also enabled legislators to exercise more effective oversight functions over the projects,” Lawal emphasized.

He stated that a survey revealed that 58% of community respondents saw their suggested projects implemented, indicating that the project has led to an increase in community-initiated projects across various Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kaduna State.

A significant number of nominated projects (63 percent), which were submitted through the nomination tools, were completed within the designated time frame, dispelling the notion of abandoned projects across LGAs in Kaduna State.

However, Hon. Hussain Muhammad-Jallo, the House of Representatives member for Igabi Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, commended the organization and its efforts.

“As representatives of different constituencies, the 360 members of the House of Representatives are fully committed to the development of our respective areas, including infrastructure such as roads, electricity, education, health, water, and security,” he stated.