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May 24, 2025

Anambra APC chieftain wants Tinubu to probe alleged constituency fund misappropriation

Anambra APC chieftain wants Tinubu to probe alleged constituency fund misappropriation

APC Chieftain from Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, Pharmacist Ikeagwuonwu Chinedu Klinsmann.

By Bayo Wahab

APC Chieftain from Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, Pharmacist Ikeagwuonwu Chinedu Klinsmann, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to initiate a comprehensive investigation into allegations of systemic misappropriation of funds allocated for Constituency Development Projects (CDPs), officially known as Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs), by federal lawmakers and their collaborators.

Klinsmann alleged that over the past two decades, Nigeria has allocated trillions of naira to CDPs, but mounting evidence reveals that a significant portion of these funds has been misappropriated.

In a statement signed by him, the APC chieftain stated that investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other watchdog organizations have uncovered widespread corruption, including project inflation, funds diversion, and contract awarding to relatives.

In the statement, he aligned with the recent position of Comrade Daniel Onjeh, another APC Chieftain, who had days earlier issued a press release challenging federal lawmakers to publish the list of projects executed under their watch and give an account of the staggering N1 billion and N2 billion annually allocated to members of the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively.

Klinsmann lamented that 24 hours after Comrade Onjeh’s article was published, the National Assembly leadership had not responded to his allegations, questioning whether this silence indicated the NASS’ complicity.

Klinsmann recalled that the Constituency Projects initiative was introduced in 2000 to allow federal lawmakers to nominate projects that address the specific needs of their constituencies. “The goal of ZIPs,” he said, “is to ensure fair and equitable distribution of resources and development across different regions and constituencies of Nigeria.”

He emphasized that these projects could significantly improve constituents’ lives by providing essential infrastructure and services if properly implemented. However, he warned that the success of CDPs depends on effective oversight and management to prevent corruption and ensure that projects meet the needs of the communities they are intended to serve.

He said, “Since its inception, over ₦2 trillion has been budgeted for ZIPs, but despite this substantial investment, many communities have seen little to no improvement in infrastructure or services. Investigations have revealed that some lawmakers have exploited the ZIPs for personal gain. The ICPC’s Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative (CEPTI) has been instrumental in uncovering these malpractices.”

According to Klinsmann, the ICPC reported recovering approximately ₦2.8 billion worth of assets diverted or embezzled through the constituency projects scheme.

After the commission’s intervention, he stated that about 450 contractors had returned to sites to complete abandoned or poorly executed projects. Investigations also revealed that some lawmakers awarded contracts to companies owned by themselves, their family members, or associates.

Kilinsman buttressed his claim by citing a case in Katsina Central Federal Constituency, where a project to construct and equip an e-library was awarded to a company linked to the sponsoring legislator.

He stated that the ICPC uncovered instances where projects were paid for but never executed or diverted funds.

“One such example was a project for the supply of educational materials that was found to have been diverted to a school owned by the sponsoring senator,” he said.

He added that the ICPC’s tracking exercises, spanning multiple phases, revealed systemic abuses across various states.

“The commission’s fifth phase of tracking uncovered fraudulent procurement practices in the award of contracts for ZIPs executed under the 2019, 2020, and 2021 budget years, leading to the recovery of over ₦5.6 billion and the freezing of about 200 bank accounts used for illegal deals,” noted Klinsmann.

Furthermore, Klinsmann stated that the consequences of these abuses are being felt across communities, which remain without basic infrastructure such as water, electricity, schools, and healthcare facilities. He decried how the persistent mismanagement of ZIPs has eroded public trust and stifled grassroots economic development, perpetuating poverty and hopelessness among ordinary Nigerians.

He stressed that some of the core reasons Nigerians are still suffering, despite the fuel subsidy removal policy meant to free up more resources for development, is because legislators are not channeling these freed-up funds to tangible, impactful projects.

He noted that while President Tinubu has shown a clear commitment to repositioning Nigeria’s economy and strengthening institutions, such good intentions are sabotaged by the continuous mismanagement of constituency funds.

Klinsmann lamented that rather than being the lifeline for development at the grassroots, ZIPs have become a source of illicit wealth for some lawmakers, further deepening the hardship faced by the people and shifting public anger toward the Presidency.

Therefore, he urged the Presidency to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves. “No matter the President’s good intentions, if the ZIPs continue to be looted at this scale, his administration’s credibility and the very essence of the fuel subsidy removal will be undermined,” Klinsmann stated.

As a path forward, Klinsmann called on President Tinubu to initiate a comprehensive audit of all constituency projects from 2000 to date. He called for prosecuting all public officials, lawmakers, and contractors found guilty of embezzlement and fraud, regardless of their status.

He further advocated implementing systemic reforms of the ZIP framework to enhance transparency, including public disclosure of project details and budgets and the implementation of contractors.

He equally called for strengthening oversight mechanisms by empowering independent bodies and civil society organizations to monitor project implementation and report malpractices. “Involving local communities in the planning and monitoring of projects to ensure they meet actual needs and are executed effectively is also crucial,” opined Klinsmann.

Finally, Klinsmann towed the path of Comrade Onjeh by suggesting that the federal government should overhaul the ZIP structure, proposing the establishment of a dedicated agency — the Constituency Development and Zonal Intervention Projects Agency — to manage and execute all such projects nationwide centrally.

“It is time to restore integrity to Nigeria’s public procurement system and ensure that public funds are used strictly for their intended purposes. Let this be the administration that finally breaks the cycle of corruption in the management of constituency projects. Nigerians are watching, and history will remember.” Klinsmann appealed to the President.