Abuja lawmaker Mr. Philip Aduda, a Senator, has converted the N225 million constituency project located at the Karu area of Abuja to personal property.
The Abuja Senator under the deal worked with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to nominate the project as a constituency project, while the project was awarded to Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority (UNRBDA) parastatal under the ministry.
Under the deal, the Senator and the Ministry of Water Resources together with the NRBDA have taken N225 million for a project that cannot cost above N100 million.
Worse still, the Senator working with his collaborators at the Water Resources Ministry took three years in claiming the money.
A breakdown of allocations for the money shows, Aduda in 2016 working with the Water Resources Ministry nominated the project for the sum of N100 million.
In the year 2017, the lawmaker with his collaborators nominated the same project with the sum of N75 million.
The Abuja lawmaker claims the project was yet to be completed and nominated the same in 2019 for the sum of N50 million. Making it N225 million in a total.
Worse still, the Abuja lawmaker has since converted the constituency project to his personal property and renamed it JUMMAI ADUM YOUTH CENTRE with his mother’s picture as a logo on it.
However, a close look at the project shows, the lawmaker might have worked with the Ministry of Water Resources to shortchange his people and the Nigerian state.
For instance, the lawmaker has claimed to have spent the sum of N50 million for the construction of parameter fencing, landscaping, and a borehole.
Checks by WAR shows the project might have been inflated, Mr. Chukwudi, a civil engineer, told this newspaper, that amount is good enough to construct a youth centre and equip it with modern facilities.
He has since queried why the lawmaker will claim such an astronomical amount in a project that can be done with a far lower amount.
Worse still, the project is in the core mandate of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
One wonders why the Ministry of Water Resources will foray into the project of youth centre which is the core mandate of Youth and Sports Ministry.
A top Tracka official who exposed the Senator, told WAR that the action of the lawmaker completely violates the principles of constituency project. He pointed out that constituency project is for the people and cannot for whatever reason be converted to a personal property of the lawmaker or anybody.
WAR could not immediately reach out to Mr. Aduda and Water Resource for a response.
Credit: West Africa Reporters