MEMBER, Board of Trustees and Abia North senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Aliance APGA, Chief David Onuoha-Bourdex yesterday renewed the call for the removal of constituency projects funds from the national budget.
According to him, the appropriation remains a source of corruption in the legislative business of the country.
In a chat with Vanguard, Onuoha-Bourdex stated that he made the call after carefully observing how the provision aided corruption in the national assembly, especially in the areas of budgeting and oversights.
Referring to the recent delay in passing the 2016 budget, the APGA chieftain noted that part of the reasons for padding of figures was to take care of native projects for lawmakers, adding that instead of such adhoc projects, the legislators should focus on their job of law making through painstaking oversight and holding the executive to account.
Onuoha-Bourdex reiterated that the Arochukwu-Ohafia road has remained in its deplorable shape mainly because lawmakers from the area see the project as a source of easy money during oversight, stressing that as a result deep and innovative thinking could not be brought to bear on the damaged road. “It is such projects that the lawmakers should insist that the executive should fix using the best contractors, materials and equipment.
“Arochukwu-Ohafia road has passed the usual cement and reinforced concrete approach. Marine engineers and contractors should have been penciled to handle the erosion-prone project,” he declared.
He pointed out that with their attention divided between nominating contractors, choosing benefiting communities and ensuring the take-off of the project, the lawmakers lose quality time for lawmaking and scrutinizing government expenditure thereby confusing the system of checks and balances.
According to him, the appropriation remains a source of corruption in the legislative business of the country.
In a chat with Vanguard, Onuoha-Bourdex stated that he made the call after carefully observing how the provision aided corruption in the national assembly, especially in the areas of budgeting and oversights.
Referring to the recent delay in passing the 2016 budget, the APGA chieftain noted that part of the reasons for padding of figures was to take care of native projects for lawmakers, adding that instead of such adhoc projects, the legislators should focus on their job of law making through painstaking oversight and holding the executive to account.
Onuoha-Bourdex reiterated that the Arochukwu-Ohafia road has remained in its deplorable shape mainly because lawmakers from the area see the project as a source of easy money during oversight, stressing that as a result deep and innovative thinking could not be brought to bear on the damaged road. “It is such projects that the lawmakers should insist that the executive should fix using the best contractors, materials and equipment.
“Arochukwu-Ohafia road has passed the usual cement and reinforced concrete approach. Marine engineers and contractors should have been penciled to handle the erosion-prone project,” he declared.
He pointed out that with their attention divided between nominating contractors, choosing benefiting communities and ensuring the take-off of the project, the lawmakers lose quality time for lawmaking and scrutinizing government expenditure thereby confusing the system of checks and balances.
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