|By Chinwendu Nwani
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has launched an extensive tracking exercise targeting 31 executive and constituency projects valued at N3.6 billion across Ondo State’s three senatorial districts.
The anti-graft agency disclosed that the operation forms part of Phase 8 of its Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking (CEPT) programme, a nationwide initiative designed to ensure transparency, accountability and value for money in Federal Government-funded projects.
Speaking in Akure on Tuesday, the team lead and Assistant Chief Superintendent of Investigation, Mr. Osove Andrew, said the commission would inspect projects spanning critical sectors, including health, education, water supply, agriculture, special interventions and rural electrification.
Andrew revealed that the team would visit 60 project locations across Ondo North, Ondo Central and Ondo South senatorial districts as part of the exercise. He stressed that the commission remains determined to verify whether contractors executed projects strictly in line with approved specifications.
“It behoves on the commission to ensure that Federal Government projects, especially constituency and executive projects, are executed accordingly,” he said.
He added that the ICPC would not hesitate to compel defaulting contractors to return to site where necessary.
“ICPC must ensure there is value for money in Federal Government projects and ensure that projects are executed to specifications according to the quality and quantity of items required, as agreed upon. However, if the agreement is violated, we instruct the contractor to go back to the site and do the needful or face sanctions,” Andrew warned.
The projects under review include the installation of solar-powered streetlights, construction and rehabilitation of classrooms, and other intervention initiatives designed to improve living standards across communities.
Also speaking, Quantity Surveyor and team member, Mr. Adelami Bayegun, urged contractors to prioritise quality delivery in the national interest. According to him, while some of the projects inspected met and even exceeded expectations, others fell short of required standards.
“At the sites we visited, we saw good projects; some are above quality and some below expectations,” Bayegun stated, underscoring the need for strict adherence to approved bills of quantities and technical benchmarks.
Meanwhile, head teachers and residents in several communities commended the ICPC’s monitoring drive. They expressed optimism that the oversight would compel contractors to complete projects properly and discourage substandard execution.
The latest move reinforces the commission’s resolve to tighten oversight on public spending and curb project abandonment, inflated contracts and poor workmanship. With billions of naira at stake, the ICPC’s intervention signals a renewed push to safeguard public resources and restore confidence in constituency and executive projects across Ondo State.
