The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has begun tracking constituency and executive projects in Imo State, intensifying scrutiny over how public funds are spent on infrastructure and social‑development initiatives across the state.
The exercise is part of the Commission’s ongoing Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Initiative, which started nationwide in 2019 and is now in its seventh phase.
According to the ICPC, the current phase covers numerous constituency projects with a combined value of about N4 billion in Imo State, spanning sectors such as education, health, agriculture, water resources, and roads.
Field teams are visiting the physical sites of these projects in local government areas including Nkwerre, Njaba, Isu, Ideato North, Ideato South, Owerri West, Mbaitoli, and other council areas across Imo East and Imo West senatorial districts.
The tracking is being carried out in collaboration with professional bodies such as the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors, which helps assess the quality and progress of work on each project.
ICPC’s team lead for the exercise in Imo, Ben Anikwe, explained that the core mandate is to ensure that funds budgeted for projects are properly utilised and that contracts are executed in line with approved specifications, thereby deepening adherence to due process and improving “value for money.”
ICPC officials have indicated that the exercise is aimed at curbing abandoned or shoddily executed projects, as well as identifying cases of under‑performance that may warrant further investigation or sanctions.
Over the past five years, the Commission has tracked over N219 billion in constituency projects nationwide across more than 170 ministries, departments, and agencies, with several billions in recoveries and recoverable assets linked to questionable projects.
In Imo, the latest monitoring is being seen by civil‑society groups as a step toward greater transparency and accountability in how federal constituency funds are disbursed and used at the grassroots.
Local stakeholders hope the ICPC’s presence will discourage award‑for‑friends contracting practices and push both legislators and contractors to deliver durable, community‑benefiting infrastructure, rather than ghost or half‑finished projects.