Much Ado About Constituency Projects

Over the past week, the news about millions of Naira allocated in the National Assembly for “Constituency Projects” at an average of N200m per Senator in the 10th Parliament has been festering. That comes to about N21.8bn assuming all 109 Senators received the same amount even though we have been told that some of the principal officers and leaders got more with reports of N500m and in some cases, up to N1bn for their constituents.

According to the sharing formula, Senators in the red chamber will often get 60% while Honourable Members in the green chamber using the analysis of previous years will get 40% of the total constituency budget. In the past, when only N100bn was available for the special projects’, Senators got N60bn while HoR members got N40bn. It is not clear whether this ratio still exists. These projects are insertions made by the 469 Members (109 Senators and 360 House of Representatives) of the National Assembly from the 36 states + the FCT into the budgets of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) for their constituencies.

Officially called the Special Intervention Projects (SIP) or Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs), these special projects were approved by the Obasanjo administration and managed by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs now SDGs). The aim was for a noble cause which is to bring government closer to the people. However, 21 years and more than N2 trillion Naira after, Nigerians are yet to feel the impact of constituency projects especially those in rural areas. Reports show that hundreds of these projects lie spread across the country as uncompleted or abandoned projects according to BudgIT’s Tracka – a citizen tracking platform for government projects.

Of Constituency Projects and Allied Matters.
Constituency projects typically refer to specific development projects or initiatives undertaken by elected representatives (such as members of parliament or congress) to address the needs of their constituents. These projects are often funded through the public budget and are intended to benefit the local community within a particular electoral district or constituency. They can vary widely in scope and nature, ranging from infrastructure development (such as road construction, bridges, schools, hospitals) to social welfare programs (such as healthcare services, education support, poverty alleviation initiatives). The specific projects chosen by representatives often reflect the priorities and demands of the communities they serve.
In Nigeria, constituency projects are initiatives undertaken by legislators to address the development needs of their respective constituencies. These projects are funded through the national budget and are intended to improve infrastructure, social services, and economic opportunities at the grassroots level.

They are aimed at addressing various community needs, including infrastructure development for the construction or rehabilitation of roads, bridges, schools, health facilities, water supply systems, and electricity infrastructure. Others are social welfare programmes that may involve initiatives to provide support for education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and empowerment programmes, such as skills acquisition training and youth empowerment schemes. There are also projects aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, supporting farmers with inputs and equipment, and promoting agribusiness in rural areas. While the community development projects focus on improving community amenities like markets, parks, sports facilities, and community centres.

Animal Farm?
Earlier in the week, Senator Abdul Ningi representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District had generated a controversy when he accused the National Assembly of padding the 2024 budget with an extra N3.7 trillion without recourse to any specific projects. In a related development and following the revelation by Senator Ali Ndume that some principal officers and leaders in the National Assembly got more because “some animals are more equal than others”, Senator Ned Nwoko, Senator representing Delta North senatorial district revealed that he received over N1bn for his constituency.

In 2023, the Senate stepped down the bill that sought to legalize constituency projects for lawmakers on grounds that it will interfere with the provisions of section 80 of the 1999 constitution as amended which vests the power of appropriations with the legislature. However, the “bill for an Act to provide for constituency and other special projects in the annual budget of the federation”, sponsored by Senator Hussaini Babangida Uba was aborted during it’s second reading on the floor of the Senate.
In a recent interview on the constituency projects brouhaha, Senator Ali Ndume, Chief Whip of the 10th Senate representing Borno south senatorial district since 2011, noted that constituency projects are practised in most climes including in the US. However, according to the UK Parliament House of Commons Library, “…funding is not typically given specifically to constituency areas. Since government departments decide where most public money is spent, MPs do not have any direct control over the amount of money spent in their constituencies.”
In America, constituency projects are called “Earmarks” or “pork barrel” a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured primarily to direct spending to a representative’s congressional district. It is a negotiated way of political particularism – a practice which furthers narrow interests rather than broader national platforms by politicians in return for political support or votes. This practice was placed on a moratorium for 10 years and was only lifted in 2021 by Democrats.
The House Republicans on the other hand, were sceptical of bringing back earmarks, though they recently voted to keep earmarks for the 118th Congress. A 2021 analysis by the Brookings Institution, showed that House Democrats and Republicans used earmarks to accomplish very different goals and framed the projects funded by them in different ways. Democrats adopt a transactional or distributional approach to representation and promote policies that appeal to their big-tent constituency. Republicans on the other hand adopt a more symbolic approach, emphasizing American imagery and values.

People Centred Projects.
Implementation of constituency projects in Nigeria has been subject to scrutiny and criticism due to challenges such as corruption, mismanagement of funds, and lack of transparency. There have been allegations of inflated project costs, poor project execution, and diversion of funds meant for constituency development. In response to these challenges, efforts have been made to improve transparency and accountability in the allocation and execution of constituency projects. Initiatives such as the establishment of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, public disclosure of project details, and engagement of civil society organisations in oversight have been introduced to enhance accountability and ensure that constituency projects effectively meet the needs of the communities they serve.

The media and civil society organisations have also scrutinised the expenditures and projects through various means. Citizen accountability platforms like “Tracka” and “Follow The Money” provide insight into government expenditure and implementation. According to Tracka, out of the 3,691 projects tracked across twenty-two states in 2022, 2,037 were completed, 1,012 are still ongoing, while 533 have not commenced, and 109 have been abandoned.

While constituency projects are intended to improve the lives of constituents and address local needs, they can sometimes be controversial due to issues such as mismanagement of funds, corruption, or political favouritism in the selection and implementation of projects. Consequently, transparency and accountability in the allocation and execution of constituency projects are essential to ensure that public resources are used effectively and equitably for the benefit of the community.
Now we know that not all animals are equal and that some animals are more equal than others. Perhaps Nigerians can begin to find their place in the grand scheme of things and demand that at the very least, constituency projects respond to the needs of the people and truly serve the people.