Top leaders of Nigeria’s Senate have secured billions of naira in constituency projects for themselves in the 2024 budget, according to a report by PREMIUM TIMES. These projects, officially known as Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP), are allocated among the 109 senators.
The report highlights how N4.142 billion in constituency projects were funneled to the North-west Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Similarly, the Kano North Senatorial District, represented by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, also received significant allocations.
Other principal officers, including Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Deputy Senate Leader Oyelola Ashiru, Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume, Minority Leader Abba Moro, and Deputy Minority Leader Oyewunmi Olalere, benefited from these projects as well.
A review of the 2024 Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP) within the budget reveals that many of the project locations are vaguely described and listed under questionable sub-headings. Additionally, the budget document lacks clear indications of whether the lawmakers themselves nominated the projects, even though they are located in their respective constituencies.
In Kano North, for example, PREMIUM TIMES found that N250 million was allocated for the “Construction of rural roads in some selected communities in Kano State,” but the specific locations remain unclear.
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