The Senate on Wednesday shot down a motion moved by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu seeking to restrain the Independent
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) from project tracking.
The ICPC has been monitoring and tracking the government’s constituency and executive projects through its Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Group (CEPTG).
The exercise is meant to ensure value-for-money, as it investigates fraudulent procurement and forces completion of abandoned projects.
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The Commission is reported to have saved the government over N30 billion by tracking various projects in sectors like health, education, and water resources.
Kalu was stopped in his tracks as he began reading his motion, accusing the ICPC of usurping the oversight function of standing committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, was the first to raise objections to Kalu’s motion, saying that the matter could be resolved administratively.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele also faulted the motion, insisting that the ICPC was only carrying out its statutory mandate by tracking such projects.
Bamidele said the ICPC has been monitoring constituency projects executed by National Assembly members, adding that the Commission had also tracked the projects he executed in his own constituency.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, agreed with Barau and Bamidele and consequently overruled Senator Kalu.