…Abandoned federal projects in Ijesa North linked to his associate
…Contract valued at #500,000,000 yet to commence two years after award
Across Nigeria, constituency projects were conceived as instruments of grassroots
development — a means of ensuring that remote communities benefit directly from
federal spending. Instead, they have become synonymous with opacity, inflated
budgets and, in many cases, outright abandonment.
Nowhere is this troubling pattern more evident than in Oriade/Obokun Federal
Constituency of Osun State, where more than seven federally funded capital
projects valued at over ₦20 billion remain either unexecuted or untraceable.
The controversy surrounding constituency projects is neither new nor isolated.
Investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission, ICPC, have repeatedly uncovered projects that exist only on paper,
are poorly executed, or are sited on private properties linked to their sponsors.
Late former President Muhammadu Buhari had lamented that the country
squandered ₦1 trillion on phantom constituency projects within a decade leading
to 2019. Earlier still, President Olusegun Obasanjo rejected the 2000 Appropriation
Bill over ₦2 billion in inflated provisions.
Critics argue that the practice itself raises constitutional concerns. The legislature,
whose core functions are lawmaking, representation and oversight, has increasingly ventured into project implementation, a constitutionally executive function.
As public affairs commentator Judy Gaiya observes, “lawmakers have transformed
themselves into de facto project managers and contractors, often supervising
projects they inserted into the budget. The result, she argues, is a weakening of
democratic accountability and the rule of law.”
In Oriade/Obokun, scrutiny has centred on a project titled Construction of Inner
Roads and Provision of Solar Street Lights in Ikeji-Arakeji, valued at ₦500
million.
A letter dated July 16, 2024, obtained by journalists, shows that the constituency’s
representative, Oluwole Oke, requested the Permanent Secretary of the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to award the contract to MC
Aremo Nigeria Limited. The company was recommended on the basis of its
purported expertise in executing similar projects.
However, a visit to Ikeji-Arakeji paints a different picture. Residents report that no
inner roads have been constructed, nor have any solar streetlights been installed.
There is no visible evidence that work has commenced.
Further documents reveal that MC Aremo Nigeria Limited also wrote to the
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development,
requesting a 60 per cent balance payment for another project linked to the
constituency. That letter was signed by Ajibola Olujobi as General Manager.
Corporate records indicate that MC-Aremo Nig Ltd (RC 728958) was registered on
February 4, 2008 as a private unlimited company, with its office address listed at
Plot 1950, Algiers Street, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja. The listed directors are Dele
Durojaiye and Dele Olatunji, with Ogungbayibi Ayotunde Amos as secretary.
Yet questions remain about the company’s beneficial ownership.
Ajibola Olujobi, identified as General Manager, is known locally as a political ally
of Mr Oke. He was recently named Obokun Local Government’s “Renewed Hope
Ambassador” and has appeared in political engagements linked to the lawmaker.
When Mr Oke announced his 2025 JAMB registration support programme, Mr
Olujobi was listed as a contact person in Obokun.
Repeated calls and messages seeking comment from Mr Oke went unanswered at
the time of filing this report.
Supporters of constituency projects argue that they remain essential for delivering
development to rural communities often neglected by central ministries. In theory,
they offer a direct channel for addressing local needs.
In practice, however, critics contend that the absence of transparent needs
assessments, independent vetting and robust monitoring has rendered the system
vulnerable to abuse.
By contrast, in the United States, legislator-inserted “earmarks” must be publicly
disclosed, itemised in spending bills and linked to named sponsors with written
justifications. They are subjected to structured committee review processes –
safeguards that are largely absent in Nigeria’s framework.
For Nigeria, reform appears urgent. Independent vetting of project insertions by
anti-corruption agencies such as the ICPC, real-time tracking of implementation,
and strict enforcement of procurement laws are widely recommended. The
judiciary may also need to clarify the constitutional limits of legislative
involvement in project execution.
Ultimately, the consequences of inaction are borne not by politicians but by
ordinary citizens. While billions are appropriated for roads, schools, hospitals and
electrification, many communities continue to grapple with crumbling
infrastructure, unreliable power supply and underfunded public services.
If the allegations in Oriade/Obokun are substantiated, they would represent not
merely a local administrative lapse but part of a broader systemic failure, one that
continues to haemorrhage Nigeria’s strained treasury and erode public trust in
democratic governance.
“Until transparency, accountability and constitutional discipline are restored,
constituency projects risk remaining what critics increasingly describe them as:
development promised, funds released, but little, if anything, delivered,” Fakum
concluded.
