By Polycarp Onwubiko
A lot of controversy surrounds the innovation and practice of constituency funds for the execution of constituency projects by the states and national assembly legislators. The concept was incubated and hatched during the second republic on the premise that governments of the national and sub-national levels rarely have their presence felt in all the constituencies. The nebulous innovation had its source and spring from the penchant of the political class not internalising the import of well researched concepts and principles of constitutional and democratic government as obtainable the world over.
There is a clear delineation of constitutional duties and responsibilities of the elected members of the executive arm of government and the legislature. The legislators’ sphere of influence cover the innovative concept of checks and balances to compel the members of the executive arm of government namely the governor’s and commissioners on the state level and the president and ministers cum heads of agencies at the national level to discharge their constitutional duties and responsibilities. The legislators also carry out oversight functions of government funded projects, legislative duties and strive towards quality representation of the yearning and aspirations of their constituencies. It is the constitutional duties of the executive arm of government to articulate policies, programmes and projects in accordance with fundamental objectives and directive principles in the constitution along with the ruling party’s election manifesto and capture them in the long and medium term development plans and the annual budgets.
It is very sad to observe over the years that the corruption-ridden constituency projects and funds in the budget have created loopholes for despicable manipulations for primitive accumulation of wealth by the legislators. The searing fact is that legislators grossly crossed the boundary of the constitutional responsibilities by usurping a constitutional responsibility of the executive arm of government. The imperative of good governance calls for the watch dog role of the legislators to ensure transparency, accountability, probity, equity, justice and fairness in the distribution of infrastructural facilities and amenities in all the constituencies.
The legislators lack the expertise and facilities to articulate and monitor projects in addition to auditing of expenditures. The nagging questions that have remained unanswered are: who would undertake oversight function of constituency projects whose contracts were allegedly influenced by the legislators? Do they have authority to direct civil servants to monitor and audit public fund expended on the constituency projects? Who among the defaulting legislators have been issued official queries on the shoddy and even non execution of the constituency projects, proven misappropriation and outright embezzlement of the humongous constituency funds?
If the political leadership is committed to rooting the monster of official corruption, the concept of constituency fund and projects have to be abolished. Public office holders in the executive and legislative arms of government should realize that governance is a very serious business and bestir themselves accordingly. They should reinvent the sensitive and strategic essence of medium and long term planning whereby the challenges, basic needs, yearnings and aspirations of the constituencies are identified and taken care of. Civil servants should be empowered, incentivized and motivated along with facilities and equipment to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. Vacancies should be created and filled every year to create employment and fund capacity building as obtained in industrialized countries to reinvent quality public service. Legislators can never be efficient and effective in the articulation and execution of the supposed constituency.
Execution of constituency and distribution of business materials and scholarship awards are not measures of quality representation, rather effective contribution in law making, moral and ethical platform are crucial in the oversight function over the duties of the executive. Constituency projects and funds are not only deceptive sign posts to sing the praises of the legislators so as to be re-elected as if the fund is their salaries. They should not be praised because it is the right of the constituents since they pay taxies. Legislating, quality representation and oversight responsibilities require extensive and intensive research, collation of materials, tours of public projects, establishments and constituencies and reading of daily newspapers.
Assuming that the legislators are truthful in the execution of the constituency projects, what projects will the state and local government councils be executing? This uncivilized practice has led to friction, conflict, overlapping and duplication of project funds and records. It has made the legislators to be rubber stamps of the executive to the detriment of public interest. The concept of constituency project is a contradiction with regards to the constitutional responsibilities of the three tiers of government. The proximate cause of this largely flawed concept is the bastardization of the principles of federal system of government.
Onwubiko wrote from Awka, Anambra state.