The senator representing Enugu North, Sen. Chukwuka Utazi, has finally distributed constituency projects valued at N117 million to some constituents after the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) recovered the items from him.
The items that included 228 motorcycles, 51 tricycles, 203 grinding machines and five transformers were stashed in Senator Utazi’s residence until the Constituency Projects Tracking Group (CPTG) of ICPC waded into action to recover them.
The senator was Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes between 2015-2019.
Tracka, a good governance initiative that monitors constituency projects across the nation, said that Utazi’s constituency projects were finally distributed to the intending beneficiaries on Wednesday.
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The ICPC recently said that about N2 trillion was spent on constituency projects in Nigeria since 2000, without commensurate development at the grassroots.
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has again recovered items worth N117,123,375.44 million from the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State,” the anti-graft agency had said in a statement.
“The items covered by this amount and recovered from the legislator are 168 and 51 numbers of motorcycles and tricycles respectively. They were discovered to be stashed away in a compound in Mkpologu town of Uzo-Nwani Local Government Area, believed to be owned by the Senator.
“The tricycles, motorcycles and grinding machines were meant to be distributed to the lawmaker’s constituents to empower them as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty.
“Additionally, ICPC recovered 203 grinding machines, 60 motorcycles and 5 transformers in the compound which had been procured under another constituency project. Thereupon the Commission impounded all the items and sealed the Senator’s compound.”
See photos as shared via Tracka’s Twitter handle:
BREAKING NEWS!
This is Sen. Godfrey Utazi finally distributing empowerment items procured with FG's fund for Constituency Projects.
Before Tracka's report which galvanized @ICPC_PE into probing him, Utazi had stashed items worth N117m in his house for years.#GetInvolved pic.twitter.com/EqU9bSGjgP
— TrackaNG (@TrackaNG) August 7, 2019
These are the same lawmakers that attack us for demanding accountability on Constituency Projects implementation.
Whereas their homes and constituency offices are warehouses for FG's empowerment equipment.
But when you #AskQuestions, they "claim" MDAs are solely responsible. pic.twitter.com/FuwJOclrEH
— TrackaNG (@TrackaNG) August 7, 2019
See photos:
