The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin has reiterated the commitment of the National Assembly to partner with Civil Society Organizations and others to strengthen zonal intervention projects, otherwise known as constituency projects.
Senator Barau disclosed this while declaring open a dialogue tagged, Parliamentary Succession and Constituency Projects organized by Order Paper, budgiT and MacArthur Foundation in Abuja.
Represented by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, the Deputy President of the Senate said the dialogue is apt as it will enable lawmakers, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders in the country to look at issues revolving around constituency projects.
Senator Barau said rural communities have been experiencing rapid development across the country courtesy of constituency projects, hence the need to sustain and improve it for the benefit of Nigerians.
He said, “It would interest you to know that it was while I was chairing the appropriation committee at the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003 that the constituency projects were introduced to allow lawmakers to recommend projects based on the needs of their constituencies.
“Regardless of the little hitches, this practice has facilitated the spread of federal projects to the nooks and crannies of the country. But for this practice, many communities wouldn’t have felt the federal presence regarding projects. In most cases, constituency projects are based on the needs of communities as requested by the electorate through their representatives,” he said.
The Deputy Senate President said the National Assembly is committed to ensuring the smooth implementation of the constituency and other projects in the country to address some of the challenges in the country.
“I, therefore, urge you to look at the issue of parliamentary succession and constituency projects holistically to come up with suggestions on how best to address it for the development of our country,” he said.