Senate pushes for increased allocation for constituency projects… 

The Senate has called for an increase in the amount given to lawmakers as funds for constituency projects.

The Senate, however, thrashed a bill seeking to provide an Act to provide for Constituency and other Special Projects in the Annual Budget of the Federation and for Related Matters.

The bill sponsored by Senator Babaginda Hussaini (APC, Jigawa North-West) on Thursday failed to scale to a second reading.

The lawmakers argued that more funds would enable them to drive constituency projects in their various constituencies and have the money appropriated for in Nigeria’s annual budget.

Constituency Project has always been a subject of controversy with plenty of misgivings and even misrepresentations particularly due to the fact it’s usually shrouded in secrecy.

In his lead debate, Hussaini explained that the constituency project was not peculiar to Nigeria, adding that it was one of the most effective ways of ensuring equitable distribution of development across the country.

He added that it helped to draw governance and the dividends of democracy closer to the people at the grassroots level.

The bill was very popular among federal lawmakers with many of them speaking in favour of it and seizing the opportunity to press for more money for constituency projects within their constituencies.

While expressing his support for the bill, Senator Mohammed Monguno expressed strong reservations about the sum of N100m he said was allocated for the constituency project when he served as a member of the House of Representatives, complaining that the fund was grossly inadequate.