Tracka, the citizen-led project monitoring initiative under BudgIT, has released its comprehensive report on the status of the 2018 Federal Constituency Projects, revealing significant lapses in the execution and transparency of government-funded development efforts across Nigeria.

The report, unveiled on December 18, 2019, provides a nationwide audit of Zonal Intervention Projects, commonly referred to as constituency projects. These projects, nominated by federal lawmakers and funded through the national budget, are designed to facilitate grassroots development and improve infrastructure and public services in local communities.

According to the report, a total of 1,497 constituency projects were included in the 2018 budget. Of these, only 475 were completed, while 144 remain ongoing. Alarmingly, 536 projects were not executed, 42 were abandoned, 224 were cited in unspecified locations, and 49 could not be tracked.

The findings paint a troubling picture of underperformance and mismanagement in project delivery, reinforcing long-standing concerns over the lack of accountability in the implementation of constituency projects.

The report states that Tracka’s nationwide monitoring effort was led by Uadamen Ilevbaoje, with project management coordinated by Folasayo Onigbinde, who played a key role in organizing data collection and community engagement strategies that underpinned the report.

Speaking on the significance of the findings, Ms Onigbinde called for greater public oversight and improved systems to ensure that government agencies deliver on budgeted projects and meet the needs of citizens at the grassroots level.

She said the report serves as a call to action for civil society organizations, citizens, and lawmakers to strengthen oversight mechanisms and push for more transparent execution of public funds, especially in communities where such projects are often the only link to federal government presence.

According to her, Tracka was launched in 2014 and has continued to empower citizens across Nigeria to monitor public projects, engage elected representatives, and demand accountability  in governance.