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Phillip Anjorin recently looked into some claims made by Ireti Kingibe, the Labour Party senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). She celebrated her first year in office by sharing a list of constituency projects she had sponsored. However, after a closer look, it became clear that many of these projects were incomplete or falsely attributed to her. In this interview with Phillip, he spoke about his findings, the challenges faced, and the importance of transparency in constituency projects.
Briefly, tell us about your Kingibe investigation
A: The sole senator from the Labour Party representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, celebrated her first year in office by sharing a long list of constituency projects she sponsored. Out of about 29 projects she mentioned, only nine were trackable. We discovered that only three were sponsored by her and correctly executed. The rest were incomplete, or she didn’t sponsor it as claimed.
Who should take the accolades for constituency projects?
A: Constituency projects are government-funded and executed. They only involve parliamentarians channelling developments to the grassroots constituencies. However, many senators and legislative representatives portray these projects as if they execute them to gain favour among their constituents. This widespread action, in simple words, is misleading.
What were your findings in the course of this Kingibe investigation?
A. I realised that some of the trackable projects she mentioned were facilitated by her predecessor and opposition, Philip Aduda, through the 2023 approved budget. I should also restate that we could not track most of her claims because most were carried out in selected yet unspecified locations. Perhaps this should make us want to ask organisations regulating these initiatives questions that are capable of promoting transparency in such actions. Where were the projects executed, and who were the beneficiaries?
What made you pursue this story?
A. Constituency projects— also called Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs), have generated different controversies since Olusegun Obasanjo introduced it during his administration as Nigeria’s president. Countless allegations of incompetence, corruption, and poor implementation, among other cases, have led to doubts over the initiative. Seeing that long list of achievements within a year naturally raised an eyebrow, and my findings validated my fears about the list
What was your biggest challenge during this investigation?
A. The untraceable projects have saddened me to date. Funnily, my editor mentioned that limitation when I wanted to embark on the story, but I insisted that it was worth pursuing. I’m grateful that the story turned out well with my editor’s unflinching support and guidance. Despite his busy schedule, he was patient with me and practically held my hand through the investigation and after the publication.
Did your fact-check experience aid this investigation?
A. Of course! Scepticism, a critical trait in fact-checking, was my first reaction when I found the claim. I realised that one major way to drive home my findings was to use publicly available resources and on-field verification to validate my findings. I also visualised relevant data for easier comprehension.
What is the way forward?
A: I hope for three major impacts. The first is to witness regulatory bodies like the EFCC and ICPC investigate the lapses by exposing the validity of the untraceable projects and possible beneficiaries. Also, Nigerians should become more aware and interested in what constituency projects mean and how they benefit them. Lastly, I desire that projects yet to be executed or uncompleted that the investigation tracked could be completed and made ready for use.
