A fresh wave of civic accountability is sweeping across Benue State as citizens demand transparency from their elected representatives in the National Assembly. The call comes on the heels of revelations that billions of naira allocated for constituency and intervention projects may have been misused or left unaccounted for.
The Benue Development Movement (BDM), a non-partisan civic rights group, has issued a formal invitation to all senators and House of Representatives members from the state to appear at a Mid-Term Public Accountability Briefing townhall. The event, according to the BDM, aims to provide a platform for lawmakers to publicly detail the execution status of their 2024/2025 constituency projects.
In a press statement signed by BDM’s State Coordinator, Comrade Isaac Abah, the group expressed grave concerns about the transparency of public fund management. “Our investigations reveal an exponential increase in constituency allocations — up to N2 billion for serving senators and N1 billion for House members. Yet, there’s little on the ground to justify such colossal expenditures,” Abah stated.
The group’s findings, backed by a list of 39 approved constituency projects and 72 intervention projects captured in the 2024 federal budget, expose a troubling gap between budgetary promises and project delivery. Citizens are now being mobilized to inspect these projects firsthand and demand answers from their representatives.
The BDM has documented several high-value allocations across the three senatorial districts and multiple federal constituencies in the state. Among the flagged projects are:
Guma Federal Constituency: N370 million allocated for the construction of motorised boreholes, provision of solar-powered street lights, ICT training, and youth digital enterprise empowerment programs.
Makurdi/Guma Constituency: A staggering N790 million reportedly earmarked for rural road rehabilitation, solar street light installations, tricycle and motorcycle procurement for women and youth empowerment, educational material distribution, school renovations, and medical outreach programs.
Despite these large allocations, on-ground reports suggest that many of these projects are either incomplete, poorly executed, or non-existent.
The townhall meeting, scheduled to hold in Makurdi next month, is being positioned as a test of political transparency. Constituents, community leaders, traditional rulers, youth groups, and the media have been invited to attend.
“This isn’t an attack on the legislature. It’s about democratic accountability,” said Comrade Abah. “Benue people have the right to know how their commonwealth is being spent. Lawmakers must understand that public office is a trust, not a windfall.”
The BDM’s call comes at a time when Nigeria faces growing concerns over fiscal discipline and public trust in government institutions. President Bola Tinubu’s administration has pledged to prioritize transparency and anti-corruption reforms — a promise civil society groups say must extend to the National Assembly.
As of press time, no senator or House of Representatives member from Benue has publicly responded to the invitation. Efforts by Daily Post to contact their offices were unsuccessful, with aides either declining comment or stating that their principals were “studying the development.”
Political observers say the outcome of the townhall could have far-reaching implications for the 2027 general elections. Lawmakers who fail to provide satisfactory explanations risk losing public support in a state known for its vocal electorate and active civic movements.
Nigeria’s National Assembly has often come under scrutiny over opaque constituency project allocations. Critics argue that the lack of effective monitoring mechanisms enables ghost projects, inflated contracts, and politically motivated disbursements.
To counter this, groups like BDM are calling for the establishment of an Independent Constituency Project Monitoring Commission (ICP-MC) at the state level. Such a body, they argue, would ensure continuous project tracking, citizen engagement, and periodic audits.
As Benue gears up for what could be a landmark public accountability event, all eyes are now on the state’s lawmakers — will they step forward and be transparent, or continue the culture of silence?