The Federal Character Commission (FCC) is to begin nationwide infrastructure audits for all ongoing and abandoned projects in the country.

Muheeba Dankaka, FCC chairman, disclosed this on Wednesday, in Calabar, at a sensitisation programme for stakeholders in the South-South zone.

She said the action is in line with ensuring the spread of infrastructure.

“The nationwide infrastructure audit for all ongoing and abandoned projects is to ascertain and verify their importance and level of completion,” stated Ms Dankaka. “The commission will continue to ensure equity and fairness within the federation and evaluate the spread of socio-economic amenities as represented by the location of projects in Nigeria, and ensure compliance.”

She also noted the level of increasing collaboration with government agencies responsible for providing Socio-Economic amenities and infrastructural facilities.

Ms Dankaka added that interactions with MDAs over the years have recorded a considerable level of acceptance and compliance with the FCC regarding the distribution of bureaucratic posts.

She stated that it was on that basis that the commission decided to begin the implementation of its second mandate of ensuring equitable distribution of socio-economic amenities and infrastructural facilities nationwide.

“Various MDAs such as (the) Ministry of Transport, Education, Health, Works, Power and Housing, the Bureau of Statistics and Budget Office of the Federation are collaborating with us,” Ms Dankaka. “Similarly, ad hoc intervention programs of government are now working closely with us on the need to imbibe the spirit of Federal Character as they embark on capital projects across the country.”

She further said that the commission was open to collaboration and assistance from other government agencies, external development partners, private and public sectors, non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations.

“We believe fervently that such collaboration, consultations and synergy with the commission will greatly enhance the achievement of our mandate of ensuring broad-based development of the nation,” Ms Dankaka. “Since the policy thrust of this government is aimed at bringing about integrated and balanced development of the country, it becomes obvious that the twin-mandate of the commission can provide a veritable platform for its actualisation.”

Ms Dankaka, however, noted that the challenges of inadequate data on the infrastructural distribution and spread of socio-economic projects in Nigeria have made it difficult to appraise even the distribution of projects and programmes.

(NAN)