Jide Oyewusi, coordinator of Ethics Watch International Nigeria, has criticized the practice of constituency projects by Nigerian lawmakers in an opinion piece. He argues that this system misuses billions of naira meant for public services and undermines government ministries. Oyewusi calls for reverting project execution to relevant ministries while lawmakers focus on oversight.
In a letter published in The Guardian Nigeria on October 31, 2025, Jide Oyewusi questions the origins of Nigeria's democratic practices, describing them as awkward and ingrained norms accepted by citizens. He singles out the 'Constituency Project' as the most disturbing, where assemblies allocate billions of naira for community amenities under the guise of oversight functions.
Oyewusi contends that these funds, which should support education, health, agriculture, and housing, are often pocketed by lawmakers or result in substandard projects with fake evidence of completion presented to assemblies. He emphasizes that legislatures worldwide focus on lawmaking, monitoring executive implementation, and checking abuses of power by the executive and judiciary.
The oversight role, he notes, involves supervising ministry-led projects for quality and accountability, not executing them directly. This Nigerian practice, Oyewusi argues, has rendered the Federal Ministry of Works irrelevant, leaving its workers redundant or relegated to contract roles, while public money is wasted.
He urges well-meaning Nigerians to oppose lawmakers executing projects and insists that all construction revert to the Federal Ministry of Works and state counterparts, with assemblies limited to monitoring and supervision. Oyewusi, as coordinator of Ethics Watch International Nigeria, highlights how such aberrations harm national progress.