President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said there is little to show for the over N1 trillion budgeted for constituency projects of the National Assembly members in the last 10 years.

Buhari stated this while speaking at the National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in Public Sector organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in conjunction with the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Abuja.

The President called on the National Assembly to hasten work on the Special Crimes Court Bill, saying Nigerians had been agitating for it to handle corruption cases.

He added that the ICPC report on constituency projects confirmed the fears that people at the grassroots had not benefited from the huge money which the National Assembly members had collected for the projects.

“Corruption is the cause of many major problems in our country. It is a catalyst for poverty, insecurity, weak educational system, poor health facilities and services and many other ills of our society.

“This government is working hard to overcome such ills. Corruption generally and public sector corruption, in particular, inhibits the ability of government to deliver infrastructure and basic services to the people. 

“That is why I have reiterated on many occasions that corruption is an existential threat to Nigeria. It is a major threat to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the socio-economic transformation we are all working hard to bring about in Nigeria.

“It is on record that in the past 10 years N1 trillion has been appropriated for constituency projects, yet the impact of such huge spending on the lives and welfare of ordinary Nigerians can hardly be seen.

“The first phase report of tracking these projects by the ICPC confirms our worst fears that people at the grassroots have not benefited in terms commensurate with the huge sums appropriated for constituency projects since inception.

” I invite the legislative and judicial arms of government to embrace and support the creation of Special Crimes Court that Nigerians have been agitating to handle corruption cases. I, therefore, urge the legislature to fast-track the passage of the Special Crimes Court Bill,” Buhari said.

While expressing delight at the effort of the ICPC in the tracking of constituency projects, Buhari pledged to support  the Commission to deal with any public servant and any legislator found guilty of diverting public funds meant for people’s welfare.