Reps propose Independent Project Monitoring Agency to curb abandoned projects, ensure accountability

The House of Representatives has passed a bill through second reading to establish the National Independent Project and Monitoring Agency (NIPMA), a move aimed at boosting transparency, accountability, and efficient execution of public projects across Nigeria.

The proposed legislation, sponsored by Hon. Chinedu Emeka Martins, seeks to create a statutory body that will independently monitor and evaluate all federally funded projects.

The agency is expected to ensure that such projects are completed to standard, within budget, and on schedule.

Presenting the bill on the floor of the House, Hon. Martins expressed concern over the poor state of project execution in Nigeria despite yearly budget allocations running into trillions of naira.

He noted that the current model, where Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) supervise their own projects, has proven defective and largely inefficient.

“Across the country, we encounter the scars of abandoned, substandard, or poorly executed projects by MDAs,” Martins said. “This is not only wasteful; it is unacceptable. One of the major contributors to this failure is the absence of an independent, transparent, and credible monitoring system.”

He argued that NIPMA would fill this governance gap by providing real-time, on-the-ground oversight, thus eliminating collusion, curbing inflated project costs, and saving the country billions of naira annually.

According to him, the new agency would work in tandem with, not in conflict with, other existing bodies like the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Office of the Auditor-General.

Highlighting further benefits, the lawmaker noted that the establishment of NIPMA would generate employment for professionals such as engineers, auditors, quantity surveyors, and data analysts.

It would also help restore public trust in governance, stimulate economic activities in local communities, and promote national development.

“This bill is timely, necessary, and ultimately in the best interest of the Nigerian people,” Martins said, calling on his colleagues to support its full passage.