The Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Isa Ali, revealed on Friday that each member receives about ₦400 million annually to execute constituency projects through Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs) and Special Intervention Projects (SIPs).
Representing Billiri/Balanga Federal Constituency, Hon. Ali made this disclosure during a town hall meeting aimed at informing his constituents about recent developments in the National Assembly and their impacts on the constituency.
According to Hon. Ali, the allocation of funds is divided into two major categories:
- Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs): ₦179 million is allocated for these projects.
- Special Intervention Projects (SIPs): ₦40 million is designated for these projects.
In addition to these allocations, an extra ₦200 million is specifically budgeted for the Billiri/Balanga constituency.
“If you look at part of the bills I’m sponsoring, it is on federal constituencies and senatorial districts fund development to enable every constituency and senatorial district to have major projects. When you move to most of these constituencies, you will not see Federal Government projects apart from the constituency projects done by members of the National Assembly,” Hon. Ali explained.
He elaborated on the transparency and consistency of these funds, especially in the 10th House of Representatives, known as the “people’s house.” “The Zonal Intervention Project has been in existence for the past 20 years, and the money has not changed; it’s ₦179 million. We have Special Intervention Projects; this year, it’s ₦40 million. In previous years, it was ₦30 million. The same applies to ZIPs; in previous years, the money remains the same. We have other interventions like the capital intervention for Balanga/Billiri, which is ₦200 million. In total, we are talking about a little above ₦400 million for each constituency.”
Commending the Federal Government’s support, Hon. Ali highlighted the consistent release of funds, “I’m part of the leadership and I’m working hard to ensure the implementation process commences. We will ensure 100 per cent implementation because, to be honest, from 2019 to 2023, the Federal Government tried by releasing almost 100 per cent of all ZIPs and SIPs.”
Despite the challenging economic situation, Hon. Ali assured his constituents of the quality of projects, “We are working hard. The finances of the country are under serious challenge, but as a leader, I’m working with my colleagues to ensure that this year’s intervention is also 100 per cent by the releases of the Federal Government.”
To ensure the quality of projects, the Minority Whip disclosed that he inaugurated a committee comprising professionals.
