Databases :: Unable To Do A Like Search From Application On Informix?

i want to search for data in informix using a like('%Name1%') from my .NET application. The query that i have written is something like this:

select * from tableName where columnName Like CONCAT('%',CONCAT('Name1','%')) ......
this query when run from the front end does not yeild the desired result set ......however when i execute it from the db level i get the correct result .... also an intersting thin that i noted is ...if i do a LIKE('%' || 'Name1' || '%') from the front end i get a syntax error ...however this works just fine when i execute the query from the db...... ive spent over 10 hrs trying to figure this out ......but have not found a solution for it on my own ...... also, the following works perfectly :select * from tableName where columnName LIKE CONCAT('%','Name1') .....from the application...
likewise select * from table name where columnName like CONCAT(Name1,'%') works ...........* the vale fields need to be replaced with a '?' in the front end ...informix automatically replaces it when executing the command statement....so the commantext for all informix commands look something like this :
select ColumnName from tableName where columnName1 LIKE CONCAT('%',CONCAT(?,'%'))
parameter is 'Name1'