The President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has suspended all programmes administered by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).
A statement by Segun Imohiosen, the Director of Information, office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the development is further to the ongoing investigation of alleged malfeasance in the management of the agency and its programmes.
“All four (4) Programmes administered by NSIPA, viz; N- Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and Home Grown School Feeding Programme (the “Programs”) have been suspended for a period of six (6) weeks in the first instance.”
Recall that a whopping sum of N80 billion is believed to have been mismanaged in the last few years of the programmes, culminating in the suspension, last few weeks, of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, and NSIPA chief, Ms. Halima Shehu.
Accusing fingers have been pointed in the direction of other prominent Nigerians in and outside government. One of them, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, was seen on television desperately defending a company he founded which was mentioned in the sleaze rocking NSIPA.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suggested that the corruption reaches even higher than the ministerial level, without giving names.
Others insist the looting began when, in a desperate bid to be returned to power in 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari, initiated the Tradermoni programme under his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to curry favour by doling out cash to traders.
Media reports had said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), recovered nearly N40 billion of the N44.8billion allegedly taken from the government account by Halima Shehu, former National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIPA).
Three second generation banks involved in the illegal transfers of the funds meant for poverty alleviation and other intervention schemes of the current government, have been desperately trying to exonerate themselves from the ensuing stench of corruption.
Shehu and a Director of Finance under her allegedly signed off N44billion from government account in the last five days of 2023.
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are notorious for such moves, while a formula to shut the mouths of civil and public servants is adopted in the MDAs through a truckle-down effect that looks like an end of year largesse.
Betta Edu is believed to have squealed to the EFCC on the unautthorised transfer in the agency under her.
It is believed that her action led to her own illegal transfer of N585 million being exposed by Halima’s sympathisers.