PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed a panel to examine the policy guidelines of the social investment programmes.
According to a statement released on Saturday, January 13, by presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale, the six-member team is expected to assess the current financial frameworks of the social investment programs.
The minister of finance, Wale Edun, is in charge of the presidential commission.
Bosun Tijani, the minister of communications, innovation, and the digital economy; Mohammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation; Atiku Bagudu, the minister of budget and economic planning; Ayodele Olawande, the minister of state for youth; and Muhammad Ali Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, are among the other members of the committee.
“This Special Presidential Panel is tasked with immediately undertaking a comprehensive review and audit of existing financial frameworks and policy guidelines of the social investment programmes with a view to implementing a total re-engineering of the financial architecture of the programmes with detailed modification to procedures guiding the programmes’ implementation moving forward,” the statement reads.
According to Ngelale, the president thinks the panel will restore the public’s lost faith in the programs,
This occurred after President Tinubu halted all programmes run by the National Social Investment Program Agency (NSIPA) a few days ago.
Following the reported corruption scandal that rocked the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, Tinubu halted the programs.
The NSIPA is domiciled under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
On January 2, Tinubu suspended Halima Shehu as the chief executive officer (CEO) of NSIPA over apparent financial misconduct.
The suspension came amid ongoing investigations into alleged corruption in the Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Ministry.
A statement by the director of information in the office to Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, on Friday, January 12, stated that the development was in light of the ongoing investigation of misconductfeasance in the management of the agency and its programmes.
The ICIR reported how the activities of NSIPA had been under scrutiny following the suspension of the agency’s national coordinator, Halima Shehu.
Shehu was linked to the alleged laundering of N37.1 billion in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under the former minister Sadiya Umar-Farouk.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also arrested and interrogated Shehu after her suspension.
Subsequently, the anti-graft agency said it had recovered about N39.8 billion out of N44.8 billion allegedly embezzled from the government coffers under her watch.
On January 8, the president suspended Betta Edu as minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation.
A reporter with the ICIR
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