The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for an investigation into the controversial conditional cash transfer and probe of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq
The ministry earlier said it distributed 20,000 naira each to vulnerable households in some states under the conditional cash transfer scheme.
It acted upon the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari who directed that the money should be given as a palliative measure for the poor.
The cash distribution was however met with criticisms from several Nigerians. They posited that the exercise was devoid of transparency.
Meanwhile, the PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, called on the National Assembly to direct a quick investigation into “allegations of fraudulent diversion of palliative money in the cash disbursement of N20,000 to some Nigerians, by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk.”
“This investigation has become imperative given allegations that the resort to cash disbursement directly by a minister instead of using cash disbursement facilities by the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), is part of the design to manipulate the system, stifle accountability and pave way for the alleged siphoning of huge chunk of the funds, ” the statement read.
The PDP also urged the National Assembly to order the minister to immediately account for the money.
More so, the opposition party asked the National Assembly to comprehensively scrutinize the overall profile of the N500 billion proposed by the Federal Government as an intervention fund against the COVID-19 pandemic so as to ensure that the fund reached the desired target.
POLITICS NIGERIA recalls that the federal government on Saturday begged to create a N500 billion crisis intervention fund to help contain the rising cases of coronavirus across the country.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, presented an executive proposal to “establish a N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund” during a meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly on Saturday.
Nevertheless, the PDP urged the legislature to examine the expenditure layout and put adequate clauses to eliminate diversion, ensure prudence as well as guarantee broad-based transparency in target-specific disbursements across all need areas in the fight against the pandemic.
“The party, therefore, urged the National Assembly to demand the Federal government to furnish it with details of how the N500bn would be spent; what amount would be spent on interventions on individuals and families as well as a template that guarantees that the fund gets to the targeted vulnerable Nigerians.
“The PDP insisted that such information should also include details of what each state of the federation gets; the parameters for allocations, the monitoring system as well as foolproof measures to plug all loopholes and check fraud.
“The Federal Government needs to place these details before the National Assembly. This money, which is to be mopped up from various special government accounts, belongs to Nigerians. As such, the National Assembly must ensure that it is fully utilised for their wellbeing,” the party advised.
