President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of all programs administered by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).
This comes on the heels of revelations involving the suspected embezzlement of N44.8 billion from the agency’s coffers.
The suspension was announced in a statement on Friday, by the Director Information, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen.
He said the presidential decision was in view of 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 weeks in the first instance,” the statement read.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also raised significant concerns regarding operational lapses and improprieties surrounding payments to the Programs’ beneficiaries.”
The president also assured stakeholders and all Nigerians that his administration remains committed to a swift and unbiased process that will ensure that, going forward, social intervention programmes will work exactly as intended, to the benefit of the most vulnerable Nigerians.
The ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly recovered about N39.8 billion. The EFCC is also probing the roles of three major banks suspected of facilitating illegal transfers of funds meant for critical poverty alleviation and social intervention programs.
At the heart of the scandal lies Halima Shehu, the former National Coordinator of NSIPA. She, along with a Director of Finance, is accused of siphoning off N44 billion from government accounts within five days between December 27th and 31st, 2023.
