Tinubu suspends school feeding, N-Power, other social investment programmes

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President Bola Tinubu has suspended all Social Investment Programmes administered by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

The suspension, announced by the Director of Information, Segun Imohiosen, is a result of an ongoing investigation into alleged fraud within the agency.

The NSIPA’s four programs—N-Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, and Home Grown School Feeding Programme—are halted for an initial six-week period due to concerns raised by President Tinubu regarding operational lapses and improprieties in payments to beneficiaries.

In response to these issues, President Tinubu has established a ministerial panel tasked with conducting a thorough review of NSIPA’s operations and recommending necessary reforms. During this six-week suspension, all NSIPA-related activities, such as distributions, events, payments, collaborations, and registrations, are frozen.

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The investigation into NSIPA’s activities gained momentum following the suspension of the Chief Executive Officer, Halima Shehu.

The probe is linked to the alleged laundering of N37,170,855,753.44 within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, under the former Minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouq.

President Tinubu had earlier suspended Farouq’s successor, Betta Edu, who faced scrutiny by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for directing N585m to a private account.

The investigation revealed that the account belongs to Oniyelu Bridget, the ministry’s claimed Project Accountant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

A comprehensive inquiry into the ministry’s scandal has also been ordered by the President.