CrimeFeatured

FG admits fraud in social investment programme, invites EFCC

98
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been invited to probe massive fraud  in the Social Investments Programme (SIP).
This is even as it has said that only 15 percent of the N1 trillion budgeted for the programme in two years, has been released.
The Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments Programme, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, made the disclosure while briefing State House Correspondents, on her presentation to the National Economics Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo bat the Aso Rock Villa.
She said that a total of 7,812,201 Nigerians are direct beneficiaries of the programme, which include home-grown school feeding programme, conditional cash transfer, N-Power; while secondary beneficiaries – mainly farmers and cooks – are about 1,500,000.
According to Uwais, the total actual spending on SIP in 2016 and 2017 is just 15.58 percent of the budget. Half a trillion naira had been budgeted for each of the two years, meaning that only N158 billion had been released and spent.
She however, disclosed that challenges encountered so far had been *Corrupt practices in the States, like shortchanging, racketeering and harassment of beneficiaries; *Exploitation of the vulnerable due to poor levels of literacy; * insufficient awareness/publicity and logistics for monitoring the programme.
Uwais said that while the SIP is collaborating with various organisations within and outside the Government to overcome the challenges, participating State Governments are required to support in fraud detection and prevention by their local officials; loan recovery from beneficiaries as well as mobilization and facilitating the generation of BVN and the opening of accounts.
She stressed  that this was imperative as some of the officials had been discovered to siphon money to illegal bank accounts, which is why the EFCC has been notified to swing into action to apprehend and prosecute the officials, some of who have been suspended or sacked.

Leave a comment

Related Articles

Chinese man to die by hanging for stabbing his Nigerian girlfriend to death

A Chinese national, Frank Geng-Quangrong, who killed his Nigerian girlfriend, Ummukulsum Sani,...

NDLEA Nab Hairstylist, Dispatch Rider For Allegedly Selling Drug-Laced Chin-Chin To Students, At Parties

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has detained a 20-year-old hair...

Incestuous RCCG Pastor faces trial for allegedly raping, impregnating daughter

Emmanuel Orekoya, a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos,...

NDLEA records largest heroin seizure at Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has successfully intercepted...

Oluomo, impeached speaker of Ogun Assembly, two others arraigned over alleged N2.5bln fraud

The impeached Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo,...

Just in: Lustful Lagos pastor bags life imprisonment for rape

Horny Lagos pastor Feyi Daniels is to spend the rest of his...

$500,000 bribe charge: Supreme Court affirms ex-lawmaker Lawan’s five-year jail term

The nation’s Supreme Court on Friday upheld the five-year sentence slammed on...

Alleged ₦4bln fraud: Ex-Anambra governor, Obiano, arraigned, enters ‘not-guilty’ plea

“The judge said Obiano should enjoy bail on the administrative terms granted...

Emefiele: FG amends, raises charges against him to 20

The Federal Government has again amended the charges against the former Governor...

$6bn power project: Reprieve as Obasanjo’s Power Minister, Olu Agunloye, gets N50m bail

Reprieve came for a former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Olu...

Plateau killings: Three gunrunners busted, guns, ammunition recovered – Police High Command

Three suspected members of a gun running syndicate have been apprehended in...

Horrific! 23-year-old girlfriend shoots fatally police cop during fight

A 23-year-old girlfriend has during a fight pulled the trigger of her...

Infidelity: Choleric housewife douses hubby with hot water for attending party alone 

Bad-tempered housewife, Mrs Dorcas Oluwabukola, who bathed her husband with hot water,...

Caught in the act: Fowl raper, cooling his heels in police net

In what is perceived as repulsive act of bestiality, a sex-starved pervert,...

How social media helped Rivers CP, crack team to bust policemen for ransom kidnapping

Following reports of some policemen allegedly involved in ransom kidnapping, Rivers State...

Nigeria-British Chamber of Commerce inagurates Atelly as 18th President, unveils programmes

Ray Atelly has been sworn in as the 18th President of the...

Ex-CBN Gov. Emefiele back to prison over unmet bail conditions, trial adjourned to January 2024

A former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has yet...

Kano guber poll ‘clerical error’: An Appeal Court judgment in a mire of controversy

The past few months have been characterized with legal tussles over the...

Ambush, murder of 7 DSS officers in Lagos: Man to keep date with hangman, accomplice bags 16 years

For ambushing and killing seven officers of the Department of State Services...