Operational lapses, improprieties: Tinubu suspends National Social Investment Programme

Piqued by operational lapses, improprieties in the agency, President Bola Tinubu, has suspended all administered programmes by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) of the Federal Government.

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation announced the suspension of the programme in a statement by Mr Segun Imohiosen, the Director Information, a copy of which was given to Persecondnews.

It said the president’s 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.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also raised significant concerns regarding operational lapses and improprieties surrounding payments to the Programs’ beneficiaries,” the statement said.

It indicated that Tinubu had also constituted a ministerial panel to conduct a thorough review of the agency’s operations to recommend necessary reforms of the NSIPA.

During the period of this suspension, all NSIPA-related activities, including but not limited to all distributions, events, payments, collaborations and registrations are now frozen.

Tinubu 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.

As a result of the uncovered financial malfeasance in the agency, the President had on January 2, 2024 suspended the Chief Executive Officer of NSIPA, Halima Shehu.

Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the National N-POWER Program Manager, has been appointed in an acting capacity as NC/CEO pending the conclusion of the investigation.

Her suspension is coming about three months after the confirmation of her appointment by the Senate.

Before Halima’s appointment, she worked as the National Coordinator of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme and had previously served with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development from 2017 to 2022.