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From Okwe obi, Abuja
National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP), Umar Bindir, has countered claims by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed that N1 trillion earmarked for the scheme was siphoned.
Governor Mohammed, during the launch of the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP), also alleged that the NSIP had collapsed.
He said, “over N1trilion federal government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) has been siphoned by public and political office holders under president Muhammadu Buhari’s nose.
“Corruption has already crashed the Federal Government’s SIP programme to its knees, challenged the FG to adopt the system of empowerment his administration is doing in Bauchi state.
But Dr Bindir, in a statement yesterday, noted that the governor’s claim should be disregarded, as there was no iota of truth.
“The attention of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is drawn to a statement credited to the Bauchi State Governor, His Excellency, Senator Bala Mohammed, who alleged that over N1trilion federal government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) has been siphoned by public and political office holders under president Muhammadu Buhari’s nose.
“The Ministry wishes to categorically affirm that the above unsubstantiated statements credited to the Bauchi State Governor are manifestly false, and have absolutely no bearing to the realities on ground.
“The Federal Government’s National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) launched by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016 and currently being supervised by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is very much alive functional, dynamic and increasingly expanding to reach and continue to make a significant positive difference in the lives of even more poor and vulnerable households and beneficiaries nationwide, including Bauchi State.
“To claim otherwise will not be in tune with the realities on the implementation of the NSIP in his state, in particular, as regularly being reported in both the traditional and new media outlets.
“By way of emphasis, the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), though a Federal Government funded intervention, is strictly being implemented by state government appointed officials and indigenes, who are working tirelessly alongside the NSIP team at the national level to deliver the inherent benefits of the various programmes to the poor and vulnerable persons in their respective states, in line with the good intentions of Mr. President to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by the year 2030.
“The head of the State NSIP implementation team is a Focal Person directly appointed by His Excellency, the Governor.
“The entire beneficiaries and participants across all programmes (clusters) are bona fide indigenes of the state, just as payments to participants and beneficiaries are also made directly into their individual accounts,” he said.
He added that, “In Bauchi State, there are 75,110 (seventy – five thousand, one hundred and ten) poor and vulnerable households in the NSR, made up of 401,395 (four hundred and one thousand, three hundred and ninety – five) individuals, from which a total of 99,957 (ninety – nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty – seven) from all the 20 (twenty) LGAs are in the National Beneficiary Register (NBR) and are currently receiving monthly payments up to date.”
