Laraba MUREY
The federal government has faulted claims that N1trilion has been embezzled by public and political office holders, overseeing the National Social Investment Programmes, NSIPs under the Buhari-led administration.
In addition, it has in it’s record about 597,613 beneficiaries across the programmes in Bauchi State.
The report, attributed to Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, also alleged that the governor challenged the federal government to adopt the Bauchi State poverty alleviation strategy, that NSIP has collapsed.
Reacting to the report made by the Governor on occasion of launching Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme, KEEP, in Bauchi, the National Coordinator, NSIP, Dr. Umar Bindir, in a statement on Friday said,
“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.”
In addition, “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 of 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.” Umar said,”
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.
It is pertinent to stress at this point that poverty knows no political affiliation. The Ministry, therefore, wishes to congratulate His Excellency, the Bauchi State Governor, on the recent launch of the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP) and also welcome him on board to join it in the onerous fight against poverty in Nigeria, and in Bauchi State in particular.
