The House of Representatives on Thursday invited former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and the current Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, to appear before it over the spending of N1.7 trillion on the implementation of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) from 2016 to last September.
They are to personally appear before the Oluwole Oke-headed committee to explain how the money was disbursed.
Though the Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, offered to explain how the money was spent, the committee members showed they were unconvinced and dissatisfied.
Agba, who spoke during the investigative hearing into the audit queries on the financial activities of the NSIPs, said out of the N1.7 trillion appropriated for the four-year period, N619.142 billion was released, while N560.914 billion was utilized.
This left a balance of N58.227 billion, which the minister of state said was handed over to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
Oke summoned the past and current ministers, saying the misleading information allegedly found on the NSIP Bank Account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by the Special Assistant to the President on Home School Feeding Programme, Mr. Dotun Adebayo, and other desk officers was unacceptable.
Agba, who brought a breakdown of the funds processed and released by his ministry, explained that N32.088 billion was released for Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).
He said N20.588 billion was released for Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT); N149.965 billion released for Home Grown School Feeding; N355.846 billion released for Job Creation Unit, while N2.428 billion was released for Social Investment Programme (General) for the four-year period under review.
He added: “Prior to the handing over to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, requests for payments for all types of expenditures in respect of any of the programmes of NSIP emanated from the National Social Investment Office (NSIO) situated under the office of the Vice-President.
“The list of beneficiaries of all the programmes for the period is with the National Social Investment Office,” he told the lawmakers.
Oke said the committee members will, as from next Monday, go to their states and federal constituencies to verify the beneficiaries of various NSIP programmes and submit their reports. (NAN)
