Fraud: Tinubu suspends Social Investment Programmes, freezes accounts

President Bola Tinubu has suspended all administered programmes by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

This was made known in a statement issued by the spokesperson for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, on Friday, January 12, 2024.

Imohiosen noted that the suspension was over the ongoing investigation of alleged malfeasance in the management of the agency and its programmes.

“All four 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,” he stated.

READ ALSO: EFCC freezes N30bn NSIPA funds in private accounts

He added that President Tinubu has also raised significant concerns regarding operational lapses and improprieties surrounding payments to the programme’s beneficiaries.

He said the president has constituted a ministerial panel to conduct a thorough review of the agency’s operations with a view to recommending 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.

“The President wishes to assure the 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,” Imohiosen added.

The Star recalls that President Tinubu recently suspended the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the NSIPA, Halima Shehu.

Tinubu approved Shehu’s immediate suspension and investigation over alleged financial malfeasance.

The Star