President Bola Tinubu has the approval to the creation of a groundbreaking Special Presidential Panel on social investment programs, spearheaded by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun.
This move comes on the heels of a six-week suspension of four programs under the National Social Investment Programs Agency (NSIPA).
The suspension followed the Edugate scandal, prompting Tinubu to take decisive action, suspending the NSIPA and initiating a comprehensive investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into financial transactions involving the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The affected NSIPA programs include the N-Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, and Home Grown School Feeding Programme.
A statement from the President’s Special Adviser highlighted that the Special Presidential Panel, led by Mr. Edun, will conduct a thorough review and audit of the financial frameworks and policy guidelines of the social investment programs.
The objective is a total re-engineering of the financial architecture with detailed modifications to enhance transparency and accountability in future implementations.
The panel comprises ministers representing strategic sectors to ensure a multi-disciplinary approach to the reform effort.
“President Tinubu anticipates that this Special Presidential Panel will validate the confidence reposed in it by winning back all lost public confidence in these vital programmes over the years by ushering in a new era of operation based on open and accountable governance frameworks that will prove impervious to abuse and incompetence for the exclusive benefit of disadvantaged households across our nation,” the statement said per Vanguard.
During the six-week suspension, all NSIPA-related activities were frozen, addressing operational lapses and improprieties surrounding payments to beneficiaries.
Notably, the suspension followed the revelation of a memo involving the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, requesting the transfer of N585 million to a private account.
This development adds to recent suspensions within the NSIPA, including Mrs. Halima Shehu, the National Coordinator, and chief executive. Meanwhile, former Minister Sadiya Umar-Farouq faces questioning by the EFCC in an ongoing probe into the alleged laundering of N37 billion during her tenure.
The EDUGATE initiative signals a proactive effort by President Tinubu to address the challenges, instill confidence, and ensure the effective and transparent implementation of crucial social investment programs for the benefit of disadvantaged households across the nation.
