REVEALED: Humanitarian Affairs Minister Refuses To Approve School Feeding Program Payment For Lagos, Imo, Kogi, Benue

Sadiya Umar Farouk

There are growing concerns over the refusal of Sadiya Umar Farouk, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, to approve payment for the National Home Grown School Feeding Program for Lagos, Imo, Kogi and Benue states, SaharaReporters has learnt.

The NHGSFP is part of the National Social Investment Programme with the main objective of alleviating poverty through the distribution of funds to the poor and vulnerable in the country.

According to the Federal Government, 27 states excluding Lagos are currently under the school feeding programme.

The school feeding programme was meant to have begun in Lagos in September, according to the state government.

The commencement was later shifted to October as announced by the Public Relations Officer of Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr Kayode Sutton, who said, “In fairness, we ought to have started it in September.

"We hope to kick off in the next one or two weeks. We are working on it.

"Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has given approval and modalities are in place."

With Lagos yet to begin, Chairman of Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Wahab Olawale Alawiye-King, said the implementation of the project is being hindered the Federal Government.

He added that the state has done its part but the FG is hindering the commencement.

Investigation by SaharaReporters revealed that the minister intentionally declined to approve payment for Lagos State and the three other states.

A memo for the payment of vendors and caterers in the 27 states have been sent to the office of the minister for approval but she approved 23 states while pending approval for Lagos, Imo, Kogi and Benue states.

“The school feeding programme would come to a halt in the four states if the minister refuses to sign the memo, which has been in her office for over three weeks,” said a staff of the ministry.

Another staff of the ministry said, “The minister only needed to sign as an approval to pay the vendors and caterers in the beneficiary states. She approved other states except the four states.

“There was no explanation till now why the states; two controlled by the opposition and other two by the ruling party.”

It was also gathered that the social intervention programme under the new supervisory role of the Minister of Humanitarian services is set for major setbacks and possible collapse as Farouq is unilaterally making decision concerning the programme.

Staff of the ministry, who spoke to SaharaReporters in confidence, also alleged that politics and favouritism creeping into the school feeding program.

According to staff in the ministry, officials in her office are befuddled at her disposition and particularly inexplicable interest in the implementation of the programme.

With reason for the non-approval yet to be known, it was hinted that the non-approval of Kogi State might be related to the arrest of the state Programme Manager of the school feeding, Khadijat Karibo, and a former state focal person for the programme in the state, Adoga Ibrahim, for alleged N68m fraud.

They were alleged to have diverted large sums of money meant for payments to cooks in the national school feeding programme in Kogi State.

SaharaReporters had previously reported that some Nigerian senators were trying to hijack the budget of the NSIP.

Sources revealed that the senators were lobbying for contracts under the ministry with opportunities to provide vendors in some of the programmes.

Food Politics Scandal Exclusive News Reports AddThis : Original Author : SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :

via IFTTT

Dust haze weather to prevail on Thursday, December 27

- The Nigerian Meteorological agency (NiMet) predicts thick dust haze weather conditions over most parts of the country - NiMet predicts northern states would experience dust haze - The agency also predicts early morning mist/fog is expected over the coastal cities The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted thick dust haze weather conditions with reduced visibility over most parts of the country on Thursday, December 27. NiMet’s Weather Outlook on Wednesday, December 26, in Abuja, revealed that the central region of the country would record dust haze condition with visibility range of two to five kilometres throughout the day. It added that day and night temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius to 34 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius, respectively, would prevail over the region. READ ALSO: Police reportedly arrest Badeh’s alleged killers The agency predicted that the northern states would experience dust haze with visibility range of two to fi...

N2.5bn Fraud: You Have Case To Answer, Appeal Court Tells Suspended NBC Boss, Kawu

The Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Ishaq Kawu. The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, has dismissed an appeal filed by the suspended Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Dr Moddibbo Kawu, challenging the decision of the Federal High Court, to dismiss the no-case submission he filed at the lower court. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had charged Kawu, Lucky Omoluwa (late Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Ltd) and Dipo Onifade, Chief Operating Officer of the same company, before Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa, on a 12-count charge of money laundering. Is'haq Modibbo Kaw THISDAYLIVE The suspended NBC boss and his co-accused then approached the appellate court to reverse the judgment of the Federal High Court. The appellate dismissed the no-case submission filed by Kawu and his co-accused and held that they had an explanation to give when he elected to facilitate the payment of ...

Buhari’s Legacy Of Recessions By Fredrick Nwabufo

Fredrick Nwabufo ‘Why always Buhari?’ As it was in 1984 under General Buhari, so it is in 2016 and 2020 under President Buhari? Is it by the unfortunate hands of kismet that recession hits Nigeria every time Buhari takes charge of the country’s affairs? If the recession of the 80s under Buhari was a conspiracy by economic and political factors, to what do we attribute that of his first coming as a civilian President — and now in his second coming? Why does pestilence scourge the land, hunger ravage the population and lives lost malevolently when Buhari presides over the country? Why always Buhari? Buhari’s undoing is his wonted predilection for hierarchising ethnicity, religion and loyalty above competence. Since 1999, no President has obtrusively shown a more nepotistic aspect than Buhari. It is unarguable that the President arrays the most competence-challenged cabinet ever in the chronicle of governance in Nigeria. Yes, a recession cabinet. Fredrick Nwabufo Here is a cabin...

EDUPEDIA247

Search This Blog