President Bola Tinubu has suspended all administered Social Investment Programmes by the National Social Investment Programme Agency.
Announcing the suspension in a statement on Friday, January 12, the Director of Information, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, said the President’s decision was in view of 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 have been suspended for a period of six weeks in the first instance.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also raised significant concerns regarding operational lapses and improprieties surrounding payments to the programmes’ beneficiaries” the statement read.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has said that Nigerians do not have any reason to be poor.
Addressing Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who visited him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, January 12, Tinubu asked them to design and implement policies that prioritise all Nigerians and to always consider the national interest above political affiliations.
He noted that one of the biggest challenges the nation faces was divisiveness, but that the governing party must work towards healing and unifying the country by ensuring a collective national vision, and channelling energy and resources into nation-building.
The Nigerian leader who pointed out that development policies would only find full relevance in people’s lives when there is inclusivity, ownership, and sustainability, added that Nigeria is too blessed with human, natural, and material resources to be struggling with a dearth of quality infrastructure, quality education, and world-class health facilities.
Tinubu was quoted saying;
“We have no reason to be poor. Looking back on where we are coming from, where we have been, why we are facing infrastructural decay, a lack of quality and comprehensive education, as well as a lack of health facilities. We are not a cursed country, but blessed.
“You can convert people. You can appeal to people to come to your side. We have children of school age who are out of school. The way to promote education is to get all governors, including the opposition governors, involved in the school-feeding programme. Please, take it seriously.
“We should not measure the children as statistics. We should measure their return to classrooms as our achievement. We should see economic growth in terms of value and empowerment. We should set up a committee to look into the methods. I am ready to invest in school feeding.”
