N2.67bn: Linking Humanitarian Minister To ‘Diversion Of School Feeding Fund’ Erroneous – ICPC

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on Tuesday, clarified that its recent report of the diversion of N2.67 billion school feeding fund had nothing to do with the Office of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, headed by Sadiya Umar Farouq.

ICPC made the clarification in a statement published on its website, seen by our correspondent.

“The attention of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has been drawn to some reports making the rounds on a segment of the speech delivered by the ICPC Chairman, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, yesterday, Monday, 28th September 2020 at its 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector.

“The said reports erroneously implied that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs diverted monies meant for Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.

“In the speech, Professor Owasanoye stated inter alia, ‘… we discovered payments to some federal colleges (secondary schools) for school feeding in the sum of N2.67b during the lockdown when the children were not in school, and some of the money ended up in personal accounts. We have commenced investigations into these findings,” it stated.

ICPC maintained that the indictment involved federal government colleges, which according to it, is not under the supervision of the Humanitarian Ministry.

“The Commission wishes to clarify that the school feeding referred to by the Chairman of ICPC was the feeding of boarding students in Federal Government Colleges, who were all at home during the COVID-19 lockdown. This is NOT the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme being managed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

“The Commission had discovered through its review of publications on the Open Treasury Portal that statutory monthly allocations meant for the feeding of secondary school students of SOME Federal Government Colleges were diverted into personal accounts.

“This statement is issued for the purpose of clarifying the statement of the Hon. Chairman. Consequently, the general public is hereby advised to disregard the said reports suggesting reference to the school feeding programme going on in primary schools,” it stated.

The humanitarian Minister had distanced her ministry from the N2.67 billion school feeding programme diversion, adding that it was targeted at tarnishing her image.

“The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development hereby informs the public that the Federal Government Colleges school feeding in question is different from the Home Grown School Feeding which is one of its Social Investment Programmes,” she said through her spokesperson, Nneka Ikem Anibeze.

THE WHISTLER had also reported on August 2, that the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), had challenged Sadiya Umar Farouq, to a public debate on the school feeding programme under her watch.

“HURIWA is by this media communication inviting the minister for a publicly covered debate this Wednesday with HURIWA so Nigerians can be told what amount this government spent feeding school children who were dispersed and on holidays during the lockdown.

She claimed that monies for her Ministry’s school program were judiciously spent.

“In FCT – 29,609 households , Lagos – 37,589, 60, 391 households for Ogun, making a total of 124,589 households imparted between May 14, 2020 and July 6, 2020,” she had said during the Covid-19 Presidential Taskforce press briefing.