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Senate Approved That 500000 Be Paid In Npower Since 2017 But Npower Pays Only .. by stevnwigw1: 6:16pm On Apr 06, 2018 |
Senate decries performance of
N1.5tr social investment scheme
By Azimazi Momoh Jimoh (Abuja) and Saxone
Akhaine (Kaduna)
06 April 2018 | 4:31 am
Members of the Nigerian Senate PHOTO:
TWITTER / NIGERIAN SENATE
• Queries N 800m NIWA security vote in
2018 budget
• Kaduna Reps back rejection of El -Rufai ’s
loan request
The Senate yesterday expressed
dissatisfaction with the implementation
of the Federal Government’s N1 .5
trillion National Social Investment
Programme (NSIP ) and described it as a
failure .
It lamented that the programme has not
made serious impact on Nigerians .
Consequently, the Senate threatened to
cut budgetary allocation for the scheme.
Funds for NSIP are captured under the
Service Wide Vote for the presidency.
The Chairman , Senate Committee on
Appropriation, Mohammed Danjuma
Goje, made the threat when the Special
Adviser to the President on Social
Investment, Mrs . Maryam Uwais ,
appeared before the panel to provide
clarification on proposed budget
implementation .
The presidential aide told the committee
that NSIP received N 175 billion in 2016
and 2017 fiscal year .
“ You may kindly recall that N 500 billion
was appropriated for the NSIP in 2017 ,
out of which N100 billion was allocated
for the Social Housing Scheme under the
Federal Ministry of Finance . Out of the
balance of N 400 billion, only N 90 billion
was released to the NSIP for 2017 . ”
She also said that the programme
received N 85 billion in 2016 . Goje, who
stressed the importance of the
programme, noted that by the end of
three years, the NSIP would have
handled an unprecedented sum of N1 .5
trillion .
“ Many people are complaining that they
have not seen the impact of the
programme, considering the magnitude
of the funds involved . I am from Gombe
State , I represent Gombe Central. I am
yet to see one boy who came to tell me
that he has benefited from your N 500
billion.
“ Many other Nigerians are saying the
same thing . N 500 billion for 36 states is
about N 13 billion. If you spend N 13
billion in one year in Gombe State ,
there is no way I would not have
known, other people will also know .
“ If you spend N500 billion in one year
in Nigeria , Nigerians will know . No
single All Progressives Congress (APC )
person in Gombe State has benefitted
from your School Feeding Programme.
No single person from Gombe State has
benefitted from your N - Power . We don ’t
know about your N - Power . As far as
many of us are concerned , we are
completely dissatisfied with what you
are doing. ”
Goje also said that there was no
indication that N 100 billion was
deducted from source for the social
housing scheme by the Ministry of
Finance . “ Senate does not know about
N100 billion going for housing scheme.
The money is given to you for social
investment .”
Mrs . Uwais insisted that “ unfortunately,
N100 billion is deducted at source for
housing scheme by the Federal Ministry
of Finance . ”
The budget defence almost degenerated
into a shouting match between the
lawmakers and Uwais .
A member of the committee , Tayo
Alasuadura , said they foresaw the
problem at the beginning of the
programme.
“ Those of us who approve the budget ,
we don ’ t know what is happening . We
should know what is happening in our
constituencies.
“ You have spent N85 billion this year.
You spent N 90 billion in the first year
2016 making it N175 billion. A
programme that has been on for two
years, and I don ’ t know what is
happening . It is terrible . The governors
you say are also complaining did not
allocate money for this programme. We
did. ”
Alasuadura said that the programme
should be scrapped if its
implementation would continue to be a
source of worry.
Goje intervened and insisted that his
interest was for the programme to
succeed “ because I am also APC . We
called you because you are handling big
money . N500 billion is half a trillion .
Unfortunately most Nigerians do not
know what you are doing . Your
publicity is zero. Most importantly, the
people who are approving the money do
not also know what you are doing.
“ We have asked you to give us detailed
report on what you are doing. If we get
the report , we will know whether to
give you N500 billion.
“ In 2017 , we appropriated N 500 billion.
In 2018 , we will appropriate according
to performance . We are going out of our
way to make this programme to succeed .
We are not against it, we want it to
succeed. ”
Senator Francis Alimekhena warned
that if care was not taken , the
programme would go the way of SURE-
P.
He said the NSIP should not use a World
Bank template in the country because it
would not work.
The committee asked the presidential
aide to submit names of beneficiaries of
its programme today for its verification .
The lawmakers said the names became
necessary to ensure that the money was
not going into wrong hands .
Also yesterday , the Senate queried the
N800 million which the presidency
proposed in the 2018 budget for the
purchase of security equipment by the
Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority
(NIWA ).
The query was handed down to NIWA
Acting Managing Director , Danladi
Ibrahim , when he appeared before the
panel on Marine Transport to defend
the agency ’s 2018 budget .
The committee wondered why the
authority requested N 800 million in the
2018 budget for the purchase of security
equipment, the same amount it received
in 2017 budget for the same purpose.
It said that out of the N 800 million , the
authority spent N 790 million in 2017
which is over 90 per cent of the
appropriated fund.
The Chairman of the committee , Ahmed
Sani Yerima , observed that the authority
failed to provide details and
specifications of how it planned to
spend the money for which it requested
approval .
Meanwhile, the House of
Representatives lawmakers from
Kaduna State have expressed support
for the decision by the Senate to reject
the $ 350 million foreign loan requested
by Governor Nasir el- Rufai , saying there
was no time they endorsed the proposal .
Read More : ‘Why senate panel didn ’t indict
Allison - Madueke over alleged missing
$49. 8b NNPC revenue ’
Besides, the lawmakers who issued a
statement to condemn an attempt by
Governor El - Rufai to over- burden the
state and the indigenes with foreign
debts , said there was no time they
condemned the decision of the Senate in
rejecting the loan request .
According to the lawmakers : “ Our
attention has been drawn to stories
making the rounds in some national
dailies, television stations and social
media alleging that 15 members of the
House of Representatives from Kaduna
State have faulted the Senate’s
disapproval of a $ 350 million World
Bank loan requested by the Kaduna
State Government.
“ The news said that the Leader of the
Kaduna State House of Representatives
caucus, Datti Babawo (representing
Sabon- Gari Federal Constituency ,
Kaduna State ), stated that all the 15
members out of 16 actually approved
the $ 350 million loan for the state
because of the enormous benefits the
state would derive from it.
“ We would not have responded to this,
but stories like this have a way of
convincing members of the public if not
countered. Therefore , we would like the
public to note that first and foremost ,
the Kaduna State caucus in the House of
Representatives has not elected a
leader . It is , therefore, strange for Datti
Babawo to arrogate such powers to
himself.
“ As members of House of
Representatives from Kaduna State , we
never at any given time met to discuss
the $ 350 million loan, let alone taking a
decision on it. We operate a bicameral
legislature in Nigeria, and to that
extent, the House has no business
questioning the decision(s ) of the
Senate. Both chambers operate
independently and have mutual respect
for each other in the spirit of the
constitution.
“ We , therefore , wish to reiterate that
not all members from Kaduna State are
in support of the loan issue. It is on
record that some members have spoken
against incurring such a huge debt on
the people of Kaduna State . And in view
of the above , we wish to dissociate
ourselves from the views expressed by
Datti as they are entirely his own .”
In this article:
Francis Alimekhena Maryam Uwais
Mohammed Danjuma Goje
Nigeria Senate NSIP
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Re: Senate Approved That 500000 Be Paid In Npower Since 2017 But Npower Pays Only .. by okk4sure: 6:49pm On Apr 06, 2018 |
Y government no gree carry money go give dem wen huge amount like dt is involved in their social investment scheme?Useless legislators! |
Re: Senate Approved That 500000 Be Paid In Npower Since 2017 But Npower Pays Only .. by stevnwigw1: 8:12pm On Apr 06, 2018 |
They have been paying only 200,000 beneficiaries, since inception when NASS approved 500,000 |
Re: Senate Approved That 500000 Be Paid In Npower Since 2017 But Npower Pays Only .. by honestivo(m): 9:00pm On Apr 06, 2018 |
Accountability time |
Re: Senate Approved That 500000 Be Paid In Npower Since 2017 But Npower Pays Only .. by Wiseandtrue(f): 10:18pm On Apr 06, 2018 |
stevnwigw1:Thanks for the summary I was beginning to wonder what OP was trying to say In conclusion when next I hear CHANGE, I will ask serious questions once beaten twice shy 1 Like |
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