Osinbajo Not Involved in Disbursement of Social Investment Funds, Says Agency

By James Emejo in Abuja

Contrary to speculations, the Office of the Vice President is not involved in financial transactions or the disbursement of funds under the National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIPs) of the present administration, the National Social Investment Office (NSIO) has said.

Rather, the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning, is in charge of all matters regarding financing, budgeting, procurement and disbursement of funds allocated and released for the programme.

The clarification followed recent allegations of corruption in the administration of funds earmarked to empower poor Nigerians.

In a statement issued by the Communications Manager, National Social Investment Office (NSIO), Justice Tienabeso Bibiye, the agency noted however, that the Steering Committee for the NSIO was chaired by the VP who supervises the implementation of the programme.

It further stressed that the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) beneficiaries were identified by members of the communities themselves, through a tripartite method, which includes technology for objectively and scale adding that the World Bank community-based targeting process was adopted at the beginning to assure of community ownership of the process.

“The Vice President only goes round markets in the states where the trader-moni scheme is launched to engage with beneficiaries, but he is not involved in the disbursement of loans, whether in cash or through cash transfers,” the statement further explained.

It stressed that, “This clarification is important amidst insinuations in some quarters regarding the amounts budgeted and released for N-SIPs, following media reports on the alleged involvement of the Vice President in financial matters. It can be categorically said that His Excellency, the VP Yemi Osinbajo has never been involved in any of such financial transactions.

“The Buhari administration’s social investment programmes is the largest social investment programme in Nigeria’s history. Four broad programmes (N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfers, National Home-Grown School Feeding and Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programmes) are under the N-SIPs, each uniquely targeting different subgroups of Nigerians for empowerment.”

Quoting the 2018 Third-party Monitoring Report, it stated that the Action Aid had observed that the social investment programmes, despite the challenges encountered, were effective and relevant in the states because their expected outcomes have been achieved.

“Commending the openness and transparency entrenched in the process of disbursements, the Senior Adviser, Department for International Development (DFID)-UK, Sonia Warner, said ANEEJ played a pivotal role in the Monitoring of Recovered Assets in Nigeria with Transparency and Accountability (MANTRA) Project to monitor $322.5 million returned to Nigeria from Switzerland.

“Findings from ANEEJ, the umbrella body of the coalition of Independent Civil Society Organisations monitoring the use of returned $322 million Abacha Loot on cash transfers to the poorest of the poor confirm that the money is being disbursed to poor Nigerians, with the desired impact.”

According to the statement, Warner noted that she “feels a strong sense of achievement being part of an intervention which has demonstrated that it is possible to retrieve stolen money and use it to support the victims of corruption in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the statement stressed that since its implementation in 2016, the N-SIPs have impacted over 12 million direct beneficiaries and over 30 million indirect beneficiaries, comprising employees of beneficiaries, mobile money agents, cooks, farmers and extended family members.