Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The Senate has launched an investigation into the federal government’s Social Investment Programme with a view to identifying the beneficiaries and the procedure adopted in selecting them.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Special Duties, Senator Yusuf Yusuf, disclosed this to journalists yesterday.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the operational procedure adopted by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, particularly its claims that it used a World Bank model to determine the beneficiaries.
He said, “It is an issue that is on the front burner of the National Assembly. We are considering how to improve on what we have on ground with a legal framework.
“The proposed bill will produce a fair, constructive, clear, transparently accountable register of beneficiaries. The bill will definitely improve the SIP.”
The senator added that the National Assembly had not received any communication from the Federal Government on its request for N500 billion meant for disbursement to vulnerable Nigerians.
He said, “The SIP has what they call a national social register. We are trying to scrutinise that register to find out who are the beneficiaries and how they came about the list.
“The register was as a result of world bank indicating that they can use citizens of the various communities. I have done my own investigation too and I’m still doing it.
“The World Bank is coming to determine who in the community is vulnerable and I, as a senator, am from my own community, I don’t know who is that.”
