The House of Representatives has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to unfreeze the accounts of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA). Lawmakers have called on the president to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to facilitate the unfreezing to enable the smooth resumption of NSIPA’s programmes, according to Channels Television.
This resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and 20 other members of the House.
Importance of Social Programmes
During the plenary session, lawmakers highlighted that NSIPA’s programmes are vital to poverty alleviation, youth empowerment, and economic inclusivity in Nigeria. However, they expressed concern that the agency’s activities had been disrupted by “administrative bottlenecks, insufficient funding, and frozen accounts.”
The motion noted that the federal government initially suspended NSIPA’s programmes and froze its accounts due to allegations of financial mismanagement by the programme’s handlers. Although investigations are underway by anti-corruption and security agencies, the lawmakers urged the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to immediately address administrative obstacles to restore the agency’s functionality.
Earlier this year, President Tinubu approved the establishment of a special presidential panel on social investment programmes, chaired by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun.
A press release signed by former presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale in January revealed that the panel was tasked with conducting a thorough review of the financial frameworks and policies governing NSIPA’s programmes. Additionally, the panel was directed to implement a re-engineering of the agency’s financial architecture to improve transparency and effectiveness.
Programmes Suspended
In January, President Tinubu ordered a six-week suspension of NSIPA’s four core programmes:
• N-Power Programme
• Conditional Cash Transfer Programme
• Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme
• Home-Grown School Feeding Programme
The suspension, linked to allegations of financial malfeasance, allowed for a comprehensive audit and the formulation of new policy guidelines for future implementation.
The House’s call to unfreeze NSIPA’s accounts aims to ensure these critical programmes, designed to address poverty and unemployment, can resume without further delay.
