The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development ha s explained that the alleged diversion of N2.72b meant for feeding school pupils during the coronavirus lockdown was not under the ministry’s supervision.
According to the ministry, the Federal Government Colleges school feeding programme referred to by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was different from the Home Grown School Feeding, which is one of the Social Investment Programmes of the ministry.
Recall that the ICPC Chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, on Monday disclosed the commission discovered part of the N2.67billion was diverted to private accounts.
But Special Adviser to the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Nneka Anibeze, said the statement by ICPC has been twisted and misinterpreted by mischief makers and directed at the ministry of humanitarian affairs.
The statement reads: “That the School Feeding under scrutiny is feeding of students in Federal Government Colleges across the country and is not under the Federal ministry of Humanitarian Affairs which only oversees Home Grown School Feeding for children in Primaries 1-3 in select public schools across the country.
“That the over N2.5 billion which was reportedly misappropriated by a senior civil servant (name withheld) took place in a different ministry and not the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
“That the ICPC recovered N16 billion worth of assets from the said ministry which was paid into an individual account for non-official purposes and not the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
“The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development describes those casting aspersions on the Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq as malicious and unfair and calls on The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC to publish the names of persons, federal colleges and school heads whose names have been found to be associated with the missing funds and also freeze the accounts where the said funds were diverted.
“The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs therefore calls on the general public to disregard the false reports being linked to the ministry as it is not in any way involved in the Federal Government Colleges School Feeding.”
