The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, on Friday, stated the N585.18m grant for weak teams in 4 states was authorized and adopted the stipulated due course of of presidency.
It additionally said that the fee of the grant to the account of a person, Oniyelu Bridget, was as a result of the guy presently serves because the Mission Accountant, Grants for Susceptible Teams.
A doc on the fee of the grant, which was signed by the Minister answerable for the ministry, Betta Edu, went viral on social media on Friday night.
The doc confirmed that the fee of the N585.18m grant, meant for weak teams in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states, was made into Oniyelu’s account.
This made many Nigerians marvel why the ministry would pay such an enormous fund, meant for 4 states, into the account of a single particular person, as critics described the event as fraudulent.
Recall that the Nationwide Social Funding Programme Company, an organisation additionally below the humanitarian ministry, has been enmeshed in monetary scandals these days, which concerned senior officers of the NSIPA.
The NSIPA’s ex-Nationwide Coordinator and Chief Govt Officer, Halima Shehu, was suspended not too long ago by President Bola Tinubu following an allegation of monetary impropriety and the disaster rocking the company.
However in a press release issued in Abuja on Friday as regards the N585m grant, the humanitarian ministry stated, “For the avoidance, the stated N585m was authorized, and it’s meant for the implementation of grants to weak teams in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states.
“We should, nonetheless, notice that GVG was first launched within the Kogi State the place recipients testified. Akwa Ibom and Cross River have been launched in December 2023. Kogi already occurred in November, and others will probably be launched within the coming weeks.
“Most people is invited to notice that the Renewed Hope Grant for Susceptible Teams is without doubt one of the social intervention schemes of the Federal Authorities, which is being carried out by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
“Oniyelu Bridget is the Mission Accountant for GVG from the Division of Finance and it’s authorized in civil service for a workers, the challenge accountant to be paid and use the identical funds legally and retire the identical with all receipts and proof after the challenge or programme is accomplished.”
The ministry went forward to state that the leaked doc was its memo to the Accountant-Normal of the Federation, searching for approval for the N585m fee