I Didn’t Divert N2.7bn Meant For School Feeding Programme, Minister Replies ICPC

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq has dissociated herself from a trending report in the media titled “N2.72b for School Feeding During Lockdown Diverted To Private Accounts.”

The report emanated after a presentation by the Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye at the 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption and was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday.

The report states thus “preliminary investigation had indicated that part of the N2.67billion was diverted to private accounts. It also revealed that over N2.5 billion was misappropriated by a senior civil servant (name withheld) in the ministry of agriculture and now deceased, for himself and cronies.”

The statement by Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was twisted and misinterpreted by mischief makers and directed at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

In a statement signed and released by the Special Assistant to the minister on media, Nneka Ikem Anizebe on Monday, it reads: “The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development hereby informs the public that the Federal Government Colleges school feeding in question is different from the Home Grown School Feeding which is one of its Social Investment Programmes.”

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“That the School Feeding under scrutiny is feeding of students in Federal Government Colleges across the country and is not under the ministry which only oversees Home Grown School Feeding for children in Primaries 1-3 in select public schools across the country.”