Prof Bola Owasanoye, Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has raised alarm over N2.67billion meant for school feeding programme lodged in various private accounts.
It will be recalled that that Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management headed by Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq was responsible for distributing palliatives and feeding school children who were out of school during the lockdown. This was part of efforts to mitigate the harsh impact of COVID-19 Pandemic.
However, Owasanoye has discovered huge amounts of money meant for the feeding programme in some private accounts.
In Owasanoye’s shocking discovery, another N2.5 billion was diverted by an undisclosed deceased worker in the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to him, the commission was able to recover some infrastructure from the Ministry which include 18 buildings,12 business premises and 25 plots of land.
The ICPC Chairman made the disclosure during the second National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector.
Owasanoye said the financial impropriety came to light after the Commisson conducted an Open Treasury Portal review on government agencies between January and August 15, 2020. He said 72 of 268 government ministries could not account for N90million.
The ICPC Chairman disclosed heads of some agencies told him N4.1billion was paid into sub-Treasury Single Account, unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the remaining N4.2 billion.
However, it was discovered funds paid into sub-TSA was a ploy not to attract the attention of authorities to the remaining N4.2billion.
He stated, “We observed that transfers to sub-TSA were to prevent disbursement from being monitored. Nevertheless, we discovered payments to some federal colleges for school feeding in the sum of N2.67bn during lockdown when the children are not in school, and some of the money ended up in personal accounts.”
ICPC Chairman revealed how some government projects had been abandoned by contractors.
Upon the commission’s intervention, 72 Contractors handling projects going up to N2.2billion were compelled to return to sites.
In his closing remarks, Bola Owasanoye reiterated ICPC’s commitment in the war against corruption.