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Tag: Sadiya Farouq

  • Humanitarian Minister opens up on arrest of D’Banj

    Humanitarian Minister opens up on arrest of D’Banj

    The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq has opened up on the detention of Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’Banj.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports D’Banj was held and detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) over allegations of embezzling funds meant for N-Power beneficiaries.

    Farouq pledged to support the ICPC in its investigation of the alleged fraud in the N-Power Programme and assured beneficiaries of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), especially the N-Power that in spite of allegations of fraud, the Ministry was committed to continuity.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo on Wednesday in Abuja.

    She said ​the ministry’s attention was brought to a recent publication regarding ongoing investigations in relation to fraud allegations in the Programme.

    “​The ministry has deployed a well-rounded mechanism for the selection of eligible beneficiaries from across the country, adding that this has been in place since the inception of the programme.

    “Working with our service provider, program beneficiaries are onboarded, trained and deployed to pre-selected Places of Primary Assignment.

    “When it came to our notice that there may have been sharp practices by some personnel of the Payment Service Provider (PSP) involved in the payment processes of beneficiaries, the matter was immediately referred to ICPC for thorough investigation.

    “We are aware that certain persons have consequently been invited as part of the ongoing investigations. We want to commend the ICPC for the remarkable job they are doing to address the issue of alleged fraud discovered in the N-Power programme,” Farouq said.

    She stressed that the ministry and its partners have carried out thorough reinforcement of their systems to eliminate all anomalies and prevent similar occurrences in the future.

    The minister added that to this end her ministry is in close collaboration with ICPC to support the successful determination of the investigation.

    “However, In a bid to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of N-Power and other NSIPs, the Ministry has over time involved other government MDA’s, Security Agencies and Civil Society Organisations in monitoring and compliance checks across the 36 states of the country and the FCT.

    “We want to assure all N-POWER beneficiaries of Federal Government’s continued commitment to the programme and the subsequent exit/off-boarding channels activated.

    “All programme beneficiaries should therefore continue to apply themselves to their utmost at their Places of Primary Assignment. All monthly stipends will continue to be paid in line with program expectations,” she said.

    Farouq further called on members of the public to come forward with information on any irregularities noticed in the implementation of the NSIP through the following channels; Email: npowersupport@nsip.gov.ng, npowerinfo@nsip.gov.ng Phone: 0700 CALL NSIP, 070022556747 or 07030859183- WhatsApp.

  • Flood impact ranking: Bayelsa Govt tackles Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs

    Flood impact ranking: Bayelsa Govt tackles Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs

    The Bayelsa government on Friday faulted the ranking of flood impacted states as presented by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

    Recall that the Minister, Sadiya Farouq, had told State House Correspondents that Bayelsa is not among the 10 most impacted states by the 2022 flood.

    The Minister had listed the death toll, number of buildings, farmlands partially and totally destroyed amongst others as part of criteria used in the assessment.

    However, the Bayelsa government, in a statement signed by its Information Commissioner, Mr Ayiba Duba, described the Minister’s claim as disheartening and contrary to existing facts.

    Duba regretted the slow response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the flood in spite of the President’s directive to relevant agencies of the federal government to come to the aid of the state.

    He alleged that the Faroud-led ministry and its agencies have abandoned their responsibility and are not interested in managing the disaster.

    “Indeed, the Minister is already turning into part of the disaster she was appointed to manage. She had earlier claimed that only four Local Government Areas of the state were impacted by the unprecedented flood.

    “She was obviously relying on bogus data in contradiction to the clear reality that every local government in the state is impacted by the flood in varying degrees.

    “The way the minister has treated our state is so unfortunate that our people are beginning to doubt that we are part of Nigeria,” Duba said.

    He wondered which criteria were used to arrive at the ranking since no representative of the Federal Government has visited Bayelsa to assess the situation.

    The Bayelsa government further claimed that the Federal Government has not shown sufficient empathy since the natural disaster hit the state one month ago.

    “And we are asking, is Bayelsa State still part of Nigeria? Are we only important when it is time to exploit the resources in our land?

    “If the minister is sincere, let her tell Nigerians the relief materials brought to the state and who received them,” Duba said.

    According to Duba, the Minister and Indeed the Federal Government are not fair to the people of Bayelsa who have been traumatized by losing loved ones, homes and livelihoods.

    The commissioner explained that the minister’s data with which she came to the conclusion that Bayelsa was not even one of the 10 most impacted states, contradicts basic science, common sense, concern and kindness.

    “How can a state up North, Jigawa, be worst impacted when indeed Bayelsa State has the unfortunate responsibility of receiving the flood water that ran through more than 15 states?

    “The data used by the Federal ministry to arrive at the conclusion is suspect and erroneous,” he said, indicating by the realities on ground, over 300 communities were impacted by the flood and almost a million people were displaced from their homes, many of them losing their livelihoods.

    “And no other state in the Federation is so impacted. If the Minister is desirous of doing a good job, she should come to Bayelsa State to ascertain the truth, even as the flood has started to recede,” Duba said.

    Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Thursday visited some impacted communities and displaced persons’ camps and called for joint efforts by Bayelsa and the Federal governments to assist victims.

    Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa, said he was unimpressed with the preparedness of Bayelsa government, adding that portions of the East-West road, cut off by the floods, would be fixed expeditiously.