Wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, has alleged that there is serious mismanagement of fund meant for social investment programme (SIP) designed by the federal government.
Okay Nigeria News understands that the Aisha made this allegation during an interactive forum at the State House on Saturday, calling out Maryam Uwais, a special adviser to the president on social investment, saying the scheme also failed in her state, Kano.
Aisha disclosed that 30,000 women from Adamawa would benefit from the programme which didn’t happen even after funds were made available.
She said:
“Concerning the N500 billion voted for SIP, that was part of 2015 campaigns where they promised to give out N10,000, feed pupils in primary schools and give N5,000 to the poorest of the poor.”
“The SSA to the president on social investment is a lady from Kano and I’m sure that my husband decided to put somebody from Kano because of the population and political impact it made. I have never asked how the money is used or being given out.
“I met one of the president’s aides on SIP once and he promised me that for my state (Adamawa), N10,000 each would be given to 30,000 women but up till now, I haven’t heard from him.
“I don’t want to raise alarm that my state did not benefit from it. That’s where the secretary to the government of the federation is from. I kept quiet because I didn’t want people to say that I talk too much. Recently I saw a 74-year-old man selling petty things in Kano, I asked him how much is his capital, he told me between N3,000 and N4,000… Don’t forget that we have campaigned to give the poorest of the poor, N5,000 every month .
“So, I don’t know where the social investment worked. Maybe it worked out in some states. In my own state, only a local government benefited out of the 22 LGAs. I didn’t ask what happened and I don’t want to know but I can say it failed woefully in Kano. We have a lot of women who do business locally due to the cultural thing in the north, they are at home doing their businesses. Some are millionaires, some have thousands of naira, they need the assistance but they did not get it. Most northern women do not belong to any market association
“I was expecting that N500 billion to be utilized in different methods in the north for the aim to be achieved. I don’t know the method they used but most of the northern states did not get it.”
Also speaking on $16 million counterpart fund expended on mosquito nets, she said:
“I have heard about mosquito nets, Nigeria paid its counterpart fund, $16m. I asked them to give my own share of the net to send it to my village people, I didn’t get it.”“They spent, $16 million buying mosquito nets, I did not get it, maybe some people have it. But I feel that $16 million is enough to fumigate mosquitoes all over Nigeria. That’s my opinion.”
