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The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has disagreed with Hauwa Sulaiman, a petitioner from Kogi State, over calls to probe fraud allegations in the state’s Conditional Cash transfer (CCT) scheme.
Sulaiman had accused the Kogi ICPC commissioner of reluctance to launch investigation into the implementation of the CCT in the state.
The petitioner alleged that a desk officer connived with a senior officer of Adavi Council to shortchange beneficiaries.
Expressing surprise that almost nine months after submitting the petition to ICPC nothing had been heard about it, she alleged conspiracy to shortchange beneficiaries, some of them replaced with able-bodied, energetic people who would share the money with the desk officer.
According to the petition made available to The Guardian in Lokoja, the desk officer had been pocketing about N3 million monthly through illegal deductions from beneficiaries.
Some of the rightful beneficiaries allegedly died in penury while their entitlements were diverted.
She cited the late Ajako Azeez whose money was still unclaimed nine months after his demise. Another instance she gave was one Sule Kekere, a vulnerable senior citizen, whose name was replaced with Hannah Yusuf, a young lady.
But the Kogi commissioner for ICPC, Patrick Ogwuegbu, denied that nothing was being done, as the commission had launched investigation into the allegations.
He said the petitioner, on invitation, had even made statement, which had been sent to the appropriate quarters for the investigation.
On the allegations of diversion and replacement of genuine beneficiaries, the commissioner said that was not included in the original petition and therefore was not part of the investigation.
Meanwhile, over 60,000 households in Benue State will benefit from the Federal Government’s CCT of N5,000 each as part of palliatives to cushion the effect of COVID-19.
The Commissioner for Finance, David Olofuafe, revealed this to newsmen at the weekend in Makurdi,.
He noted that the N5,000 was a component of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) that was initially meant for the poorest of the poor in every community across the country.
“With the approval of Governor Samuel Ortom, Benue is one of the first few states to key into the NSIP, and one key component of that programme is the CCT.
“The Federal Government has renewed its commitment to the programme because of COVID-19, and I’m aware that at the last count, over 60,000 households in the state have qualified for disbursement. Very soon, they will begin to access the funds directly.”
