Reps pass resolution urging Tinubu to unfreeze social investment accounts

The House of Representatives has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance, to unfreeze all accounts belonging to the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA) within 72 hours.

The lawmakers reached the resolution on Tuesday following a motion by Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu and 32 others.

The House stressed the urgent need for the unfreezing of NSIPA accounts to enable the smooth recommencement of the agency’s programmes, which are critical to poverty alleviation, youth empowerment, and economic inclusivity in Nigeria.

The lawmakers also urged the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to immediately remove all administrative bottlenecks hindering the operations of NSIPA.

They expressed concern that the prolonged suspension of the agency’s activities has adversely impacted vulnerable Nigerians who rely on these interventions for survival.

According to the House, the challenges facing NSIPA stem from allegations of financial mismanagement by previous handlers of the programmes, which led to the freezing of its accounts and investigations by anti-corruption and security agencies.

However, the lawmakers argued that the continued halt in operations would worsen poverty and economic hardship for millions of Nigerians.

The House emphasised the importance of restoring the agency’s functionality to facilitate the delivery of social programmes designed to cushion the effects of economic instability on citizens.

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While debating the motion, the lawmakers decried the lack of funding and administrative inefficiencies that have plagued NSIPA in recent years.

They further called on relevant authorities to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the agency to prevent a recurrence of the issues that led to the current impasse.

The NSIPA has been at the center of controversy following allegations of financial mismanagement and corruption. In January, President Tinubu suspended the agency’s coordinator, Halima Shehu, over allegations of misappropriation of funds. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also investigated Shehu, recovering about N39.8 billion out of N44.8 billion allegedly embezzled from the government account under her watch.

The suspension of Shehu and the freezing of NSIPA’s accounts have raised concerns about the impact on the agency’s programs and beneficiaries. The House of Representatives’ resolution is seen as an attempt to address these concerns and ensure that the agency’s activities are not unduly disrupted.

According to reports, the NSIPA’s programs, including the N-Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, and Home Grown School Feeding Programme, have been suspended for six weeks. The agency’s activities have been frozen, including all distributions, events, payments, collaborations, and registrations.

The House of Representatives’ resolution is a significant development in the ongoing saga surrounding the NSIPA. It remains to be seen how President Tinubu will respond to the lawmakers’ call to unfreeze the agency’s accounts.

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