President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, has rubbished the
N500bn Social Investment Programme of her husband’s administration, saying that
it failed “woefully” in the North in particular.
Aisha, who hails from Adamawa State, said the situation in
her home state, as far as the implementation was concerned, was pathetic.
She also cited Kano, a highly-populated northern state, as
another example where she believed the programme failed, despite the huge funds
the Federal Government budgeted for it.
The SIP is domiciled in the Office of Vice-President Yemi
Osinbajo, but its direct implementation is done by the Senior Special Assistant
to the President on Social Investment, Mrs Maryam Uwais.
Mrs Buhari bared her feelings on Saturday in Abuja during an
interactive programme she organised for women at the Presidential Villa.
For instance, she disclosed that though Uwais informed her
that 30,000 women would be beneficiaries in Adamawa State, four years had
passed and there was no evidence that the SA kept her word.
The President’s wife spoke in detail, expressing her disappointment.
She went on, “Concerning the N500bn 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 am 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 being used or is being given out. I met Barrister (one of the
President’s aides on SIP) once and he promised me that for my state (Adamawa),
we should get 30,000 women to be given N10,000. Up till now, I haven’t heard
from him.
“I don’t want to raise the alarm that my state does not
benefit from it, where the SGF (Secretary to the Government of the Federation)
came from, I kept quiet because I don’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 is the social investment… Maybe, it worked out in some states. In my own
state, only a local government benefited out of the 22. I didn’t ask what
happened and I don’t want to know, but it failed woefully in Kano, it’s not a
good sign and it’s not a good thing.
“We have a lot of women that do business locally due to the
cultural thing in the North, they are at home doing their business. Some are
millionaires, some have thousands of naira, they need the assistance but they
do not get it. Most northern women do not belong to any market association.
“I was expecting the N500bn to be utilised 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 do not get it. My state does not get it.
“How many of you (women in the hall) get it in your state?
My state did not benefit from it.”
The women responded by saying that they got nothing in the
past four years.
She argued that the method employed in implementing the
programme in the North was faulty, a reason she believed it failed there.
“It worked out well in a situation whereby they have market
associations but I was thinking different methods should be used in the North”,
the President’s wife stated.
Amid applause from women in the hall, Mrs Buhari also
criticised the $16m counterpart fund said to have been used so far on
procurement of mosquito nets.
She noted, “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 have spent $16m in buying mosquito nets, I did not get
it, maybe some people have got it. But I feel that, that’s my personal opinion,
$16m is enough to fumigate mosquitoes in Nigeria. That’s my opinion.”
However, she commended the SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha, for the
initiative to include women in the inauguration programme of her husband for
his second term on May 29.
She stated further, “I will also like to use the opportunity
to thank the SGF for including women in the inaugural activities of Mr
President; this is what is called next level. They didn’t allow us to
participate in politics but now they have started giving us hope that we can be
involved in certain things.”
On the anti-drug committee chaired by a former Military
Administrator of Lagos State, Buba Marwa, the President’s wife recalled how she
practically made herself a member to ensure that things went well.
She added, “I also managed to put myself as member of the
committee and the wife of the Vice-President. The wife of the Vice-President
(Dolapo Osinbajo) has worked very well; it took her one year to go round
schools in Abuja because of the level of abuse. Many girls don’t go to school
because they are afraid of being raped while returning from school or when
their parents are away.
“You know most of their parents are farmers. The revelation
is beyond comment. I asked her to publicise her discovery but she didn’t; if
she had done so, it would have served as a lesson.
“Over N12bn has been released by the President to take care
of trauma cases across the country. Can you please monitor the money? The
ministers are going very soon and the money is being released.”
On the 2019 polls, she called on the All Progressives
Congress to refund the money female contestants spent to purchase nomination
forms since the women ended up being marginalised.
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She's just vocal
ReplyDeleteI just like her
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