Maryam Uwais, special adviser to the president on social
investment programme (SIP), says the claims made by Senate President Ahmad
Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, on
conditional cash transfer are “regrettable and dangerous.”
Lawan and Gbajabiamila had faulted the manner in which SIP
was being implemented during the 14-day lockdown ordered by President Muhammadu
Buhari.
At a meeting with Sadiya Umar Farouq, minister of
humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, in Abuja on
Tuesday, the leaders of the national assembly demanded a reform of the
programme.
While the speaker wondered what parameters the government
was using to implement the programme, the senate president said: “I think we
have not been able to reach far out there to get them properly captured.”
But in a statement on Wednesday, Uwais said some of the
claims of Lawan and Gbajabiamila were false.
She said it is untrue that beneficiaries were made to meet
requirements such as presenting a bank verification number (BVN) as claimed by
Lawan.
“That as part of the conditions for poor and vulnerable
beneficiaries to be engaged, they are made to apply online, through the
internet and they require a BVN for payment. UNTRUE,” she said.
“The utilization of the BVN for N-Power beneficiary payment
is also as a means of identity (since the NIN number can be generated from the
BVN) and to facilitate the tracking of payments and further ensure
accountability.
“The identities of the cash transfer beneficiaries are
protected by law (the FOI Act), as the consent of recipients of social grants
is a prerequisite, before disclosure. They can, however, be found and verified
through the LGA community facilitators (CTFs) who have been trained to support
them by weekly visits to the wards.
“The names, wards, LGAs, States and phone numbers of the
CTFs can be found at http://n-sip.gov.ng/resource-data/, as the data collation
continues to grow around the country.
“The Leadership of the Senate also stated that the NSIP
information was not accessible to the National Assembly. UNTRUE.
“The monthly reports of 3,000 N-Power monitors, spread
across the 774 LGAs, are available to both Poverty Alleviation Committees of
the NASS. It should also be noted that the accounting and procurement aspects
of the NSIPs were handled by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning on
behalf of the NSIO, and not the OVP.
“It was further asserted, apparently, that because the
beneficiaries are not known personally to the NASS members, the National Social
Register is a ‘scam’ and needs to be reformed through a process that is ‘more
inclusive’ of the NASS. REGRETTABLE & DANGEROUS.”
Uwais said the national social register has the names of
people that were selected within the constituencies of the federal lawmakers,
adding that no person is taken from one community to another.
“Having handed over the NSIPs in October 2019, I assume no
responsibility for the operations thereafter as the Ministry is well positioned
to handle the NSIPs and take decisions thereupon,” she said.
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