The interface between leadership of the National Assembly ( NASS) and Humanitarian Affairs Minister last week over implementation of National Social Investment Programme ( NSIP), later snowballed into altercations between the Presidency and NASS leadership. Taiye Odewale reports.
NASS and palliative distribution
By way of legislative intervention on the need for equity in the distribution of palliatives to Nigerians across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT, Abuja) at this time of lockdown caused by COVID19 pandemic, the leadership of the National Assembly had an interface with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq.
Expectedly, at the interactive session, both the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, told the Minister to ensure equitable distribution of palliatives being carried out by her ministry under the National Social Investment Programme ( NSIP).
They both emphasised that whatever palliatives would be given out to Nigerians through the scheme at this time of COVID : 19 lockdown, should be for the poorest of the poor , majority of whom are not captured by the modus operandi being adopted by the Ministry .
Online registration excludes real beneficiaries
Specifically ,the Senate President at the session, told the Minister that online registrations being used for capturing of beneficiaries of the scheme , is excluding the real beneficiaries who have no access to internet services, telephoning or Banking , let alone, Bank Verification Number (BVN).
“Majority of those who are supposed to benefit have no access to power. They have no access to Internet. They have no bank account and no BVN.
“In fact, many of them don’t even have phones and these are the poorest of the poor. Yet, some of the conditions or guidelines which you set inadvertently leave them out”, he said
What parameters for selection
Speaking in the same vein, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gbajabiamila told the minister that she is right now in the eye of the storm because all eyes are on her.
“Your job right now, is probably the most important as we speak, because you are saddled with the responsibility of alleviating ‘poverty’ or the hardship, due to no fault of anyone, being thrust upon Nigerians, and I know that you came into a system, or you met a system that has nothing to do with you, but what we will be asking you to do is for you to change that system.
“When you walk into a system, no system is 100 perfect. The word reform is something we use all the time, and this is the one time when that word reform must be used in the truest sense of that word.
“The questions are going to be asked, how do you come about your list, how comprehensive is your distribution list? What are the parameters? What is the geographical spread? So these are tough questions that are going to be asked but I want you to look at them as frank questions that we need to ask.
“If you really want to define the meaning of representation, if that was being practiced in the real meaning of representation, then we shouldn’t be here. Because all the questions we want to ask, we should already have the answers. We should be providing those answers to the Nigerian people we represent.
“But if they ask me, as the speaker of the house, or ask the Senate President or any of my colleagues here, we are going to be struggling for answers which is not good “, he said.
Interest of the masses or politics?
Though the Minister in her response at the session that day, precisely Tuesday, April 7, 2020, assured the NASS leadership of required new approach in the implementation of the programme but twenty four hours after , ( Wednesday, April 8, 2020), the Special Adviser to President Muhamnadu Buhari on Social Investment , Maryam Uwais, accused the National Assembly of wanting to hijack the programme.
Uwais, who supervised the programme from 2016 to 2019, said there is nowhere in the world where such poverty alleviating programme is given to politicians to make inputs as against community based leaders.
She added that only N619 billion was cash backed out of the N1.7trillion appropriated for it between 2016 and 2019 as against N2trillion being bandied to the media.
NASS leaders kick
Consequently, the NASS leadership in its reaction took exception to Uwais comments.
The federal lawmakers in a statement issued on their behalf by the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media, Mr Ola Awoniyi, insisted that there are ‘gaps’ in the executive’s implementation strategy for the NSIP initiative of government which must be corrected.
The statement reads in part: “The observations made by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and the Speakers of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, captured the views of many Nigerians. These observations also reflect feedback from the people they represent who are the targeted beneficiaries of the scheme.
“We, therefore, take strong exception to the innuendo by the presidential aide that her rejoinder was issued towards “safeguarding the entitlements of the poorest of Nigerian citizens, whose benefits are likely to cease because they are not known or connected to NASS members or any other person of influence. That insinuation is unfair to the members of the National Assembly and entirely baseless.
“Public office holders should be receptive to constructive ideas and suggestions expressed to enhance service delivery and to improve the performances of public projects and institutions”.
Feeble attempt to douse tension
Apparently worried by the ensuing face off between the Presidency and leadership of the National Assembly over SIP implementation, the Humanitarian Affairs Minister on Thursday last week, hurriedly issued a statement to douse the tension.
In the Personally signed statement, the Minister gave assurance that all issues raised by NASS leadership on modus operandi of SIP, will be looked into and reflected in subsequent operations of the scheme.
She specifically assured that her ministry will widen the scope of the scheme in the direction of the poorest of the poor in rural areas across the country and as well digitize the next payment processes.
“I assure you that by the next payment, we must have started the digitization process of disbursement. The ministry in consultations with state governors, have agreed to come up with accurate data on primary schools, so as to streamline the food rationing to households.
“Issues raised by the leadership of the National Assembly on implementation of the disbursement of packages to assuage the plight of poor Nigerians will be done in a manner that will lay to rest the reservations of Nigerians”, she said .
With observations raised and assurances given, time will definitely tell whether it will be business as usual or not.
