By IKENNA OSUOHA

The House of Representatives has called for the remittance of over N30 billion recovered from the presidential inquiry into the financial Infractions on National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) fund to the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the resolution was arrived at, following a motion of urgent national importance moved by Rep. Saidu Abdullahi (APC-Bida/Gbako/Katcha) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Abdullahi said that the ongoing delay in the disbursement of the recovered funds had deepened poverty by disrupting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda regarding poverty alleviation.

He expressed worries that credible sources had indicated that the recovered funds, estimated at over N30 billion, had not been remitted to NSIPA-designated TSA.

This, the lawmaker said, had left millions of prospective beneficiaries without the social and economic support envisioned by the Federal Government.

According to him, it has weakened small-scale enterprises, exacerbated hardship in rural and urban communities, delayed local economic stimulation and eroded public trust in government’s social protection commitments.

Abdullahi said that the continued uncertainty over the exact location and administrative handling of the recovered funds had posed fiscal risks and created institutional bottlenecks across national social intervention initiatives.

NAN reports that NSIPA is the statutory institution responsible for implementing federal government’s flagship social protection programmes, including Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

NAN also reports that the president had, on Jan. 8, 2024, in a decisive move to uphold accountability and transparency, suspended NSIPA’s operations for six weeks to allow a comprehensive investigation into alleged financial infractions.

The Deputy Speaker, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary, referred the motion to relevant committees for further legislative action. (NAN)

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