The office of Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi A Sule on Humanitarian Services/Focal Person NSIP, Honourable Imran Usman Jibrin, has formally disassociated itself from lingering damaging rumours of his purported indictment of the Programme Manager and Desk officer of the Schools feeding Programme Steering Committee, Mr Amos Magaji, leading to the arrest of one Mr Hassan.
In a disclaimer, signed by Ahmed Habib Isa, the SSA on Media and Publicity to Hon. Imran Usman Jibrin stated that “It has been brought to our notice that some mischief makers are making rounds the rumours that Hon Imran Usman Jibrin, the SA to His Excellency Gov Abdullahi A. Sule, on Humanitarian Services and Focal Person NSIP, Nasarawa State has written a report which indicted the Programme Manager and the Desk Officer on School Feeding, Mr Amos Magaji, the School Feeding Programme Steering Committee and Mr Hassan. It was further claimed that the so-called report led to the arrest and detention of Mr Hassan.”
The statement
therefore cleared the air on the issue once and for all, so that the matter can rest, as follows
1. The National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) is a Federal Government intervention in collaboration with the World Bank, that seeks to ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth among the Nigerian citizens. It was launched in 2016 and formerly under the office of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo;
2. NSIP has four major components which include the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and the N-Power;
3. NSIP is now under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and is undergoing alot of reforms in order to fine tune it and for a better service delivery;
4. As part of the reforms, the Ministry is undertaking an Enumeration and Enrollment Exercise for the Home Grown School Feeding Programme across the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT;
5. A team of officers with an independent consultant came to Nasarawa State sometime in July to carry out the exercise in the State just like in all the other States and the FCT;
6. In the course of the exercise, some issues were uncovered, and same were reported by the team vide an Interim Report submitted to the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development;
7. A copy of the report was sent to Hon Imran Usman Jibrin as the Focal Person, which he forwarded to His Excellency Gov Abdullahi A. Sule, highlighting the recommendations made in the report;
8. His Excellency Gov Abdullahi A. Sule gave directives to investigate the issues raised in the report, to which same has since commenced;
9. As part of the investigations, Hon Imran Usman Jibrin was invited for questioning by the DSS last week and will be giving statement at the Police Headquarters this week. The team for the exercise was also questioned by both the DSS and the Police with their statements taken accordingly;
10. In like manner, the Mr Amos Magaji and Mr Hassan were also invited to give their statements as part of the investigations necessitated by the Interim Report of the Team from Abuja;
11. The Independent Consultant was indicted in the Report and was immediately suspended by the Ministry and handed over to the DSS Headquarters in Abuja for interrogation and possible prosecution;
12. The report of the investigation being carried out in the State by both the DSS and the Police will be forwarded to His Excellency Gov Abdullahi A Sule for his further necessary action and directives;
13. Hon Imran Usman Jibrin is no way the initiator of this investigation as can be seen above, as he neither invited for the Enumeration and Enrollment Exercise in Nasarawa State, nor wrote the Interim Report nor is he witch-hunting anyone, but only discharging his duties as a Focal Person of NSIP in the State.
14. We hope that this will serve as an eye opener to all those having rumours going round as to the false allegations against Hon Imran Usman Jibrin. This is seen as a clear case of trying to jeopardise the investigations, by inciting members of the public against the the proper authorities in trying to discharge the scales of justice;
15. Thus, perhaps all these are “the last kicks of a dying horse”.
