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The House of Representatives on Thursday urged Federal Government to halt the disbursement of the N500 billion social intervention fund, pending the approval of the framework and detailed information about the scheme.
To this end, Speaker Yakubu Dogara mandated the Committee on Legislative Budget and Research and Poverty Alleviation to compel the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to the Vice President Office on social protection programmes to make available the framework and details of the N500 billion programmes and advice the House within three weeks.
In his lead debate, Abubakar Adamu (APC-Niger) who applauded the social intervention policy, decried the failure to ensure effective implementation of previous schemes including Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) “due to mismanagement and lack of strong institutional structure.”
He explained that the National Assembly had approved N500 billion as a social welfare fund domiciled under the Service Wide Votes of the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning to be implemented by the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to the President on social protection under the office of the Vice President.
He said that it was not the right structure to handle such social intervention fund to mitigate the plight of the poor and vulnerable by providing concrete and recognisable social protection programmes that would provide a lasting legacy in Nigeria is inevitable.
Adamu stated that there was an urgent need for the Federal Government to stop the disbursement of the fund until a framework had been provided for the said disbursement.
According to the lawmaker, most developing countries are investing in social protection to improve the lives and welfare of the vulnerable, adding that the World Bank Group and International Labour Organisation have a vision of social protection for all where anyone who needs a social protection could have access at anytime.
He noted that “N500 billion has been appropriated in the 2016 budget for social intervention programmes in five key areas. These are job creation opportunities for 500,000 teachers and 100,000 artisans across the nation.
“Also 5.5 million children are to be provided with meals through school feeding programmes, conditional cash transfer scheme, providing financial support to one million vulnerable beneficiaries and complement the enterprise programme which will target up to one million market women; 400,000 artisans and 200,000 agricultural workers nationwide.”
But the motion also attracted criticism from the Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila who stated that it was not a motion for the House to look into, contending that the motion only intended to kill development programme of the government.
Besides, the House Chairman on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin was booed when he attempted to explain the position of the committee over the social intervention fund that was captured in the budget but without the necessary details.
In his contribution, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta (PDP-Abia) emphasised the need to specify the beneficiaries of the intervention fund in the framework, adding that if the details were not provided, the money earmarked for the intervention could end up being wasted.
