President Bola Tinubu has approved immediate suspension and thorough investigation of the National Coordinator, Halima Shehu and the Director Of Finance Mr Buwai as Corruption Allegation Rocks NSIPA
Recently appointed National Coordinator, National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu has been accused of making unapproved transfers of over N44 billion in collaboration with Director of Finance, Hamza Buwai.
An inside source at NSIPA (name withheld) who made the information available to us at the eve of 2024 alleged that over N44 billion transfers have been done from NSIPA coffers in the last 5 days by the National Coordinator and Director of Finance without the approval of the President or the Minister or even the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The source further raised the alarm saying that “the Director of Finance whose last day in office was 29th December 2023 is still presently moving government funds from the NSIPA account. Information reaching us from an insider in the accounts department stated that the accountant is notorious for such and is even presently indicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for Monies embezzled in the last administration.
“There is foul play in the transfer of funds in the last 5 days, we have not received any approval from FEC, Mr President or the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, so assuredly something must be very wrong, and they are trying so hard to hide things from most of us, and have even moved to her private office In maitama, hence the reason for raising the alarm.”
The source also said that Halima Shehu oversaw the questionable disbursement of $322.5 million returned Abacha loot during her time as Coordinator of National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), an exercise that was largely described by many Nigerians as “opaque and fraudulent,” the inside source stated.
The Senate, had on 18th October 2023, confirmed the appointment of Halima Shehu as the new National Coordinator of NSIPA.
It will be recalled that Halima Shehu was the National Coordinator of Conditional Cash Transfer during the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration which analysts believed was flawed by lack of accountability and transparency.
The current NSIPA Coordinator is a close ally of the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, who is facing a probe over N37 billion allegedly laundered under her watch through a contractor, James Okwete.
Meanwhile, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management in a short statement posted on her known X handle had dissociated herself from the contractor recently arrested over allegations of fraud and money laundering from the humanitarian ministry under Mrs Umar-Farouk’s watch.
She said in her tweet that the contractor, “James Okwete, was unknown to her and that his alleged association with her was spurious.”