The House of Representatives on Wednesday asked President Bola Tinubu, to speed up the investigation of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.
This request came after Billy Osawaru (PDP, Edo) brought up the issue during a session on Wednesday.
Osawaru, while putting forward the motion, expressed concern about the suspension of the NSIP during this period of growing difficulty.
He emphasised that this suspension is exacerbating the hardships faced by the vulnerable populations who depend on its assistance, and could potentially result in an escalation of poverty rates, social unrest, and have a detrimental impact on the overall stability and development of the country.
He emphasised that the incidents of looting in warehouses and food trucks in various cities nationwide due to rising hunger and hardship highlight the urgency for prompt interventions to alleviate the hardships faced by Nigerians, such as reinstating all social investment programs promptly.
“The alleged recommendation suggesting that a new steering committee board under the leadership of the minister of finance should henceforth oversee the social investment programmes is not only an anomaly but contravenes the extant law which situates the implementing agency and programmes under the purview of the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation.
“While there may be legislative actions to amend the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act 2023, up until the Act is completely amended, and enacted, the current status quo cannot be reviewed by mere executive action,” Osawaru said.
