The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has clarified that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq did not divert N2.67 billion for school feeding as alleged by some publications.
A statement by the spokesperson of the commission, Mrs Azuka Ogugua obtained by ASHENEWSONLINE on Tuesday, explained that the speech of the commission’s chairman, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, was misquoted and urged the public to disregard such publication.
It further stated that his speech at its 2nd National Submit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector, was misrepresented, adding that some reports erroneously implied that the ICPC boss was referring to Farouq.
Owasanoye, in is speech had stated: “We discovered payments to some federal colleges (secondary schools) for school feeding in the sum of N2.67 billion during the lockdown when the children were not in school.
“And some of the money ended up in personal accounts. We have commenced investigations into these findings.
“The Commission wishes to clarify that the “school feeding” referred to by the Chairman of ICPC was the feeding of boarding students in Federal Government Colleges who were all at home during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“This is NOT the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme being managed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, ” she quoted the ICPC’s boss.
She added that the public are hereby advised to disregard the said reports suggesting reference to the school feeding programme going on in primary schools.
It could be recalled that Farouq in a statement released by her Special Assistant on Media, Nneka Anibeze, Monday night dissociated herself from the reports, the ministry stated that the statement by the ICPC on the said funds was twisted and misinterpreted.
