By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has vowed not to be deterred by a malicious and false report published by a fictitious group known as “APC Initiative for Good Governance”.
The Bauchi based group in a statement signed by one Nasiru Cigari had alleged and accused Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq of diverted Social Investment Programmes meant for the entire country to Bauchi State to push the political interest of her husband Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique(Rtd) who is contesting for the 2023 governorship of Bauchi State on the platform of All Progressive Congress.
The group also accused the Minister of “abandoning her office and relocating to Bauchi to push the political interest of her husband.
At no time did Umar Farouq divert Social Investment Programmes meant for the 36 states and the FCT to Bauchi, nor did she ever abandon the responsibilities in her office to relocate to Bauchi. On the contrary, she has been working tirelessly and assiduously to ensure that no vulnerable Nigerian is left to go hungry, and to also lift them higher than where she met them.
Following the falsehood, the Minister has stated that she will not be dettered by the belly-aching detractors who will stop at nothing to derail the lofty Social Investment Programmes of His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration whose declared agenda is to lift 100 million vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.
In a statement on the scorecard of the ministry since the creation of the Ministry in August 2019, at least 20 million Nigerians have so far been empowered through various programmes and initiatives of the Ministry.
This includes the upskilling of 1,064,774 youths in the graduate and non graduate programmes under the N-Power scheme, of which the number of beneficiaries in Bauchi state ranked 11th out the 36 states and the FCT. The highest number of beneficiaries are from Benue, Delta, Enugu, FCT, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, Osun, Oyo and Rivers states before Bauchi.
Under the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, a total of 9.9 million children from primary 1 to 3 in 53,000 public schools nationwide are currently being fed one hot nutritious meal every school day, with Bauchi state being the 4th highest in terms of benefitting number of primary schools behind Kano, Benue and Kaduna states.
In addition, Kano state has the highest number of children being fed, followed by Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Jigawa, Benue before Bauchi.
The Minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary, recently flagged off the Cash Grant for Vulnerable Groups on July 4, 2022 in Oshogbo, Osun state.
According to the Ministry would not have expended its time and energy or give credence to the malicious report by responding to this hopeless group of detractors, but for the sake of putting the records straight.
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