Buhari’s Minister Farouk to Account for N729bn Poverty Fund
One of the most powerful ministers under the leadership of former President Muhammadu Buhari is to give account for a sum of seven hundred and twenty nine billion naira that was meant for poverty alleviation.
Mrs. Sadiya Umar Farouk served as the minister of humanitarian affairs. The federal government allocated that sum of money to the ministry so as to bring more than twenty millions Nigerians out of poverty.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu ordered the ex minister to provide the details of the beneficiaries including the number of states the exercise covered along with the total sum of money paid to each of the beneficiaries states.
The ruling followed a freedom of information request from the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
In the certified true copy of the judgment provided by Kolawole Oluwadare, deputy director of SERAP, the judge said:
“I therefore grant an order of mandamus directing and compelling the Respondent (Buhari’s Minister Farouk) to provide the following information to the Applicant:
“Details of the proposed payments of N729 Billion to 24.3 million Nigerians for six months, including mechanisms and logistics put in place for the payments and list of beneficiaries.
“Details of how the proposed beneficiaries have been selected, the number of states covered and the projected payments per state.
“State whether the payments will be made in cash, through Bank Verification Numbers or other means.
“Explain the rationale for paying N5,000 to 24.3 million poor Nigerians, which translate to five percent of Nigeria’s budget of N13.6 trillion for 2021″, the court ordered Buhari’s Minister.
Follow us on social media
