ICPC makes clarification on alleged N2.7bn school feeding fund diversion

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has made a swift turn on its earlier statement on the alleged diversion of N2.67billion fund meant for school feeding during the COVID-19 induced lockdown.

The ICPC Chairperson, Bolaji Owansanoye, had on Monday, said his agency traced the said fund allegedly diverted into private accounts.

The Commission also revealed that over N2.5 billion was misappropriated by a senior civil servant (name withheld) now deceased, in the ministry of agriculture.

He had said: “We discovered payment of N2.67bn during lockdown when the children were not in school, and some money ended up in personal accounts. We have commenced investigations into these findings.”

Mr Owasanoye’s statement was misinterpreted as an indictment of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, whose ministry handles the Home-Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP) of the federal government.

In a reaction through her spokesperson, Nneka Anibeze, the Minister denied the allegation, saying the fund allegedly misappropriated was meant for feeding government colleges and not HGSFP.

However, in a statement made on Tuesday, the ICPC’s spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, said the school feeding referred to by Mr. Owansanoye was the feeding of boarding students in Federal Government Colleges who were all at home during the COVID-19 lockdown and not HGSFP.

During the pandemic induced lockdown, schools including states and federal colleges, were closed across the country as a means to curtail the spread of the virus.