By Harry Awurumibe, Head, Abuja Bureau
Chairman, House Committee on Media, Ben Kalu has insisted that members of the National Assembly have the constitutional rights to probe the disbursements of the Social Investment Fund.
Speaking in a live programme Sunrise Daily on Channels Television this morning, Kalu argued that as the representatives of the people members of the National Assembly are constitutionally empowered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to carry out oversight function on the disbursements of the Social Investment Fund.
He spoke against the backdrop of the controversy that is currently trailing the disbursements of the Social Investment Fund especially the recent Covid-19 Social Investment Fund disbursements which has attracted wide criticisms and has also led to the Special Adviser to the President on National Social Investment Programme (N-SIP), Ms. Maryam Uwais attacking the leadership of NASS in a recent letter for asking questions about the true beneficiaries.
According to Kalu, it will be irresponsible for NASS members to ignore the concerns of their constituents and indeed the Nigerian citizens most of whom have expressed their worries over the modalities for disbursements of the Social Investment Fund.
Said he, ” as the representatives of the people, we (NASS) owe our people a duty to bring their complaints to the government. We have been confronted several times by our people that they are not getting the Social Investment Fund. I have been transferring my personal money to members of my constituency who need help because they are not benefiting from the Federal Government’s Social Investment Fund”.
Kalu claimed that he like many NASS members have severally made efforts to ascertain the beneficiaries of the programme in their constituencies but could not identify those benefiting from it.
Recall that Uwais has in a widely circulated letter made available to the media yesterday attacked the Chairman of NASS who is also the President of Senate, Dr. Ahmed Lawan and his Vice Chairman and Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Barr. Femi Gbajabiamila for demanding for more information on the disbursements of the Social Investment Fund to the poorest of poor in Nigeria.
