The Senate Committee on National Planning, Economic Affairs and Poverty Alleviation yesterday queried the performance of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) expressing worry that the agency has over N11bn in? its coffers in the face of endemic poverty in the country.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Barnabas Gemade, who made the observation during an interactive session with the leadership of NAPEP on their budget performance for 2012 also expressed concern that the agency has? refused to make available information on the status of all grants made to NAPEP from its inception.
While the chairman requested the NAPEP to present its account details for the last three years, he also raised concerns over whether the agency stash the monies in the banks and embezzle the commission.
He also noted that there is no information from the agency on the level of paybacks from the tri-cycle, popularly called Keke NAPEP, inspite of the over N10bn invested in it since 2010.
“We want to look at the long standing unavailability of information on the status of all grants made to NAPEP from its inception for purpose of alleviating poverty.
“Up till 2010 more than N10billion has been invested in the projects, for quite some time no new provisions for NAPEP has been made and we don’t know the level of payback on the scheme.
“The committee is greatly troubled by the state of affairs in NAPEP and on why this state of affairs exists. It is sad that an agency that is saddled with the responsibility of dealing with this problem will remain inactive and does not have tangible information to Nigerians on why it has not discharged its functions.”
Senator Abubakar Jajare however suggested that the poverty alleviation programme should be disbanded as it has failed to achieve the purpose for which it was established.