TheCable

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it received complaints from some zones on social investment programmes, particularly the anchor borrowers’ programme coordinated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). 

The commission said it never alleged there was corruption in the national social investment programme (N-SIP) coordinated by the office of the vice-president.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesman, reacted to comments credited to Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the anti-graft agency, alleging corruption in the scheme.

He said it was never implied that there is corruption in the programme coordinated by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo

“In the presentation, the EFCC spokesperson observed that the agency had received complaints in some zones regarding the social investment programmes, citing an example in Gombe where the Commission investigated a case in the Anchor Borrower’s Scheme in which sand was bagged and passed off as fertilizer,” he said.

“He therefore warned that for the crises in these conflict zones not to degenerate, civil society organisations should play more active roles in monitoring the programmes to ensure that their benefits get to the people for which they are intended.”

Uwujaren also said the anchor borrowers’ scheme is not under the office of the vice-president.

“At no time in the presentation did Mr Uwujaren mention the N-SIP as a programme nor did he accuse those who superintend it of corruption. The specific case mentioned, the Anchor Borrower’s scheme, is not part of the N-SIP being supervised by the office of the Vice President,” he said.

“Calling on Nigerian civil societies to monitor social intervention programmes, was not a call to”investigation” as no one had been indicted. Investigation itself is not the job of civil society organisations.”