People bagging sand as fertiliser under CBN’s anchor borrowers’ programme

Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has alleged that there is corruption in the implementation of the National Social Investment Programme (N-SIP).

The N-SIP was established in 2016 and coordinated by the office of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

Speaking at the 15th anti-corruption situation room organised by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) in Kaduna, on Tuesday, the EFCC chief, who was represented by Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of the commission, also said there is corruption in the implementation of the anchor borrower’s programme coordinated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He said some persons were bagging sand as fertiliser under the programme.

“The crisis in Nigeria today boils down to corruption. The EFCC is doing everything possible to ensure that stolen resources are recovered and returned,” he said.

“Civil society organisations need to play more active role, especially in the National Social Investment Programme.

“Corruption has crept into the implementation of the programme. We want to ensure that we don’t create more crisis from a crisis situation. In the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, there are people who are bagging sand instead of fertiliser.”

In January, Nigerianeye  reported on fraud in the N-POWER scheme, a component of the N-SIP; detailing how beneficiaries connive with officials to abscond from duty.

Two beneficiaries were jailed after the EFCC arraigned them for fraud, and more than 2,500 beneficiaries have been removed from the scheme for dereliction of duty.