IDPs: Saraki promises transparency in North-East spending probe

President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, has inaugurated the Senate ad hoc committee to investigate the spending of funds allocated to the humanitarian crisis in the North-East, promising that all the facts of the case will be made public.

A statement by the Media Office of the Senate President on Thursday quoted Saraki as stating that the committee, led by Senator Shehu Sani, has been assigned a task to act on behalf of the 4.5 million families in the North-East who are in dire need of assistance; the one million people in the region who are in danger of extreme malnutrition; and the over two million Nigerians who are beyond the reach of aid.

Saraki urged members of the ad hoc committee to ensure that there is no cover-up in the investigation, saying, “The whole world is watching. We must ensure that there are no cover-ups, as this is the first committee of its kind that has been inaugurated to embark on this task.”

He added, “The work that this committee will be doing will impact the lives of the 4.5 million families in the North-East who are in dire need of relief, rehabilitation and other forms of assistance.

“Your recommendations will help us to ascertain how much has been spent in our response to this crisis and it will also help us to improve our coordination efforts so that the international community will have confidence in us.”

The Senate President charged the committee to ensure that it delivered on its mandate.

Sani, in his remarks, acknowledged that with international partners scaling up their donations to the North-East, it is important to determine how funds allocated to the region are being spent.

The Kaduna-Central senator alleged that government agencies given the responsibility of providing assistance to the people of the North-East had engaged in the exploitation of the situation.

He said, “It is alleged that billions of naira and countless trucks of grains meant for the IDPs have been misappropriated and diverted. This has been happening while, according to UNICEF, an estimated 400,000 children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition and more than four million people are facing food shortages.

“It is very alarming that the UNHCR has put Nigeria at Level 3, being the highest level of humanitarian emergency in the world. At a time when our gallant troops are winning the war on terror, some people are choosing to engage in corrupt practices and self-enrichment. This is sabotage bordering on treason. This is blood money.”

A member of the committee, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, assured Nigerians that the panel would maintain the highest standards while undertaking its assignment.