Tag Archives: SURE P

SURE-P: Senate Asks Buhari To Probe Jonathan

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Citing  mismanagement of funds, the Senate, yesterday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to begin immediate probe of his predecessor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, in his handling of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P.

The red chamber said it was imperative that President Buhari ask his predecessor to account for every penny spent during the latter‘s administration on the SURE-P and other poverty alleviation programmes.

This came just as it ruled against the  implementation of the N5,000 monthly stipend to unemployed Nigerian youths as the President promised during his campaign.

The advice to probe Jonathan was sequel to an additional prayer moved by Senator Babajide Christopher Omoworare to Senator Bassey Albert Akpan-sponsored motion, entitled: “Urgent need to curb the soaring rate of unemployment in Nigeria,” which he presented for consideration during yesterday’s plenary.

After the initial recommendations of the motion, Senator Philip Aduda raised an additional prayer, urging the Federal Government to fulfill one of its numerous campaign promises.

“The Federal Government should immediately commence the payment of the N5,000 monthly stipend it promised during the pre-election campaign,” Aduda moved.

The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, rose and seconded the additional prayer. But Omoworare raised the Senate Standing Order 53(6) to oppose the additional prayer.

Credit: Vanguard

El-Rufai Warns On ‘Plan To Divert’ SURE-P Funds

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Kaduna State Governor-elect, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, on Monday reacted to attempt by the outgoing administration in the state to secure approval for its plan to spend N2.744 billion SURE-P funds.

El-Rufai alleged that the government has put pressure on the Kaduna State House of Assembly for approval to spend the funds, barely two weeks to the end of its tenure.

The Nation had reported on Saturday that the All Progressive Congress caucus in the Assembly had threatened to impeach the outgoing Governor Muktar Ramallan Yero over the SURE-P funds.

The Governor-elect spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed this in a statement issued in Kaduna on Monday that the incoming administration in the state will punish anyone found culpable in the SURE-P funds’ diversion.

The statement quoted El-Rufai as saying, “I have been made aware of desperate attempts to secure approval to spend N2.744 billion Sure-P funds. Less than two weeks to its exit, the outgoing government of Kaduna State is seeking to pressure the outgoing House of Assembly to permit it to spend 50 per cent of the money on the Kawo road project, while the 23 local government councils will share the balance.

“As governor-elect, it is my duty to caution every official involved in these last-minute deals that the incoming government will ensure that there are consequences for illegal conduct, breach of trust and stealing of public assets. Our government will certainly insist on accountability, and no one should be in any doubt about our resolve, be it the instigators of any impropriety or those who facilitated and executed it.

“Our  transition committee is daily inundated with reports about the dire financial straits in which the outgoing government has placed the state. While I await the formal submission of the committee’s report, I am compelled to publicly affirm that we cannot and will not turn a blind eye to bad behavior.”

Okonjo-Iweala Terminates SURE-P Partnership With Forcecom Over Fraudulent Activities By Firm

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Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela, has directed the immediate termination of the partnership with FORCECOM Networks Ltd., on the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment programme (SURE).

This was contained in a statement issued to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja by Mr Suleiman Haruna, Communication Specialist to SURE- P.

The statement said the minister further directed that the firm should be investigated by the security agencies.

The minister said the firm should be investigated for deploying interns to work on mobile money business months after they were deployed to the company.

She also accused the firm for presenting `time sheets’ which showed that the interns had worked and requested payment of their monthly stipend when they did not work.

According to the statement, the GIS guideline stipulated that interns should be paid for the number of days they worked every month.

The statement said the Managing Director of the frim; Mr. Paul Okafor coerced interns to sign undertaking to pay N7, 500 of their monthly stipend for training with Lekki Business School.

It also alleged that the company fraudulently convinced graduates to register in Jan. 2015 and set their hire date as Nov. 2