Tinubu Suspends Halima Shehu on Fraud Allegations

Bola Ahmed Tinubu has, based on the allegation of financial impropriety, approved the suspension of Dr Halima Shehu from the Office of the National Coordinator for the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), an agency of the government established in 2016 to tackle poverty and hunger across the country.

This newly facilitated suspension, however, places Halima Shehu under an investigation of fraud while the President approved the appointment of Mr Akindele Egbuwalo as a replacement in an acting capacity for the office of NSIP National Coordinator.

However, one would recall that in late September of 2023, Akindele Egbuwalo was appointed into Tinubu’s cabinet as National Project Manager for the N-Power project, one of four social investment programs under the umbrella of NSIP, created to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country. This is after the appointment received some optimistic plaudits from a party chieftain and member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Honourable Chris Ayebusiwa.

Yet, in early October of 2023, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced the temporary suspension of the N-Power programme due to the need to audit the number of people in the programme, as there were discrepancies amidst reoccurring beneficiaries’ claims to be owed by the government. Also, the suspension of N-Power aims to ascertain the claims of beneficiaries being owed by the government, ascertain how much, and eliminate ghost beneficiaries causing discrepancies.

Nonetheless, the recent suspension of Halima Shehu remains a case of fraud allegation until investigations reveal otherwise.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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