Alleged N2.7bn: We are investigating feeding of boarding students, not Home-Grown ― ICPC

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on Tuesday, said the school feeding being referred to during its 2nd National Submit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector in Abuja, was feeding of boarding students in Federal Government Colleges, and not Home-Grown School Feeding as erroneously reported by media.

It will be recalled that the Chairman of ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye said, during the submit, that the commission had commenced an investigation into alleged diversion of school feeding funds worth N2.67billion into personal accounts when the students of Federal Colleges (Secondary Schools) were at home during COVID-19 lockdown.

A statement made available to newsmen by the ICPC spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, in Abuja, therefore, advised the general public to disregard the said reports suggesting a reference to the school feeding programme going on in primary schools.

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It lamented that the said reports erroneously implied that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs diverted monies meant for Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.

The statement further explained that commission had discovered through its review of publications on the Open Treasury Portal that statutory monthly allocations meant for the feeding of secondary school students of some Federal Government Colleges were diverted into personal accounts.

“In the speech, Professor Owasanoye stated inter alia, ‘’… we discovered payments to some federal colleges (secondary schools) for school feeding in the sum of N2.67b during the lockdown when the children were not in school, and some of the money ended up in personal accounts. We have commenced investigations into these findings.

“This is not the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme being managed by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.” The statement signed by Mrs Ogugua of ICPC explained.

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