Why We Are Not Investigating Osinbajo-Reps

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, on Tuesday, said it is not investigating the office of the Vice President or the person of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as erroneously insinuated in some quarters.

The Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Wole Oke gave the clarification while addressing the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning, Mrs Olusola Idowu.

Oke explained that the ongoing investigation was aimed at getting documentary evidence of the school feeding procurement under the National Social Investment Programme carried out by the Federal Ministry of Budget & National Planning.

Since its implementation in 2016 until October 2019, the SIPs was domiciled in the Office of the Vice President, with VP Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, as Chair of the Steering Committee that oversights the National Social Investment Office.

The NSIO provides standard delivery mechanisms, with objectivity, collaboration, synergy transparency, efficiency and pro-active monitoring in mind. To assure of close collaboration and impact, focal persons from each State were nominated by the Governors, to supervise the State’s activities in relation to each of the four programmes.

The Office of the Vice President has never been involved in financial transactions or the disbursement of funds for the SIPs.

The Ministry of Budget and National Planning was in charge of all matters regarding financing, budgeting, procurement and disbursement of funds allocated and released for the NSIPs.

He said, “By our records, the office of the Vice President is responsible for policy formulation and monitoring of the National Social Investment Programme.

“Issue bothering on procurement was handled by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning which has now been merged with the Ministry of Finance.

“We have it on record that the Ministry of Budget and National Planning handled all issues of procurement from 2016 to September 2019 when the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was created.

“Our request is for the Ministry of Budget and National Planning to make available all relevant procurement records for the various items under the NSIP. Our investigation has nothing to do with the office of the Vice President but the Ministry.