By Samuel Luka, Bauchi
Senator Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi state has alleged that over N1trilion federal government’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) has been siphoned by public and political office holders under president Muhammadu Buhari’s nose.
Bala Mohammed made this known when he flagged-off the distribution of Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP) in Misau local government area of the state on Wednesday.
The governor lamented that SIP which concept was initiated to uplift and promote the living standard of Nigerians below the poverty line has been clandestinely corrupted to satisfy the whims and caprices of the APC political class.
Bala who further pointed out that corruption has already crashed the Federal Government’s SIP programme to its knees, challenged the FG to adopt the system of empowerment his administration is doing in Bauchi state.
“We are doing empowerment with the credible ways and means of bringing up people who really benefits from the programme”, the governor said.
Bala explained that the Bauchi KEEP cut across all the state’s social strata that included the youths, women, young and old, masons, welders, petty traders, and everybody with the spending of N75 million in Misau local government area alone.
The Bauchi governor who noted that this was not the first time his administration is doing such a programme said, “It does not matter how much we are spending, we are not spending the one trillion and five hundred billion the federal government is spending which was going into the pockets of MDAs and other deceitful politicians”.
According to him, “today the social investment programme has collapsed and nobody is getting anything. I use this opportunity not out of disrespect to Mr. President, but to say the truth so as to make corrections”.
Bala informed the PDP BoT chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin who earlier flagged-off similar programme in Dambam LGA that the people of Bauchi are grateful to him for the visit in company of the BoT Secretary, former senate president, Senator Adolpus Wabara.
“We are proud that you came here and see how we are doing politics. If organizers of this programme are not doing very well, we will not be staying like this, highly organized, everybody is happy, and justice and equity are being done”, he added
Bala also assured that Bauchi state government is going to fully implement the KEEP programme with the creation of micro economic scheme in the MDAs with a view to reaching out to about 650 groups that would benefit from the villages, while accessing single money digit to give credit to people in teaching them how to fish, not giving them the fish.
