COVID-19: N2.6bn School Feeding Funds Found In Private Accounts

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says the sum of N2.67 billion paid to some federal colleges for school feeding during the COVID-19 lockdown has been discovered in private bank accounts.

This was disclosed by the agency’s chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye, in his keynote address at the second national summit on diminishing corruption, at the council chambers of the presidential villa, Abuja on Monday, Sept.28,2020.

Owasanoye said under open treasury portal review carried out from January to August 15, 2020, out of 268 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) 72 of them had cumulative infractions of N90 million.

According to him, while 33 MDAs gave explanations that N4.1 billion was transferred to sub-TSA, N4.2 billion paid to individuals had no satisfactory explanations.

“We observed that transfers to sub-TSA was to prevent disbursement from being monitored.Nevertheless, we discovered payments to some federal colleges for school feeding in the sum of N2.67 billion during lockdown when the children are not in school, and some of the money ended up in personal accounts. We have commenced investigations into these findings.” He said.