Nigerians have urged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to identify the politicians and government officials involved in the said deal following the arrest of well-known Nigerian musician Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo, also known as D’banj, for alleged fraud connected with the N-Power Programme.
It was claimed that the musician successfully syphoned the N-Power fund with the assistance of some senior government figures.
Nigerians are now certain that the commission’s inquiry must be transparent.
According to PulseNets, the ICPC detained D’banj on Tuesday over allegations of the illegal diversion of cash intended for N-Power programme recipients.
The musician is presently assisting the investigators in figuring out the details of the fraud claims made by the petitioners, according to a statement released by the ICPC on Wednesday, which confirmed his arrest.
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, which is in charge of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), acknowledged financial irregularities and said it had requested a thorough investigation from the anti-graft agency after receiving complaints about some egregious behaviour by employees of the Payment Service Provider who were involved in beneficiaries’ payment processes.
The troubled musician was never the ministry’s brand ambassador for the N-Power initiative, it was further stated.
In an interview with pressmen, activist and public commentator Jaye Gaskiya encouraged the ICPC to thoroughly investigate the case regardless of who was involved, adding that “if there is any wrongdoing on the part of D’banj, he should be punished.
“D’banj couldn’t have done it alone if the allegation turned out to be true, so let him speak, he should be allowed to speak up and should not be denied access to the media.
“The Commission should be looking at when exactly the missing fund was discovered, how it was discovered and how long it took between when it was discovered to when the investigation triggered.”
Nigerians on social media responded to this by requesting the Minister’s investigation.
@ChukyUnfazed, “If the woman in charge is not arrested together with other officials, then you are not serious.”
@Sunshine4realsh, “You all mentioned and arrested D’banj but the government officials are unknown, So painful, no transparency.”
lerritweet, “Very easy for ICPC to arrest D’banj and broadcast it but the government officials he allegedly colluded with cannot be named right?, This country and double standards, we are watching.”
@OlusholaOba, “The greatest fraud in npower is @Sadiya_farouq joined by the house committee on disaster, those people have finished Nigeria.”
@Joseph_Messii, “The minister should be invited too because N-Power beneficiaries have been complaining about non-payment since she took over.
@alber_965, “The ministry has failed many Nigerians , they have been trading or doing business with our money. It was not like this at all when under vice president Yemi Osibanjo. Madam minister pay us.”
@Isahl10068773, “Irresponsibility of the highest order. What concerns a singer with N-Power money? Actually, this ministry needs to be dissolved.”
@4f384f5ac9064cd, “Sadiya has to be investigated very well, because since she took over this programme, she has done nothing to appreciate it.”
President Muhammadu Buhari launched the N-Power programme in 2016 to address the problems of young unemployment and empowerment while also promoting social development.
Initiated by the Vice President’s office, the programme was later moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs in 2019.
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