ICPC: How ₦2.67bn For School Feeding During Lockdown Was Embezzled

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

Speaking at the second summit on dimishing corruption, ICPC chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye, said said under open treasury portal review carried out from January to August 15, out of 268 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) 72 of them had cumulative infractions of N90 million.

The summit themed, ‘Together Against Corruption and Launch of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy’, was held at the council chambers of the presidential villa, Abuja on Monday.

The federal government had said it spent over N500 million to feed school children during the lockdown.

In his keynote address at the summit, Owasanoye noted that 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,” Owasanoye said.

“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.”