The House of Representatives has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy to unfreeze the accounts of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA) within 72 hours.

This move is aimed at reactivating the agency’s programs and facilitating the payment of outstanding stipends owed to N-Power beneficiaries.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Hon. Babajimi Benson, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, and 18 other lawmakers.

While presenting the motion, Hon. Kalu noted that the payment of N-Power stipends, which has been overdue for nine months (January to September 2023), is crucial to the Federal Government’s poverty alleviation and youth empowerment efforts. He stated that although the payment process had commenced, progress has been slow, and unfreezing NSIPA’s accounts would enable the government to meet its obligations to 395,731 beneficiaries owed N81 billion.

The lawmakers emphasized the importance of removing administrative bottlenecks hindering NSIPA’s operations and ensuring the agency’s programs, including N-Power, Grant for Vulnerable Groups, Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT), and the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), function effectively.

Hon. Kalu expressed concern over the suspension of NSIPA’s accounts due to alleged financial mismanagement by previous handlers, which led to a freeze and subsequent investigations by anti-corruption and security agencies. He highlighted that the suspension has disrupted poverty alleviation programs, eroded public confidence, and delayed the government’s poverty eradication goals.

The House also called on the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to resolve all administrative hurdles hampering the agency’s functionality. Additionally, they urged the Senate to concur with their resolution.

Hon. Kalu stressed the urgency of unfreezing NSIPA’s accounts, arguing that it aligns with President Tinubu’s vision under the Renewed Hope Agenda. He stated that NSIPA’s mandate to empower unemployed persons, vulnerable groups, widows, orphans, and persons with disabilities remains critical to Nigeria’s socioeconomic development.

“The freezing of NSIPA accounts contradicts the President’s poverty alleviation mandate, halting essential welfare programs like conditional cash transfers, small business grants, and school feeding initiatives. This has undermined public trust and delayed progress on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he added

The lawmakers urged swift action to ensure that funds allocated for NSIPA’s programs under the 2023 and 2024 amended Appropriation Acts are utilized before they lapse by December 31, 2024.