Social Investment Scheme Worth N500bn Has Failed In Northern Nigeria - Aisha Buhari

Aisha Buhari , who had an interactive programme she organised for women at the Presidential Villa, revealed that the N500bn social investment scheme has failed in the North.

The wife of the Nigeria President revealed that the situation in her home state (Adamawa), as far as the implementation was concerned was pathetic, also cited Kano, a highly-populated northern state, as another example where she believed the programme failed, despite the huge amount of money Federal Government budgeted for it.
Punch reported that the SIP is domiciled in the Office of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, but its direct implementation is done by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Social Investment, Mrs Maryam Uwais. Aisha Buhari, however, stated that the N500bn social investment scheme has failed in North, recounted how  Uwais informed her that 30,000 women would be beneficiaries in Adamawa State. 
She said;

“Concerning the N500bn voted for SIP, that was part of 2015 campaigns where they promised to give out N10,000, feed pupils in primary schools and give N5,000 to the poorest of the poor.

“The SSA to the President on Social Investment is a lady from Kano and I am sure that my husband decided to put somebody from Kano because of the population and political impact it made. I have never asked how the money is being used or is being given out.  I met Barrister (one of the President’s aides on SIP) once and he promised me that for my state (Adamawa), we should get 30,000 women to be given N10,000. Up till now, I haven’t heard from him.

“I don’t want to raise the alarm that my state does not benefit from it, where the SGF (Secretary to the Government of the Federation) came from, I kept quiet because I don’t want people to say that I talk too much. Recently, I saw a 74-year-old man selling petty things in Kano, I asked him how much is his capital, he told me between N3,000 and N4,000. Don’t forget that we have campaigned to give the poorest of the poor N5,000 every month.

“So, I don’t know where is the social investment… Maybe, it worked out in some states. In my own state, only a local government benefited out of the 22. I didn’t ask what happened and I don’t want to know, but it failed woefully in Kano, it’s not a good sign and it’s not a good thing.

“We have a lot of women that do business locally due to the cultural thing in the North, they are at home doing their business. Some are millionaires, some have thousands of naira, they need the assistance but they do not get it. Most northern women do not belong to any market association.

“I was expecting the N500bn to be utilised in different methods in the North for the aim to be achieved. I don’t know the method they used, but most of the northern states do not get it. My state does not get it. How many of you (women in the hall) get it in your state? My state did not benefit from it.”