President Bola Tinubu has named Mr Wale Edun, the minister of finance; Prof Ali Pate, the minister of health and others as chairman and members of a panel to review the frameworks of the social investment programmes.

This follows the suspension on Friday of the programmes by the president after a scandal broke out involving Dr Betta Edu, the suspended minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

“Sequel to President Bola Tinubu’s six-week suspension of the four (4) programmes under the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA), President Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Special Presidential Panel, which will be led by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun,” a statement by Presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said on Saturday.

“This Special Presidential Panel is tasked with immediately undertaking a comprehensive review and audit of existing financial frameworks and policy guidelines of the social investment programmes with a view to implementing a total re-engineering of the financial architecture of the programmes with detailed modification to procedures guiding the programmes’ implementation moving forward.

“The Special Presidential Panel, which is comprised of ministers representing strategic sectors and will ensure a multi-disciplinary approach to the reform effort, is made up of the following members:

(1) Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance – Chairman

(2) Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare – Member

(3) Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning – Member

(4) Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation – Member

(5) Honourable Minister of Communicatons, Innovation and Digital Economy – Member

(6) Honourable Minister of State for Youth – Member

“President Tinubu anticipates that this Special Presidential Panel will validate the confidence reposed in it by winning back all lost public confidence in these vital programmes over the years by ushering in a new era of operation based on open and accountable governance frameworks that will prove impervious to abuse and incompetence for the exclusive benefit of disadvantaged households across our nation.”