Omoniyi Salaudeen
Either by choice or default, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq remains arguably the most popular, most controversial and most scrutinized member of the President Muhammadu Buhari cabinet.
With some certain myths around her, none among the current serving members or any of the immediate past ministers has had so much issue to clarify before the astounding public. And it is understandable owing to the strategic importance of her ministry at a perilous time like this.
To be sure, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development was created by President Buhari to, among other things, provide relief for victims of disaster, care for the physically challenged members of the society, as well as other emergency needs. She also doubles as Custodian of the Social Investment Programme (SIP) of the administration. With unending carnage by Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast, the recent gas pipeline explosion at Abule Ado area of Lagos where over 25 persons lost their lives, flood disaster in some states and the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic, her crisis management capability has been constantly under close watch.
For public scrutiny of her office, she has passed through sea of controversy, but she was not swept away. Take her calm disposition and subdued mien as criteria for judgment, Hajia Umar Farouq looks every inch innocent. But her proclivity for spinning surprises knows no bound. Her recent defence of some accusations leveled against her provided comic relief at this time of rising tension in the land.
At the height of the ravaging effect of COVID-19 pandemic, when there were hues and cry among the downtrodden in the country over the hardship occasioned by the lockdown, she shrugged it off and brought novelty into the functions and responsibilities of her office. Without a look of contrition, she told the world that the school feeding programme of the administration was seamlessly going on in all the states of the federation. A lot of people cringed and screamed in utter disbelief. Alas, she didn’t budge. Instead, she stoically defended her position before the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
She had this to say: “In recent days, there have been speculations around one of our key interventions during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“For instance, home ration for the school feeding programme was done in consultation with stakeholders. It was not invented by the Ministry. Our agreement was that the Federal Government would provide the funding while states would implement. Every state government has received its shares of palliatives for onward distribution.”
But the questions remain: Who took charge of home delivery? How many deserving beneficiaries got the largesse during the lockdown? How much was expended on the programme within the period? Who received the consignment on behalf of schools that were permanently under lock and key? The answer is in the mind.
In what appeared to be a self-contradiction, the amount spent daily on the programme had earlier been put at N679 million ($1,739,881.82), but Hajia Umar-Farouk denied the figure at the 32nd joint national briefing of the PTF. According to her, the total amount expended on the feeding programme during the lockdown was N523.3 million.
“If 124,589 households received take-home rations valued at N4, 200, the amount will be N523, 273, 800,” the minister explained. Such has been the tale of deception and contradiction from the time of inception of the programme up till the present. Everything appears messy.
Intriguingly, in 2018, Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had enthusiastically declared that the Home Grown School Feeding Programme would increase school enrollment and tackle malnutrition in children. But the 2019 State of the World’s Children report says five in 10 children under-five in Nigeria are malnourished, while three in 10 children aged six to 23 months live on poor diets.
In the face of all this, Hajia Farouq threw up a wildcat when she was asked to provide the list of people that benefited from conditional cash transfer provided by the Federal Government to serve as palliative for the poorest of the poor in the society. In her moment of embattled lucidity, she told those who cared to listen that “it is impossible to give palliative to all Nigerians.” But who got what, nobody is sure. Already, there is a general impression that the distribution might have been deliberately skewed in favour of a particular section of the country. Like the proverbial deep blue sea, the more you look, the less you see of the perceived corruption that has characterized the activities of the ministry.
Coming again under the spotlight for her alleged culpability in hoarding of COVID-19 palliatives, which culminated in the looting of the items by ravaging youths who broke into the states’ warehouses in the wake of EndSARS protest, Hajia Farouq said she had forgiven those who accused her of hiding what was meant for the poor. She stated this while fielding questions from journalists in Gusau on Monday. She said: “I am aware many people have made various spurious allegations and accusations against my person and my ministry over the way we distributed Federal Government palliatives to cushion the effect of COVID-19. I have always said I am carrying out my duties and responsibilities to the best of my ability and with fairness to all parts of the country.” She further disclosed that 70,000 tons of food stuff was shared to the state. “Now that they have realized their mistakes, l will only pray to God to forgive us all,” she declared. It is expected that the ongoing investigation into the activities of the ministry by the ICPC will unravel the answers to some of these allegations.
Sadiya Umar Farouq is the youngest cabinet member of the Buhari administration. She was appointed as pioneer Minister following the creation of the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by President Buhari. Prior to that, she had served as former federal Commissioner of National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
As an active member of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and a strong political ally of the President since his days in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Hajia Umar Farouq took charge as the national treasurer of the party from June 2013 to June 2014 before she became member of the Presidential Campaign Council, where she served as election planning and monitoring, field operations, and fund raising committee. She combines B.Sc. certificate in Business Administration from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy as well as Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the same university. Her tenure in the ministry has been laced with guile and intrigues. In all of these, there is a huge challenge of defence of public trust.