From Abel Leonard, Lafia
Prominent youth leader and former state legislator Hon. Kassim Muhammed Kassim, has revealed that billions of naira intended for 1000 youths per local government area across the country under the Special Public Works Empowerment Programme (SPWEP) of former President Muhammadu Buhari have remained trapped in banks and unclaimed.
Dr. Kassim Muhammad who made this disclosure in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, made available to journalists yesterday, said the funds, meant to uplift Nigerian youths, became trapped because of BVN and NIN discrepancies, leaving many beneficiaries unable to access the much-needed support.
Kassim expressed deep concern over this and faulted the execution and monitoring of federal government programmes, particularly those aimed at empowering Nigerian youths.
While highlighting the challenges faced by beneficiaries SPWEP Kassim, who served as the state coordinator of the programme in Nasarawa State, recounted his unsuccessful attempts to resolve these issues, noting that the situation is not unique to Nasarawa, but a nationwide problem.
Kassim emphasized the need for a dedicated Monitoring and Implementation Unit to ensure the proper utilization of funds allocated to various empowerment initiatives.
“A Project Monitoring and Implementation Unit within the Presidency could recover these funds and ensure they reach the intended beneficiaries,” he suggested, adding, “Despite the significant financial resources your administration has allocated to alleviate the hardships faced by Nigerians, there seems to be no effective mechanism in place to monitor and oversee the implementation of these programmes.”
Reflecting on his involvement in post-EndSARS protests, Dr. Kassim expressed his belief that the frustrations of Nigerian youths are partly due to the unresponsiveness of government officials. “It’s unfortunate that the two Ministers of Youth are inaccessible, with their phone numbers on ‘do not disturb’ mode.
This has further alienated the youth, who are already disillusioned by the lack of communication and support.”
To address these pressing concerns, Dr. Kassim proposed several measures, including creating economic environments conducive to youth entrepreneurship, ensuring accountability in state and local governments, and revisiting the allocation of recovered looted funds.
“Rather than redistributing these funds, they should be directed towards transparent, impactful projects that directly benefit the communities from which they were stolen.”
