Plans are underway by the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) to carry on the distribution of the popular KeKe NAPEP tricycles to Nigerians as part of the current federal government administration’s effort to stem poverty nationwide.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Poverty Eradication and National Coordinator, NAPEP, Alhaji Muhktar Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who stated this yesterday in an interview with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, said NAPEP was forced to suspend the distribution of the tricycles in view of a suit instituted against the programme by its contractors/suppliers of the tricycle.
The NAPEP chief stated: “We have many of these tricycles in stock but we cannot give them out because of an on-going court case filed against us by our contractors/suppliers. However, we have received the go-ahead from the federal government to negotiate an out-of-court settlement with these contractors/suppliers. The negotiation is at an advance stage and we are confident that we would soon start to give out the tricycles to Nigerians in order to reduce poverty in the country.”
Balewa explained that contrary to media reports, NAPEP had not mismanaged the funds previously appropriated for the KeKe NAPEP programme and other poverty eradication initiatives being executed by the agency.
Specifically, Balewa debunked reports that NAPEP has N11 billion in any bank accounts in the face of endemic poverty in the country.
The presidential aide said: “NAPEP does not have any N11 billion in its coffers accruing interests in any bank as erroneously reported by the media. In fact, NAPEP accounts do not receive interest from commercial banks.
“NAPEP accounts with the banks do not also attract cost of transaction (COT) charges. This is the arrangement we have with the banks. They graciously acceded to these as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts towards poverty eradication in the country. So, we don’t receive any commission or interest on NAPEP accounts with the banks.””