Funmi Lawrence
Mrs Adejoje Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Sustainability Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) has said N23 billion is not missing in her office.
Adefulire made this denial in a statement signed and issued to newsmen by Mrs Janet Dickson, Head, Communications OSSAP-SDGs on Monday in Abuja.
She said her attention had been drawn to recent online publications and subsequent social media posts asserting a certain ‘Disquiet’ in the Office due to an alleged N23 Billion traced to the personal account of a former staff of the Office.
“Therefore OSSAP-SDGs wishes to categorically state that there is no N23 Billion missing in the Office. Indeed, appropriated and released Funds to the office were judiciously utilized in the discharge of its mandate.
On the transfer of staff from the Office, it is pertinent to state that it is completely the prerogative and responsibility of the pool Ministry or Office to redeploy any of their staff seconded to any Ministry, Department or Agency in line with extant rules and guidelines.
“It is therefore misrepresentation of facts for anyone to interpret this as an ‘attempt to cover-up’, Adefulire said.
She also noted that the National Assembly, had also debunked insinuations that the allocation to OSSAP-SDGs in the 2020 budget was padded with the sum of N33bn and absolved both the person of Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and OSSAP-SDGs of such financial Impropriety.
“The statement signed by the House Committee Chairman on SDGs, Hon. Rotimi Agunsoye read in part:
“The House Committee on SDGs got records from the OSSAP-SDGs and Appropriation committee which shows the said additional 33 billion was not appropriated for SDGs office among provisions of the 2020 budget earlier assented by Mr. President.”
Adefulire noted that the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs was committed to the discharge of its core mandates.
The OSSAP-SDGs this included President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption, and as such will not bow to distractions in the task of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria.
