SERAP urges Tinubu to probe alleged ₦78.8bn cash transfer irregularities

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LAGOS, Nigeria (NPA) — The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) to account for more than ₦78.8 billion in public funds reportedly diverted, unaccounted for or irregularly spent.

SERAP’s demand was contained in a letter dated Sept. 5, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, following findings contained in the 2024 Annual Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on Aug. 7, 2026. The audit findings covered transactions spanning different periods between January 2023 and December 2024.

The organisation urged Tinubu to direct the Ministry and NCTO to publish the complete records and audit trail of ₦33.751 billion in cash transfers made in 2023, including beneficiary details, payment records, verification, authorisations and reconciliation.

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It also called for an explanation over the failure to provide REMITA records required to authenticate the payments and establish whether beneficiaries were genuine and eligible.

SERAP further urged the government to account for ₦36.744 billion reportedly paid without prepayment audit, ₦4.616 billion in expenditures without adequate supporting documentation, ₦350.182 million disbursed for the enrolment of unbanked beneficiaries, ₦89.511 million spent on store items and ₦17.422 million advanced to staff for diesel purchases.

The organisation also cited ₦280.42 million paid as mobilisation and advance payments to payment service providers without an Advance Payment Guarantee, as well as ₦393.71 million in unutilised funds reportedly disbursed to nine states for beneficiary enrolment activities.

According to SERAP, the Auditor-General found no evidence that the latter funds, which the NCTO reportedly said had been returned to the Treasury, were credited to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

SERAP urged relevant anti-corruption agencies to investigate ₦76.24 billion in questionable and unaccounted-for expenditures at NCTO and ₦2.55 billion at NASSCO, and recover any public funds found to have been improperly spent, diverted, misapplied or lost.

It also called for the publication of a clear recovery schedule showing the amount recovered, date of recovery, responsible institution and Treasury account into which each recovered sum was remitted.

“Every naira identified in the report must be properly accounted for,” SERAP said, adding that anyone found responsible should be sanctioned and prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence is established, regardless of status or position.

The organisation said the Auditor-General’s findings raised concerns over missing payment and procurement records, inadequate beneficiary documentation, payments for goods and services that could not be verified, and failures to conduct required financial checks.

SERAP also highlighted NASSCO transactions questioned in the audit, including ₦2.24 billion reportedly paid through 158 vouchers without prepayment audit, ₦44.55 million for laptops allegedly not delivered or entered in the store ledger, ₦19.76 million for advertisements without evidence of publication and ₦141.01 million paid to two contractors for software without NITDA clearance.

The rights group said Nigerians have a right to know how funds allocated for social protection programmes were disbursed and whether intended beneficiaries received the money.

SERAP gave the Federal Government seven days to act on its demands, warning that it could pursue legal action, including proceedings before the ECOWAS Court and the World Bank Accountability Mechanism, if the government fails to respond.

The organisation maintained that transparent accounting and recovery of any misused funds were necessary to protect public confidence in Nigeria’s social protection programmes and ensure that resources meant for vulnerable Nigerians reach their intended beneficiaries.