SERAP Demands Probe, Recovery, Prosecution

• SERAP has asked President Bola Tinubu to order an urgent investigation into more than ₦78.8 billion allegedly diverted, unaccounted for or irregularly spent by the National Cash Transfer Office and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office, based on findings contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report.

• The rights organisation wants the Federal Government to publish the complete audit trail of ₦33.751 billion transferred to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries across 35 states in 2023, after auditors said there was no sufficient evidence that the money reached genuine beneficiaries and that critical REMITA payment records were not provided.

• The audit also identified billions of naira paid without mandatory prepayment checks, unsupported expenditures, unverified procurement, missing store records and advances that could not be properly accounted for, prompting SERAP to demand recovery of every improperly spent public fund and prosecution of anyone found culpable.

• SERAP has given the Tinubu administration seven days to act, warning that it may pursue legal measures, including proceedings before the ECOWAS Court and the World Bank Accountability Mechanism, if the government fails to address the allegations and make the records public.

September 06, () — The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to order an urgent investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving more than ₦78.8 billion under the Federal Government’s cash transfer and social protection programmes.

SERAP, in a letter dated September 5, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, urged the President 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 funds which the Auditor-General of the Federation identified as diverted, unaccounted for or irregularly spent.

The organisation based its demand on findings contained in the 2024 Annual Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on August 7, 2026.

According to SERAP, the Auditor-General’s findings covered transactions and activities undertaken between January and December 2023 and, in some cases, extending to December 31, 2024.

The allegations centre on the management of funds meant to support poor and vulnerable Nigerians through the Federal Government’s social protection and cash transfer programmes.

SERAP said the findings raised serious questions about the integrity of the system, particularly because billions of naira intended to reach vulnerable households were reportedly disbursed without sufficient documentation to demonstrate that legitimate beneficiaries actually received the funds.

₦33.751bn Cash Transfers Under Scrutiny

At the centre of the controversy is ₦33.751 billion reportedly transferred by the NCTO to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries in 35 states in 2023. SERAP said the Auditor-General found that the NCTO failed to provide adequate evidence confirming receipt of the funds by the beneficiaries.

The organisation said the NCTO also failed to provide REMITA statements required to authenticate the payments, verify beneficiaries and establish that the money reached eligible recipients.

SERAP, therefore, asked Tinubu to direct the Ministry and NCTO to publish the complete records and audit trail of the 2023 cash transfers.

Such records, according to the organisation, should include the names or appropriately protected beneficiary information, payments made, verification records, authorisations, reconciliation documents and other evidence showing that the transactions were genuine.

It also demanded an explanation for the failure to provide the REMITA records requested by the Auditor-General.

SERAP said the Federal Government should reconcile the payments against the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register, while independently verifying the identities and eligibility of beneficiaries.

The exercise, it said, should establish whether any beneficiaries were duplicated, fictitious, deceased, ineligible or otherwise irregular.

The organisation further called for the publication of state-by-state beneficiary numbers, amounts disbursed, payment dates, failed and reversed transactions, funds returned to the Treasury, as well as administrative and transaction costs incurred under the programme. It also asked the government to establish whether there is an independent mechanism through which people listed as beneficiaries but who did not receive payments can lodge complaints.

SERAP said similar safeguards should apply where people’s identities or bank accounts may have been used without their knowledge.

Billions Paid Without Audit Checks

Beyond the cash transfers themselves, SERAP drew attention to a series of expenditure and procurement irregularities identified by the Auditor-General.

The audit reportedly found that the NCTO made ₦36.744 billion in payments without prepayment audit or internal audit checks, contrary to applicable financial regulations. Another ₦4.616 billion was reportedly spent without adequate supporting documentation.

According to SERAP, the Auditor-General expressed concern that the unsupported expenditure could have been diverted.

The NCTO was also said to have spent ₦89.511 million on store items that were not delivered or entered into the store ledger, with the audit noting that the store ledger had not been updated since 2020.

The office also reportedly disbursed ₦350.182 million to state coordinators for the enrolment of unbanked beneficiaries, but auditors found no adequate beneficiary lists, acknowledgements or other supporting documents to account for the funds.

Another ₦17.422 million was reportedly spent through cash advances to staff for the purchase of diesel, rather than through the applicable procurement process. The auditors were also reportedly unable to trace the procured items to the stores.

The audit further identified ₦280.42 million paid as mobilisation and advance payments to Payment Service Providers without an Advance Payment Guarantee, with no evidence that due process was followed in their selection.

The NCTO was also accused of failing to account for ₦393.71 million in unutilised funds reportedly disbursed to nine states for beneficiary enrolment activities.

Although the office reportedly claimed that the funds had been returned to the Treasury, the Auditor-General found no evidence showing that the money was credited to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

SERAP said the financial concerns were not limited to the NCTO, as the Auditor-General also identified questionable transactions involving NASSCO.

Among the findings was ₦2.24 billion paid through 158 vouchers without prepayment audit.

NASSCO was also reported to have paid ₦44.55 million for laptops that were not delivered or entered into the store ledger.

Another ₦19.76 million was reportedly spent on advertisements without evidence that the publications were made, while ₦141.01 million was paid to two contractors for software without the required clearance from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The audit also reportedly identified ₦16.93 million paid to 56 officers for National Social Register data reconciliation without supporting documentation.

A further ₦14.53 million was reportedly paid for staff reimbursement relating to National Social Register validation and verification activities without supporting documentation.

SERAP said the audit found that ₦14.53 million was reimbursed to one officer rather than paid individually to the 55 staff concerned, with no acknowledgements of receipt.

Other transactions cited included ₦27.56 million awarded to an unqualified contractor for the design and printing of materials, and ₦44 million in insurance premiums paid to two companies without evidence of the premium payments.

SERAP Demands Recovery, Prosecution

SERAP urged Tinubu to direct appropriate anti-corruption agencies to thoroughly investigate the ₦76.24 billion in questionable and unaccounted-for expenditures at the NCTO and ₦2.55 billion at NASSCO. It said all public funds found to have been improperly spent, diverted, misapplied or lost should be recovered and remitted to the Treasury.

“Every naira identified in the report must be properly accounted for”, SERAP said, insisting that any money found to have been diverted, misapplied or paid to “ineligible or fictitious beneficiaries” must be recovered.

The organisation also asked the government to publish a clear schedule showing the amount recovered, date of recovery, institution responsible and the Treasury account into which each recovered amount was paid.

It warned that anyone found responsible should be sanctioned and prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence is established, regardless of their status, position or institutional affiliation.

“There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these very serious allegations”, SERAP stated.

SERAP gave the Federal Government seven days from receipt or publication of its letter to implement the requested measures.

The organisation warned that failure to act would prompt it to consider legal measures, including proceedings before the ECOWAS Court and the Inspection Panel of the World Bank Accountability Mechanism.

It argued that the allegations were particularly serious because the funds were intended to support some of Nigeria’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens.

“The findings raise fundamental questions about the integrity, transparency and effectiveness of Nigeria’s social protection system”, SERAP noted, adding that failure to provide basic payment records and beneficiary information capable of establishing that funds reached genuine beneficiaries undermined public confidence in the cash-transfer programme and created a serious risk that money intended for vulnerable Nigerians may have been lost, misapplied or paid to people who were not entitled to receive it.

SERAP said repeated failures to conduct mandatory prepayment audits, missing payment and procurement records, payments for goods and services that could not be verified, inadequate beneficiary documentation and questionable procurement procedures pointed to weaknesses in the safeguards protecting public funds.

The organisation also anchored its demand on Nigeria’s constitutional and international obligations to promote transparency, accountability and the welfare of citizens. It cited Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution, which places a responsibility on government to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter II of the Constitution.

SERAP also referred to Section 15(5), which requires the State to abolish corrupt practices and abuse of power, and Section 14, which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.

The organisation further noted that Nigeria is a state party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.

According to SERAP, those instruments require effective measures to prevent, investigate and sanction corruption while promoting transparency and accountability in the management of public resources. It specifically cited Article 9 of the UN Convention, which requires appropriate systems of public procurement and public finances based on transparency, competition and objective criteria.

It also cited Article 10 on transparency in public administration and access to information, as well as Article 13, which recognises the role of civil society and public participation in preventing and combating corruption.

The latest demand places fresh pressure on the Federal Government to explain how billions of naira appropriated for social intervention programmes were spent and whether the intended beneficiaries actually received the funds. For a programme designed to provide a financial lifeline to millions of vulnerable Nigerians, SERAP insists that accountability cannot stop at the point of disbursement; the government must be able to demonstrate, transaction by transaction, that public funds reached legitimate beneficiaries and that every unexplained expenditure is accounted for.