Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the alleged failure to account for N33.75 billion meant for cash transfers to vulnerable Nigerians.
Falana, who is Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, made the call in a statement on Sunday following concerns raised in the 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies by the Auditor-General for the Federation, Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira.
The report questioned the Federal Government’s failure to provide sufficient evidence that N33.75 billion in cash transfers reached genuine beneficiaries.
According to Falana, the funds were intended for more than 3.29 million vulnerable households under the National Social Investment Programme.
He urged the EFCC to work with the Auditor-General for the Federation to trace and recover the funds if investigations establish that they were diverted.
Falana said the development was particularly troubling because the government had introduced safeguards to improve beneficiary tracking and prevent the inclusion of ghost recipients.
The National Social Investment Programme Agency was established under the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act 2022 to implement major social intervention programmes, including N-Power, the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, the National Cash Transfer Programme and the National Social Safety Net Programme.
Falana, however, said the agency had been surrounded by allegations of financial impropriety involving some of its officials.
He recalled that former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, was investigated by the EFCC over alleged money laundering involving more than N37.1 billion.
He also cited the suspension of former Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Betta Edu, following a December 2023 memo directing the transfer of N585 million in public intervention funds to a private bank account.
Falana further recalled that the then Chief Executive Officer of NSIPA, Halima Shehu, was suspended and questioned over alleged suspicious movement of funds.
He called on the EFCC to conclude its investigations into the various allegations and make its findings public.
“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should liaise with the Auditor-General of the Federation with a view to recovering the missing N33.75 billion,” Falana said.
He urged the anti-graft agency to immediately investigate what he described as the alleged criminal diversion of funds earmarked for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
“All the characters involved in the shameful conduct should be arrested and prosecuted without any delay,” he said.
Falana also expressed concern about the implementation of a $3.05 billion package of development programmes unveiled by President Bola Tinubu in July 2026.
The package, supported by the World Bank, is aimed at reducing poverty, strengthening human capital and expanding economic opportunities across Nigeria.
Falana urged the Federal Government to ensure that funds allocated for poverty reduction reached their intended beneficiaries.
He also proposed the establishment of a monitoring body comprising credible civil society organisations to oversee the disbursement of the development funds.
According to him, stronger accountability mechanisms are necessary to prevent the misuse of public funds meant to support poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
