The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to order an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving more than ₦78.8 billion under the Federal Government’s cash transfer programme.
SERAP 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 urgently account for over ₦78.8 billion in public funds reportedly diverted, unaccounted for or irregularly spent.”
The organisation said the allegations were contained in the 2024 Annual Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on August 7, 2026. The report examined various activities between January and December 2023 and up to December 31, 2024.
SERAP also asked Tinubu “to direct the Ministry and NCTO to publish the full records and audit trail of the ₦33.751 billion 2023 cash transfers, including the name of the beneficiaries, payments, verification, authorisations and reconciliation, and to explain the failure to provide REMITA records to the Auditor-General.”
The organisation further urged the President “to direct the Ministry and NCTO to account for the ₦36.744 billion payments made without prepayment audit, the ₦4.616 billion in unsupported expenditures, the ₦350.182 million enrolment payments, the ₦89.511 million store purchases and the ₦17.422 million diesel advances.”
SERAP also called for investigations into the alleged questionable expenditures at the NCTO and NASSCO, urging the recovery of any public funds found to have been improperly spent or diverted.
In a letter dated September 5, 2026, and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Anyone suspected to be responsible should be sanctioned and prosecuted as appropriate if sufficient admissible evidence is established, irrespective of status, position or institutional affiliation.”
SERAP added, “Every naira identified in the report must be properly accounted for, and any public funds found to have been diverted, misapplied or ‘paid to ineligible or fictitious beneficiaries’ must be fully recovered and remitted to the Treasury.”
The organisation asked the Ministry to provide detailed information on recovered funds, including the amounts recovered, dates of recovery, institutions responsible and the Treasury accounts into which the funds were paid.
It also gave the government seven days from the receipt or publication of the letter to implement its demands, warning that it could pursue legal action if there was no response.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions and measures including before the ECOWAS Court, and the Inspection Panel, World Bank Accountability Mechanism to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”
SERAP said, “There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these very serious allegations.”
The organisation said the audit findings raised concerns about the transparency and effectiveness of Nigeria’s social protection system, particularly given that the funds were intended to support poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
It noted that the Auditor-General found that the NCTO transferred ₦33.751 billion to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries across 35 states in 2023 without sufficient evidence confirming that the intended recipients received the funds.
“The Auditor-General found that the NCTO failed to provide REMITA statements needed to authenticate the payments and establish whether the beneficiaries were genuine and eligible. The audit report also raised concerns about incomplete beneficiary information and frustration of the audit process.”
SERAP called on the Federal Government to reconcile the payments with the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register and independently verify beneficiaries to identify any duplicate, fictitious, deceased, ineligible or otherwise irregular recipients.
The organisation also highlighted several other findings involving the NCTO, including payments made without prepayment audits, unsupported expenditures, undelivered store items, unaccounted enrolment funds and payments made without adequate procurement documentation.
Regarding NASSCO, SERAP cited audit findings involving payments made without prepayment audits, undelivered laptops, unsupported advertising expenditure, software payments without NITDA clearance and other transactions lacking adequate documentation.
“SERAP is particularly concerned that the audit findings reveal repeated failures of basic financial and administrative controls, including the failure to conduct mandatory prepayment audits, missing payment and procurement records, payments for goods and services that could not be verified, inadequate beneficiary documentation, questionable procurement processes and unaccounted-for public funds.”
The organisation stressed the need for transparency, particularly because the funds are part of programmes designed to provide social assistance to millions of vulnerable Nigerians.
“Transparent investigation and accountability are especially important where the public funds concerned are part of programmes designed to provide social assistance to millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.”
SERAP also cited provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and international anti-corruption agreements, arguing that they require transparency, accountability and effective management of public resources.
It urged the government to act on the Auditor-General’s findings and ensure that any public funds found to have been improperly spent, diverted or lost are recovered and returned to the Treasury.