By Dennis Okechukwu
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the alleged failure to account for N33.75 billion earmarked for cash transfers to vulnerable Nigerians.
Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), also urged the anti-graft agency to collaborate with the Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF) to recover the funds if investigations establish that they were diverted.
He made the call in a statement on Sunday following concerns raised in the Auditor-General’s 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.
According to the report, the Federal Government was unable to provide adequate evidence showing that N33.75 billion in cash transfers reached the intended beneficiaries.
Falana said the funds were meant to support more than 3.29 million vulnerable households under the National Social Investment Programme.
He described the situation as particularly disturbing given measures introduced by the government to improve beneficiary tracking and prevent the inclusion of fictitious beneficiaries in the social intervention programmes.
The National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), established under the NSIPA Act 2022, oversees major federal social intervention schemes, including N-Power, the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, the National Cash Transfer Programme and the National Social Safety Net Programme.
Falana noted that NSIPA and its predecessor agencies had faced several allegations of financial impropriety involving government 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 referred to the suspension of former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu in December 2023 following a directive involving the transfer of N585 million in public intervention funds to a private bank account.
Falana further recalled that the former National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of NSIPA, Halima Shehu, was suspended and questioned over alleged suspicious financial transactions.
The senior lawyer urged the EFCC to conclude 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 also called for the immediate investigation of what he described as a serious allegation involving the possible diversion of funds meant 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 over the implementation of a $3.05 billion development programme unveiled by President Bola Tinubu in July 2026.
The package, backed by the World Bank, is designed to support poverty reduction, human capital development and expanded economic opportunities.
He urged the Federal Government to strengthen accountability measures to ensure that funds allocated for poverty reduction reach their intended beneficiaries.
Falana also proposed the establishment of an independent monitoring body comprising credible civil society organisations to oversee the disbursement and implementation of the development funds.
He stressed that stronger oversight was necessary to prevent public officials from misappropriating resources intended to assist Nigerians living in poverty and other vulnerable groups.