Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the alleged diversion of N33.75 billion meant for cash transfers to poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Falana urged the anti-graft agency to work with the Auditor-General to recover the money and prosecute public officials found culpable.
A Call for Justice
ValidViewNetwork gathered that human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the alleged diversion of N33.75 billion meant for cash transfers to poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Falana, in a statement issued on Sunday, September 6, 2026, urged the anti-graft agency to work with the Auditor-General for the Federation to recover the money and prosecute public officials found culpable.
The Auditor-General’s Revelation
The call followed a disclosure by the Auditor-General for the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, that the Federal Government could not provide sufficient evidence to auditors that N33.75 billion in cash transfers intended for more than 3.29 million vulnerable households reached genuine beneficiaries.
The disclosure was contained in the Auditor-General’s 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.
Falana’s Demand
“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. Furthermore, the EFCC should embark on an immediate investigation of the serious allegation of the criminal diversion of the sum of N33.75 billion in cash transfers earmarked for poor and vulnerable people in the country. All the characters involved in the shameful conduct should be arrested and prosecuted without any delay,” Falana said.
A History of Scandal
The lawyer noted that the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) was established as a statutory agency under the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act 2022.
However, Falana alleged that corruption involving some public officials had undermined the management of the programmes.
He recalled that the pioneer Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, was investigated by the EFCC over alleged money laundering involving more than N37.1 billion.
He further recalled that in April 2026, a Federal Capital Territory High Court issued an arrest warrant against Farouq and her former Permanent Secretary, Bashir Alkali, following their repeated failure to appear for arraignment.
Falana also referenced the scandal involving former Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Betta Edu, who was suspended in January 2024 after a leaked memo directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to transfer N585 million in public intervention funds into a private bank account.
“By now, the EFCC ought to have concluded its investigation into the scandal to enable Betta Edu and Halima Shehu to know their fate,” he said.
A Lesson for Nigerian Youths
This scandal is a reminder that money meant for the poor often ends up in the pockets of the powerful.
The same politicians who steal from the vulnerable will never allow their own children to go hungry. Their families are protected.
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For young Nigerians, the lesson is clear: corruption is not just a crime, it is a betrayal of the most vulnerable.
Demand accountability. Support anti-corruption efforts. And never forget that every stolen naira is a meal stolen from a hungry child.