SERAP Urges Tinubu to Probe ₦78.8bn Cash Transfer Scandal

​The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, alongside the National Cash Transfer Office and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office, to account for over ₦78.8 billion in public funds allegedly diverted or irregularly spent.

​The demands follow the release of the 2024 Annual Report by the Auditor-General of the Federation, which flagged severe financial irregularities covering periods between January 2023 and December 2024. According to the audit findings, the NCTO disbursed ₦33.751 billion across 35 states in 2023 without verifiable proof that the money reached the intended 3,295,207 beneficiary households. Furthermore, the agency reportedly failed to provide essential REMITA records to authenticate the transactions.

​The civil society organization wants the presidency to mandate the immediate publication of full audit trails, beneficiary lists, and payment reconciliations. The group also demands an investigation into ₦36.744 billion paid without prepayment audits, ₦4.616 billion in unsupported expenditures, and millions more spent on unverified store items, diesel advances, and unbanked beneficiary enrolments.

ADVERTISEMENT

​Beyond the NCTO, the Auditor-General’s report highlighted infractions at NASSCO, including ₦2.24 billion disbursed through vouchers without prepayment audits, payments for undelivered laptops, and software procurements executed without clearance from the National Information Technology Development Agency.

​SERAP has issued a seven-day ultimatum for compliance, warning that failure to act will result in legal proceedings before the ECOWAS Court and the World Bank Accountability Mechanism. The organization insists that all individuals found culpable must face prosecution regardless of their status or institutional affiliation, and that any mismanaged funds must be recovered and remitted directly to the Treasury.