The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has written to President Bola Tinubu asking him to order a probe into more than ₦78.8 billion tied to two federal social-welfare bodies, a sharp escalation from an earlier concern over ₦33.75 billion in cash transfers to roughly 3.29 million households.
In a September 5 letter, SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare pointed to the Auditor-General’s 2024 report (released August 7), which flagged ₦76.24 billion in questionable spending at the National Cash Transfer Office and ₦2.55 billion at the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office. It’s worth noting these are audit flags, not proof that funds were stolen or misused.
Among the specifics cited: payments made without required prepayment audits, transactions lacking adequate documentation, and money sent to states for beneficiary enrollment that reportedly went unused. SERAP is calling for full disclosure of records, including beneficiary lists, payment approvals, and reconciliation data, and has given the government a week to respond before it considers taking the matter to the ECOWAS Court or the World Bank’s accountability mechanism. That deadline carries no legal force on its own.
This runs alongside a separate push by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for an independent review of the same cash-transfer program. As of this report, none of the relevant agencies, the Presidency, the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry, or the two cited offices had issued a public response.
