Probe alleged missing N57bn in humanitarian affairs ministry, punish offenders – SERAP to Tinubu
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and other relevant anti-corruption agencies to investigate allegations of missing, diverted, or stolen public funds, including over N57 billion from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021 alone.
This call follows revelations from the 2021 audited report, released last week by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, which flagged several ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) for mismanagement of public funds. SERAP has also pointed to hundreds of billions of naira reportedly missing across other MDAs.
In a letter dated 23 November 2024 and signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s deputy director, the organization emphasized the gravity of the allegations, describing them as theft from the poor. It stressed that anyone found responsible should face prosecution, and all missing funds should be recovered and remitted to the treasury.
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Among the key findings, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation allegedly failed to account for over N54 billion meant for the stipends of N-Power volunteers in 2021. The funds were reportedly not paid to the intended beneficiaries, with the Auditor-General raising concerns that the money may have been diverted. Similarly, over N2.6 billion allocated for the COVID-19 home-grown school feeding programme was unaccounted for, despite the funds being paid to contractors for the distribution of palliatives in Kano, Zamfara, and Abia states.
Additional discrepancies include the ministry’s spending of over N78 million on an unapproved survey on COVID-19 response, as well as the failure to account for N39.5 million in personal donations directly paid to the minister as reimbursements. Other amounts, such as N400 million intended for stipends to independent monitors, and over N287 million paid to contractors without documentation, were also flagged for possible diversion.
SERAP has called for these funds to be fully recovered and for an investigation into the alleged misconduct, urging the President to use any recovered funds to cover the deficit in the 2025 national budget and impose an immediate moratorium on borrowing to ease Nigeria’s growing debt crisis.
The organization also urged the government to take swift action in line with constitutional and international anti-corruption obligations, reinforcing its commitment to ending corruption and holding perpetrators accountable. SERAP has threatened to pursue legal action if no response is received within seven days.
The revelations of these widespread financial mismanagements come at a time when Nigeria’s national debt has escalated, with the total domestic and external debt standing at a combined N121.67 trillion as of March 2024. The ongoing corruption investigations and recovery of funds, SERAP argues, are crucial to reducing the country’s fiscal challenges and restoring public trust.
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