The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to order an urgent investigation into more than ₦78.8 billion in public funds allegedly diverted, unaccounted for or irregularly spent under Nigeria’s cash transfer and social protection programmes.
SERAP made the demand in a letter dated September 5, 2026, signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, and released on Sunday.
The organisation said the allegations were contained in the 2024 Annual Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on August 7, 2026.
According to SERAP, the audit findings relate mainly to transactions and activities undertaken between January and December 2023, with some issues extending to December 31, 2024.
The organisation urged Tinubu to direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) to account for the funds and publish detailed records showing how the money was spent.
At the centre of SERAP’s demands is ₦33.751 billion reportedly transferred to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries across 35 states in 2023.
SERAP said the NCTO failed to provide REMITA statements and other payment records required to authenticate the transactions and establish whether the beneficiaries were genuine and eligible.
The organisation said every naira identified in the Auditor-General’s report must be accounted for, while funds found to have been diverted, misapplied or paid to ineligible or fictitious beneficiaries must be recovered and returned to the Treasury.
SERAP also demanded an explanation for ₦36.744 billion in payments allegedly made without prepayment audit or internal audit checks.
The organisation listed several other questionable expenditures, including ₦4.616 billion in payments without adequate supporting documents, ₦350.182 million disbursed to state coordinators for the enrolment of unbanked beneficiaries, ₦89.511 million spent on store items allegedly not delivered and ₦17.422 million advanced to staff for diesel purchases.
It further raised concerns over ₦280.42 million reportedly paid as mobilisation and advance payments to payment service providers without Advance Payment Guarantees.
SERAP also cited ₦393.71 million in unutilised funds reportedly disbursed to nine states for beneficiary enrolment activities.
According to the organisation, the NCTO claimed that the money had been returned to the Treasury, but the Auditor-General found no evidence that the funds were credited to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The audit concerns, SERAP said, also extend to NASSCO, where the Auditor-General identified ₦2.55 billion in questionable or unaccounted-for expenditure.
SERAP said NASSCO paid ₦2.24 billion through 158 vouchers without prepayment audit, while ₦44.55 million was reportedly spent on laptops that were neither delivered nor entered in the store ledger.
It also cited ₦19.76 million allegedly paid for advertisements without evidence that the publications were made.
Another ₦141.01 million was reportedly paid to two contractors for software without the required clearance from the National Information Technology Development Agency.
The organisation said the Auditor-General further identified ₦16.93 million paid to 56 officers for National Social Register data reconciliation without supporting documentation.
It also cited ₦14.53 million in reimbursements relating to validation and verification activities without adequate records.
SERAP said the audit report raised additional concerns over ₦27.56 million allegedly awarded to an unqualified contractor for the design and printing of materials.
It also cited ₦44 million in insurance premiums reportedly paid to two companies without evidence that the premiums were actually paid.
SERAP urged the President to direct appropriate anti-corruption agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations and recover all public funds found to have been improperly spent, diverted or lost.
The organisation said anyone found responsible should be sanctioned and prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence is established, regardless of the person’s status, position or institutional affiliation.
It further demanded the publication of a clear schedule detailing all recovered funds, including the amounts recovered, dates of recovery, institutions responsible and the Treasury accounts into which the money was paid.
SERAP also called for a reconciliation of cash-transfer payments against the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register.
It demanded independent verification of beneficiaries to identify duplicate, fictitious, deceased, ineligible or otherwise irregular beneficiaries.
The organisation wants the government to publish state-by-state figures showing the number of beneficiaries, amounts disbursed, payment dates, failed and reversed transactions, amounts returned to the Treasury and the administrative and transaction costs associated with the programme.
SERAP further urged the Ministry to establish or disclose an independent complaint mechanism through which persons listed as beneficiaries but who did not receive payments can seek redress.
It also called for a comprehensive and regularly updated register of beneficiaries, while insisting that appropriate safeguards must be put in place to protect the personal data and privacy of vulnerable Nigerians.
According to SERAP, the findings raise serious questions about the integrity and effectiveness of Nigeria’s social protection system because the funds involved are intended to support poor and vulnerable households.
The organisation warned that the failure to provide basic payment records and beneficiary information capable of demonstrating that public funds reached genuine beneficiaries undermines public confidence in the cash-transfer programme.
It said the situation also creates a serious risk that money intended for some of Nigeria’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens may have been lost, misapplied or paid to people who were not entitled to receive it.
SERAP gave President Tinubu seven days from the receipt or publication of the letter to act on its demands.
The organisation warned that failure by the government to respond within the stipulated period could lead it to consider legal action, including proceedings before the ECOWAS Court and the World Bank Accountability Mechanism’s Inspection Panel.
SERAP said its demands were based on Nigeria’s constitutional obligations and its commitments under international anti-corruption instruments, including the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
The organisation maintained that there is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability over the allegations, particularly given the vulnerable Nigerians the social protection programmes are designed to assist.