Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the alleged diversion of ₦33.75 billion earmarked for cash transfers to poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Falana made the call in a statement issued on Sunday, urging the EFCC to collaborate with the Auditor-General for the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, to trace and recover the funds and prosecute any public officials found responsible.
The demand followed findings contained in the Auditor-General’s 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government.
According to the report, the government was unable to provide adequate evidence showing that ₦33.75 billion in cash transfers reached genuine beneficiaries among more than 3.29 million vulnerable households.
Falana said the development had raised serious questions over the administration of funds designed to reduce poverty and provide assistance to vulnerable Nigerians.
He said, “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.”
The lawyer also drew attention to the legal framework governing Nigeria’s social investment programmes, noting that the National Social Investment Programme Agency was created under the National Social Investment Programme Agency Act 2022 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the legislation mandates NSIPA to develop social investment schemes, maintain beneficiary databases, improve payment and accountability structures, and work with state governments and development partners.
Programmes covered by the Act include N-Power, the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, National Cash Transfer, National Social Safety-Net, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and the Grant for Vulnerable Groups.
Falana, however, argued that alleged corruption involving public officials had affected the administration of some of the programmes.
He cited the earlier investigation of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, by the EFCC over alleged money laundering involving more than ₦37.1 billion.
He also recalled that a Federal Capital Territory High Court issued an arrest warrant in April 2026 against Farouq and her former Permanent Secretary, Bashir Alkali, after their repeated absence from arraignment proceedings.
The senior lawyer further referred to the controversy surrounding former Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Betta Edu, who was suspended in January 2024 following the emergence of a December 2023 memo directing the Accountant-General of the Federation to move ₦585 million in public intervention funds into a private bank account.
READ ALSO: Transfer Recovered N32.7bn, $445,000 to NSIPA — Falana Urges EFCC
Falana also mentioned the suspension and questioning of former NSIPA Chief Executive Officer, Halima Shehu, over alleged suspicious financial transactions.
He said the EFCC should bring its investigations into the allegations involving Edu and Shehu to a conclusion and make the outcome public.
“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.
Amid concerns over the administration of social investment funds, the Federal Government introduced additional beneficiary verification measures, including linking beneficiaries’ profiles to their Bank Verification Numbers and National Identification Numbers.
The measures were intended to eliminate ghost beneficiaries and strengthen accountability in the distribution of social protection funds.
Falana said the latest Auditor-General’s findings nevertheless indicated that serious concerns remained over the effectiveness of the mechanisms designed to monitor social investment spending.
He also raised concerns about the planned implementation of a $3.05 billion development package announced by President Bola Tinubu in July 2026.
The package, which is backed by the World Bank, is expected to support poverty reduction, human capital development and the expansion of economic opportunities across Nigeria.
Falana urged the Federal Government to ensure that the funds were not exposed to the alleged abuses associated with previous social investment programmes.
He called for an independent oversight arrangement involving credible civil society organisations to supervise the distribution of the funds to poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
“Instead of allowing public officers to feast on the huge funds for poverty reduction in the land, the Federal Government should set up a body constituted by representatives of credible civil society organisations to disburse the $3.05bn package of development programmes to the poor and vulnerable people in the country,” he said.
Falana further alleged that the World Bank had completed plans to withdraw the funds if the Federal Government failed to prevent officials from diverting resources intended for poverty reduction.
The latest development has intensified scrutiny of Nigeria’s social protection programmes as the government and development partners work to improve the delivery of interventions to intended beneficiaries.
The Auditor-General’s findings have also increased pressure on the government and anti-corruption authorities to determine what happened to the ₦33.75 billion and establish whether the failure to account for the funds resulted from administrative lapses, fraud or criminal diversion.