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Nigeria Auditor-General flags N33.75bn unverified cash transfers
The Auditor-General for the Federation has flagged N33.75 billion in cash transfers intended for over 3.29 million vulnerable Nigerian households in 2023. According to the 2024 Annual Report, the government could not provide sufficient evidence or complete beneficiary details to confirm that the funds reached legitimate recipients across 35 states.
Auditors reported that the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) obstructed the audit process by denying access to essential Remita statements required to reconcile payments with official beneficiary registers. The report also highlighted other financial irregularities, including N36.744 billion in payments made without mandatory prepayment audits and N4.616 billion in unsupported expenditures.
In response, human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and recover any diverted funds. Additionally, presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has vowed to launch an independent investigation, describing the situation as a failure to account for funds meant to cushion economic hardship. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has also urged President Bola Tinubu to order a full probe into the discrepancies, which they claim involve over ₦78.8 billion in total across various humanitarian agencies.
Entities
Atiku Abubakar · Auditor-General for the Federation · Auditor-General for the Federation · Bola Tinubu · Federal Government of Nigeria · Femi Falana · National Beneficiary Register · National Cash Transfer Office · National Social Register · Shaakaa Chira · Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [DISPUTED] The Auditor-General reported that N33.751 billion in electronic transfers to 3,295,207 households in 2023 could not be verified. solacebase.com · platinumpost.news · www.cknnigeria.com · punchng.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The audit identified N36.744 billion in payments made in December 2023 without mandatory prepayment audits. www.fellowpress.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) staff allegedly obstructed auditors from accessing Remita statements needed for verification. platinumpost.news · www.cknnigeria.com · punchng.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Lawyer Femi Falana demanded that the EFCC investigate the alleged N33.75 billion gap and recover diverted funds. solacebase.com · dailyreport.ng
- [● 3 SOURCES] SERAP called for a probe into over ₦78.8 billion in funds allegedly diverted or irregularly spent across humanitarian agencies. newscentraltv.com · www.fellowpress.com
- [DISPUTED] Atiku Abubakar vowed to form an independent expert team to trace the missing N33.75 billion in cash transfers. thevoicenewsmagazine.com · primanews.org · dailytrust.com · www.thisdaylive.com