The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct relevant government agencies to account for over ₦78.8 billion in public funds reportedly diverted, unaccounted for or irregularly spent under Nigeria’s social protection programmes.

In a statement published on its official website, SERAP said the allegations were documented in the 2024 Annual Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on August 7, 2026. The organisation said the audit findings covered various periods between January and December 2023 and ended on December 31, 2024.

It also urged him “to direct the Ministry and NCTO to account for the ₦36.744 billion payments made without prepayment audit, the ₦4.616 billion in unsupported expenditures, the ₦350.182 million enrolment payments, the ₦89.511 million store purchases and the ₦17.422 million diesel advances.”

The organisation further called on the President “to direct appropriate anticorruption agencies to promptly and thoroughly investigate the ₦76.24 billion in questionable and unaccounted-for expenditures at NCTO and ₦2.55 billion at NASSCO, and to ensure the recovery and remittance of any public funds improperly spent, diverted or lost.”

In a letter dated September 5, 2026, and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Anyone suspected to be responsible should be sanctioned and prosecuted as appropriate if sufficient admissible evidence is established, irrespective of status, position or institutional affiliation.”

SERAP said, “Every naira identified in the report must be properly accounted for, and any public funds found to have been diverted, misapplied or ‘paid to ineligible or fictitious beneficiaries’ must be fully recovered and remitted to the Treasury.”

The organisation also called for the Ministry to publish details of recovered funds.

“The Ministry should be directed to publish a clear schedule showing the amount recovered, the date of recovery, the institution responsible and the Treasury account into which each recovered amount was paid.”

SERAP gave the government seven days to act on its demands, warning that it could pursue legal action if the issues were not addressed.

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions and measures including before the ECOWAS Court, and the Inspection Panel, World Bank Accountability Mechanism to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”

“There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these very serious allegations.”

SERAP said the findings raised concerns about the management of Nigeria’s social protection programmes, particularly the cash-transfer scheme.

“The findings raise fundamental questions about the integrity, transparency and effectiveness of Nigeria’s social protection system, particularly where billions of naira are intended to provide assistance to poor and vulnerable households/beneficiaries.”

It said the failure to provide payment records and beneficiary information could undermine confidence in the programme and create the risk of funds being misapplied.

“The failure to provide basic payment records and beneficiary information capable of establishing that public funds reached genuine beneficiaries undermines public confidence in the cash-transfer programme and creates a serious risk that funds intended for some of Nigeria’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens may have been lost, misapplied or paid to persons who were not entitled to receive them.”

The organisation also demanded greater transparency over beneficiaries and programme expenditure.

“Nigerians have the right to know the state-by-state beneficiary numbers, amounts disbursed, payment dates, failed and reversed transactions, amounts returned to the Treasury and all administrative and transaction costs incurred under the cash-transfer programme.”

SERAP further called for an independent mechanism to investigate complaints from beneficiaries who did not receive payments and cases involving the alleged misuse of identities or bank accounts.

It urged the government to publish a comprehensive and regularly updated beneficiary register, while protecting the personal data and privacy of vulnerable people.

The organisation said the Auditor-General found that the NCTO made ₦33.751 billion in cash transfers to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries across 35 states in 2023 without evidence confirming receipt by beneficiaries.

“The Auditor-General found that the NCTO failed to provide REMITA statements needed to authenticate the payments and establish whether the beneficiaries were genuine and eligible. The audit report also raised concerns about incomplete beneficiary information and frustration of the audit process.”

SERAP called on the Federal Government to reconcile the payments with the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register and independently verify beneficiaries to identify duplicate, fictitious, deceased, ineligible or otherwise irregular beneficiaries.

The organisation also highlighted several other findings in the audit report, including ₦4.616 billion in expenditures without adequate supporting documentation.

“According to the Auditor-General’s report, the NCTO paid ₦4.616 billion for various expenditures without adequate supporting documentation. The Auditor-General is concerned that ‘the money may have been diverted.’”

It said the NCTO also “paid ₦36.74 billion in December 2023 without prepayment audit or internal audit checks, contrary to applicable financial regulations.”

The organisation said the NCTO “paid ₦89.51 million for store items that were not delivered or entered in the store ledger”, adding that the Auditor-General found the store ledger had not been updated since 2020.

It also cited ₦350.18 million disbursed to state coordinators for enrolling unbanked beneficiaries, which it said remained unaccounted for due to inadequate supporting documentation.

The NCTO also “spent ₦17.42 million through cash advances to staff for the purchase of diesel,” while the Auditor-General reportedly said the expenditure should have undergone the applicable procurement process and that the items could not be traced to the stores.

Other findings cited by SERAP included ₦280.42 million paid as mobilisation and advance payments to Payment Service Providers without an Advance Payment Guarantee, as well as ₦393.71 million in unutilised funds disbursed to nine states for beneficiary enrolment activities.

SERAP said the Auditor-General found no evidence that the latter amount, despite claims that it had been returned to the Treasury, was credited to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

On NASSCO, the organisation said the agency “paid ₦2.24 billion paid through 158 vouchers without prepayment audit.”

It also cited payments for laptops that were allegedly not delivered or entered in the store ledger, advertisements without evidence of publication, software payments made without NITDA clearance and other expenditures without supporting documentation.

SERAP said the audit findings showed repeated weaknesses in financial and administrative controls.

“SERAP is particularly concerned that the audit findings reveal repeated failures of basic financial and administrative controls, including the failure to conduct mandatory prepayment audits, missing payment and procurement records, payments for goods and services that could not be verified, inadequate beneficiary documentation, questionable procurement processes and unaccounted-for public funds.”

The organisation said transparent investigation and accountability were particularly important because the funds were meant to support poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

It also cited provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and Nigeria’s international obligations on transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption.

“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution imposes a responsibility on government to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter II of the Constitution. Section 15(5) requires the State to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power. Section 14 further provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

SERAP added that Nigeria is a state party to the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, both of which promote measures to prevent, investigate and sanction corruption and strengthen accountability in the management of public resources.