The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to order a probe into the alleged over N57 billion diverted, or stolen public funds in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021.
The organisation request is contained in a letter issued by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, on Sunday, November 24.
According to SERAP, President Tinubu needs to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to probe the allegations.
SERAP referenced the 2021 audited report released last week by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, saying, “The allegations amount to stealing from the poor. There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these grave allegations.
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The allegations also suggest a grave violation of the public trust, the 1999 amended Nigerian Constitution, the country’s anto-corruption legislation, and international anti-corruption obligations.
The organisation demanded that anyone found guilty should be punished by law, and any missing public funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury.
The statement read in part, “Poor Nigerians have continued to pay the price for the widespread and grand corruption in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviations and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies [MDAs].
“According to the 2021 annual audited report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, (the ministry) in 2021 failed to account for over N54 billion [N54,630,000,000.00] meant to pay monthly stipends to Batch C1 N-Power volunteers and non-graduate trainees between August and December 2021.
“The money was ‘not directly paid to the beneficiaries.’ The Auditor-General is concerned that the money ‘may have been diverted.’
“He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury. He also wants suspected perpetrators of the diversion to be sanctioned in line with the Financial Regulations.”
The ministry also reportedly spent over N78 million [N78,373,909.74] to ‘carry out a survey on the ministry’s Covid-19 response to states and vulnerable groups’ but without any approval or document.
“The ministry also reportedly failed to account for N400 million [N400,000,000.00] meant to pay ‘stipends to 4,450 independent monitors for October, November, and December 2021,’” it stated.
The organisation further advised the president to “use any recovered stolen funds to fund the deficit in the 2025 budget, and to issue an immediate moratorium on borrowing by the Federal Government to ease Nigeria’s crippling debt crisis.
“SERAP urges you to immediately enforce the judgment by Hon. Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, ordering your government to release the spending details of N729 billion by Mrs Sadia Umar-Farouk, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development.”
