SERAP Has Given Tinubu Seven Days Over N78.8 Billion
Lagos · Monday 7 September 2026
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has written to President Bola Tinubu demanding an investigation into more than N78.8 billion in federal cash transfer and social protection spending. The letter is dated 5 September and signed by SERAP's deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
It gives the government seven days.
Where the number comes from
This is not an allegation SERAP has constructed. The figures come from the 2024 annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on 7 August 2026.
| Body | Amount queried |
|---|---|
| National Cash Transfer Office | N76.24 billion |
| National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office | N2.55 billion |
| Total | N78.79 billion |
Figures as itemised in the Auditor-General's 2024 report.
SERAP has also asked for the full audit trail on N33.751 billion said to have been transferred to 3,295,207 households across 35 states in 2023.
What is actually being demanded
- That the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the National Cash Transfer Office and NASSCO account for the money.
- That anti-corruption agencies investigate the specific line items.
- That any funds improperly spent or diverted are recovered and remitted.
- That the audit trail for the household transfers is published.
The escalation route is the unusual part
SERAP has said that if the government does not act it may go to the ECOWAS Court of Justice and to the World Bank Accountability Mechanism. The second of those matters more than it sounds, because a significant share of Nigeria's social safety net programming is financed with World Bank money and comes with reporting conditions attached.
Domestic pressure can be absorbed. A lender's accountability mechanism is a different kind of correspondence.
Why this one is hard to wave away
The cash transfer programme exists to move small amounts of money to the poorest households. It is the single programme where an accounting failure translates most directly into a person who did not eat.
The government has an easy answer available if the money is accounted for: publish the trail. Seven days is enough time to say so.
Reporting: Vanguard, Sahara Reporters, PM News, Ripples Nigeria and SERAP's published letter.
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