The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken the Nigerian government to the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over alleged irregularities involving ₦78.8 billion allocated to social-protection and cash-transfer programmes intended to support vulnerable households.
The lawsuit follows audit findings that reportedly identified substantial payments for which government agencies failed to provide adequate documentation, beneficiary records or evidence of compliance with required financial procedures.
The case concerns the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), which are involved in implementing and coordinating social-protection initiatives.
According to the findings cited in the report, the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 annual report raised questions about several categories of expenditure, including ₦33.751 billion in cash transfers for which adequate payment records and beneficiary reconciliations were reportedly unavailable.
A further ₦36.744 billion was identified in payments allegedly made without the required prepayment audits, while another ₦4.616 billion in expenditure reportedly lacked sufficient supporting documentation. Additional concerns involved payments relating to enrolment activities, store purchases and diesel advances.
The allegations raise questions about the management of public funds intended to provide financial assistance to millions of vulnerable Nigerians.
The cash-transfer programme was designed to reach more than 3.2 million households across 35 states. The reported audit concerns have therefore placed renewed attention on whether the funds were properly disbursed, whether the intended beneficiaries received the support and whether the responsible agencies maintained adequate records.
SERAP is asking the court to compel the government to account for the funds and ensure that the alleged irregularities are independently investigated. The organisation is also seeking the recovery of any public money found to have been improperly spent and stronger safeguards to prevent similar problems in the future.
The group argues that inadequate accountability for funds earmarked for social protection could undermine the rights of vulnerable Nigerians who depend on government assistance for basic needs and financial security.
The case also raises broader questions about public-sector financial management, particularly the effectiveness of internal controls and oversight mechanisms governing social-protection programmes.
Cash-transfer initiatives are intended to provide direct support to households facing economic hardship. Where public agencies cannot adequately account for payments, it becomes difficult to establish whether the money reached the intended recipients or was spent in accordance with the programme’s objectives.
The allegations have not, by themselves, established that the entire amount was stolen or diverted. Determining whether public funds were misappropriated, improperly disbursed or inadequately documented will require examination of the underlying records and the responses of the relevant agencies.
According to the report, SERAP filed the suit at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice under case number ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26. No hearing date had been fixed at the time of publication.
The proceedings could provide an opportunity to examine the government’s handling of the funds and establish what corrective measures, if any, are required.
For millions of Nigerians facing economic hardship, the central issue is whether public money allocated to social protection was properly accounted for and whether the government can demonstrate that the programmes delivered the assistance they were designed to provide.