Auditor-General Flags N33.75bn Cash Transfers to Unverified Beneficiaries

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Nigeria’s Auditor-General for the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, has raised concerns over N33.75 billion in electronic cash transfers made to more than 3.29 million vulnerable households, saying the Federal Government failed to provide sufficient documentation to establish that the money reached genuine beneficiaries.

The disclosure is contained in the latest audit report on federal government accounts and activities, which examined payments made under social intervention and palliative programmes supported by the World Bank.

According to the report, a total of N33,751,080,000 was transferred electronically in 2023 to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries across 35 states. The beneficiaries were drawn from the National Social Register and enrolled on the National Beneficiary Register.

The transfers were intended to provide financial support to poor and vulnerable Nigerians amid efforts by the government to strengthen social protection programmes.

However, auditors said they encountered significant gaps in the records supplied for examination.

The paid vouchers reportedly did not contain complete details of the beneficiaries, while the REMITA statement required to reconcile the actual recipients of the funds with those listed on the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register was not provided.

The omission, according to the Auditor-General, made it impossible for auditors to independently authenticate the payments and establish whether the individuals who received the money were legitimate beneficiaries.

The report warned that the documentation gaps created a risk of public funds being lost or paid to people who were not eligible for the intervention, including potentially fictitious beneficiaries.

Chira consequently recommended that the National Programme Manager of the National Cash Transfer Office appear before the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly to account for the N33.75 billion.

The official was also asked to provide satisfactory evidence that the intended beneficiaries received the funds or take steps to recover any money that cannot be properly accounted for.

The finding is part of a broader audit of non-compliance and weaknesses in internal controls across federal ministries, departments and agencies for the financial year ended December 31, 2024.

The wider audit reportedly identified irregularities valued at more than N1.34 trillion, covering issues such as unsupported payments, unretired cash advances, irregular contracts and expenditure without adequate supporting documentation.

The National Cash Transfer Office was identified as accounting for a significant portion of the N37.081 billion in payments made without the required supporting documents across 21 government agencies examined by the auditors.

The latest findings are likely to renew questions surrounding Nigeria’s cash transfer and palliative programmes, particularly over the transparency of beneficiary selection and the ability of government agencies to demonstrate that public funds reach the intended recipients.

Although the audit does not by itself establish that the N33.75 billion was stolen or that the beneficiaries were fictitious, the Auditor-General’s concerns highlight the inability of the responsible agency to provide documentation sufficient to verify the payments.

The report has been transmitted to the National Assembly, which is expected to subject the findings to further scrutiny through the relevant committees and demand explanations from the agencies involved.

The outcome could determine whether the agencies are able to produce the missing records and reconcile the payments or whether any funds found to have been improperly disbursed will have to be recovered.