Auditor-General Questions ₦33.75 Billion Cash Transfers

The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) raised significant concerns regarding ₦33.75 billion that was transferred to 3,295,207 households as part of the Federal Government’s social intervention program. The findings, detailed in the 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses, indicated that auditors could not obtain sufficient records to confirm that the payments reached legitimate beneficiaries.

The audit, which focused on transactions by the National Cash Transfer Office in Abuja during the 2023 financial year, highlighted eight queries involving billions of naira and deficiencies in financial controls. Auditors noted that payment vouchers lacked complete beneficiary information, and they were unable to access the necessary Remita statements to verify the identities of recipients against government beneficiary registers.

The report suggested the possibility of payments being made to fictitious or ineligible beneficiaries and recommended that the National Programme Manager appear before the relevant Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly to account for the expenditure.