NCTO Defends N33.75bn Cash Transfers Against Fraud Claims

The National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) has responded to allegations of fraud concerning the disbursement of N33.75 billion to 3.29 million vulnerable households, as raised in the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation’s (OAuGF) 2024 annual report. The OAuGF questioned the adequacy of evidence proving that the funds reached legitimate beneficiaries.

In its defense, the NCTO stated that payments were processed through a robust electronic system with multiple verification layers, ensuring that beneficiaries were not merely identified by names submitted for payment. The NCTO emphasized that the beneficiary records were maintained electronically and could be reconciled with payment records.

It also refuted claims that beneficiary records required for the audit were withheld, asserting that the 2023 National Beneficiary Register was sent to the auditors via email on April 18, 2025, and that subsequent records were transmitted on April 21, 2026. The NCTO maintained that the scale of the program made physical documentation impractical, as complete electronic audit trails were available for verification.