Northern Coalition Rejects SERAP's N26.9bn Allegation

The northern coalition has rejected allegations made by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) concerning the mismanagement of N26.9 billion by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF). In a statement released on Wednesday, the coalition, led by Executive Director Abubakar Yusuf Yaro, argued that SERAP's claims are misleading and do not reflect the financial records available.

They noted that USPF has received an average annual allocation of N7.5 billion during the period in question, questioning how such a fund could suddenly lose N26.9 billion. The coalition emphasized that an independent review showed USPF neither received nor retained the alleged mismanaged funds.

They criticized SERAP for not seeking clarification through institutional channels before going public and stated that previous audits had not uncovered any wrongdoing. The coalition called for an independent examination of the documents related to the matter to ensure transparency and truth.