There are fresh concerns over the launch of a fresh $1 billion cash transfer recently unveiled by the federal government, following the Auditor-General for the Federation’s query of N33.75 billion transferred to more than 3.29 million households in 2023.
The Auditor-General’s concerns are contained in the 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance and Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), which examined transactions of the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Abuja, for the 2023 financial year. The report lamented that it could not be verified whether the funds reached genuine beneficiaries.
The report, transmitted to the National Assembly on July 17, 2026, said electronic transfers amounting to N33.751 billion were made to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries listed on the National Social Register and enrolled on the National Beneficiary Register across 35 states.
However, auditors said the NCTO failed to provide sufficient records to establish the identities of the recipients or reconcile the payments with the official beneficiary registers.
The auditors said the payment vouchers did not contain complete beneficiary details, while the records required to verify the transfers were not made available.
They specifically faulted the NCTO for failing to produce a Remita statement showing the beneficiaries who actually received the funds against those listed on the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register.
“This hindered the authentication of the payments and made it difficult to ascertain whether the beneficiaries who received the funds were genuine,” the auditors said.
The report further alleged that officials of the cash transfer office obstructed efforts to obtain the Remita records needed for the audit.
“All efforts to obtain access to the REMITA statement were obstructed and denied by NCTO accounts staff, thereby frustrating the audit process,” the report stated.
Daily Trust reports that the federal government recently launched a $1 billion social protection programme designed to shift vulnerable Nigerians from temporary relief to lasting economic empowerment and self‑reliance.
The Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project (HOPE-SP) was launched at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, alongside four additional programmes aimed at bolstering the nation’s humanitarian response and poverty-reduction framework.
However, the latest audit report from the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) says there is insufficient evidence to show that N33.75 billion in cash transfers meant for 3.29 million vulnerable households in 2023 reached genuine beneficiaries.
The auditors said the findings were contrary to the provisions of the Financial Regulations (FR) 2009, which require payments to be made only to persons named in payment vouchers or their authorised representatives.
They cited paragraph 613 of the regulations, which requires paying officers to satisfy themselves that the person receiving a payment is authorised to do so and, where necessary, provide proof of identity.
The auditors also cited paragraph 603(i), which requires vouchers to contain full particulars of each service and be supported by relevant documents to enable the payments to be verified.
Recall that state Governors in 2023 at the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting requested the disbandment of the register for lack of credibility, suggesting that a new register be compiled for the implementation of social intervention by the Federal Government.
However, the then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Sani Gwarzo, said that though the register might not be as accurate as expected, it’s a starting point and could be reviewed.
