Senior Advocate of Nigeria and renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately transfer N32.7 billion and $445,000—recovered from officials of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development—to the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) to fulfill their original purpose.
In a public statement issued on August 24, 2025, under the Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), which he chairs, Falana emphasized that the recovered funds must be channeled into Nigeria’s critical poverty alleviation initiatives, including N-Power, school feeding, conditional cash transfers, and GEEP.
Linking Recovery to Intended Impact
Falana recalled that President Bola Tinubu had approved the same N32.7 billion in January 2025 for implementing the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP). With this context, he criticized the EFCC for failing to remit the recovered sums to NSIPA, despite the Commission’s stated policy of ensuring funds are used for their rightful purpose.
“We commend the EFCC’s recovery efforts, but urge that these funds be put to work immediately to relieve the hardship of over 133 million multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians,” Falana stressed.
Demand for Accountability and Expanded Social Investment
Falana also called on federal, state, and local governments to scale up contributions to social investment, referencing increased national revenues. He cited that N2.001 trillion was shared in July 2025 by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), up from N1.8 trillion in June.
“Governments must stop paying lip service. It’s time to back rhetoric with meaningful investment in social protection,” he declared.
His remarks add to the growing chorus demanding transparency and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s welfare programs, particularly following a string of corruption scandals tied to humanitarian funds.
