Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the Tinubu administration's household cash transfer programme as an "audio palliative," questioning whether billions of naira intended for vulnerable Nigerians were ever actually delivered. The remarks, released on Saturday, September 5, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, came in response to audit findings that have raised serious doubts about the government's social intervention spending.
Auditor-General's Queries on N33.75bn Disbursement
The Auditor-General of the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, is reportedly questioning ₦33.75 billion described as payments to 3.29 million vulnerable households. Atiku noted that this figure, when divided among the number of beneficiaries, amounts to roughly ₦10,258 per household, which he described as both cruel and inadequate given the economic conditions the government's own policies created.
Beyond that, the audit has flagged ₦36.74 billion in payments reportedly made without a pre-payment audit, and ₦4.62 billion for which no payment vouchers were produced. The former vice presidential candidate observed that these figures sit uncomfortably alongside the government's own claim of having disbursed over ₦600 billion to more than 10 million households, having earlier told Nigerians the figure was 15 million households.
Atiku's Demand for Proof of Payment
"A ministerial announcement is not proof of payment. A name on a social register is not a bank alert. If more than 10 million households received over ₦600 billion, government should be able to show who received the money, how much each household received and when the payments were made," Atiku said.
He also commended Auditor-General Chira, who was appointed by the Tinubu administration in October 2023, for raising questions he described as "profoundly uncomfortable" for the government that appointed him. Atiku said any official found to have diverted funds meant for poor Nigerians must face prosecution, and called on the government to publish a verifiable payment trail or recover every naira that cannot be accounted for.
Independent Probe and Call for Accountability
Atiku said his team would set up an independent group of financial, audit, technology and public-accounting experts to examine the available records surrounding the cash-transfer payments. He said the group would review beneficiary figures, payment channels, reconciliation records and audit queries, and would make its findings public.
"We will follow the money as far as the available public and institutional records permit. There must be no black box around the poor man's money," he said. Atiku closed with a direct challenge to President Tinubu: "WHERE IS THE POOR MAN'S MONEY?"
