The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently direct the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, and the Secretary of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), Yomi Arowosafe, to account for and explain the whereabouts of the alleged missing or diverted N26.9 billion of public funds from the USPF.
SERAP also urged the President to instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), along with appropriate anti-corruption agencies, to promptly and effectively investigate the alleged missing or diverted funds. The organization stated that anyone suspected of being responsible should face prosecution if sufficient admissible evidence is found, and that the missing or diverted funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury.
In a statement released over the weekend, signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization emphasized that the USPF is crucial for expanding telecommunications access in underserved and rural communities. Any diversion of these funds undermines the mandate to bridge the digital divide, support infrastructure development, and promote inclusive connectivity.
The group noted that the allegations include unaccounted expenditures, failure to remit public funds, irregular contract awards, and payments for services not rendered. These issues point to serious breaches of public trust and raise concerns about systemic failures in financial accountability within the USPF.
According to SERAP, any failure to investigate the allegations and recover missing or diverted public funds would not only deprive Nigerians of essential services but also frustrate national development objectives and efforts to achieve digital inclusion.
Youth Groups Criticize SERAP
In a separate development, youth leaders under the aegis of the Nigerian Youths in Politics and the Coalition of Patriotic Youth Leaders criticized SERAP for allegedly heating up the polity through its social media reactions to the court case involving the organization and officials of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The youth group stated that aggrieved parties should seek legal redress through the courts rather than allegedly misleading the public online. Dr Duke Alamboye, National Secretary of Nigerian Youths in Politics and Convener of the National Security Summit for Green Assembly Initiative and Nigerian Youths Organisation, made these remarks during a media briefing in Abuja. He emphasized that the group does not want judges to feel threatened.
He accused SERAP of abusing public information channels and attempting to discredit both the judiciary and security agencies, despite the Federal High Court's ruling on the matter.
Executive Director of the Coalition of Patriotic Youth Leaders, Rikki Nwajiofor, added that parties affected by court judgments can obtain a stay of execution pending an appeal. However, he maintained that all court orders, especially Supreme Court judgments, must be obeyed without exception.
