FG fails to account for ₦33.75bn transferred to poor Nigerians – Auditor-General

The Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) has raised concerns over ₦33.75 billion transferred to more than 3.29 million households under the Federal Government’s social intervention programme, saying auditors could not obtain sufficient records to verify the payments reached genuine beneficiaries, according to a report by Naija News.

The finding was contained in the Auditor-General’s 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, which examined transactions by the National Cash Transfer Office (NTCO) in 2023 and raised eight separate queries.

Auditors said payment vouchers lacked full beneficiary details, while NTCO accounts staff allegedly obstructed access to Remita statements needed to match recipients against the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register, “thereby frustrating the audit process.”

The Auditor-General recommended that the National Programme Manager appear before National Assembly Public Accounts Committees to provide evidence or refund the funds to the Treasury. The report noted that NTCO management did not respond to the audit query.