HEDA Demands Transparency and Accountability in FG’s N330bn Cash Transfer Scheme
HEDA Requests Finance Minister Publish List of Beneficiaries and Provide Breakdown of Disbursement. The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has called on the Federal Government to provide full transparency and accountability over its recent claim of disbursing N330 billion to poor Nigerians through the National Social Safety-net Coordinating Office. The call comes in reaction to the disclosure by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, who announced that the federal government had commenced cash transfers funded from an $800 million World Bank facility to help Nigerians cope with economic hardship. In a statement signed by HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, while acknowledging the need for social protection in the wake of biting inflation and the removal of fuel subsidy, the civil society organisation noted that the government’s pronouncement lacks the clarity and openness expected in the management of public resources. According to Suraju, the Federal Government’s claim of paying out N330 billion to poor Nigerians raises more questions than answers. He stressed that, “Nigerians deserve to know the true identities of the beneficiaries, the selection process adopted by the government, and a transparent breakdown of the amounts paid. Public funds, whether sourced locally or from international partners loans like the World Bank, must be utilized with ultimate openness.” HEDA stressed that without a published list of beneficiaries and verifiable records, such large-scale cash disbursements risk becoming another avenue for corruption, political patronage, and manipulation. The country is yet to recover from the rude of misappropriation of similar loan and feeding scheme by former ministers Sadiya Umar under the government of late President Buhari and Betta Edu under the current government. “We are demanding that the Honourable Minister of Finance provides a detailed account of the beneficiaries, their locations, and the verifiable disbursement data. Nigerians must be convinced that this scheme truly reaches the poor and vulnerable, not ghost names or politically selected individuals. Accountability and transparency are non-negotiable.” Mr. Suraju added The group further urged that subsequent budgetary provisions for social protection programmes should be subjected to open scrutiny by civil society organisations, media, and the public, in line with global best practices. HEDA reiterated its commitment to tracking and monitoring government spending on social protection to ensure that such interventions genuinely address the plight of the poorest Nigerians rather than serve as a political tool or ghost scheme for corruption and abuse of public trust.
