The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has called on the Federal Government to release a full list of beneficiaries and a detailed breakdown of the N330 billion reportedly disbursed to poor Nigerians through the National Social Safety-net Coordinating Office.
The call followed the disclosure by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who recently announced that the Federal Government had commenced cash transfers funded by an $800 million World Bank facility to reduce the impact of economic hardship.
In a statement signed by HEDA Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, the group acknowledged the importance of social protection in the face of rising inflation and the removal of fuel subsidy. However, it criticised the government for failing to meet the transparency and accountability standards expected when managing public funds.
Suraju said the claim of paying out N330 billion raises “more questions than answers,” stressing that Nigerians deserve to know who the beneficiaries are, how they were selected, and the specific amounts they received.
“Public funds, whether sourced locally or from international partners like the World Bank, must be utilised with ultimate openness,” Suraju said.
HEDA warned that without a published list of beneficiaries and verifiable records, the large-scale disbursement could become another avenue for corruption, political patronage, and manipulation.
The group recalled previous controversies that surrounded similar social intervention schemes under former ministers Sadiya Umar during the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari and Betta Edu under the current government.
“We are demanding that the Honourable Minister of Finance provide a detailed account of the beneficiaries, their locations, and 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,” Suraju added.
HEDA also urged that future social protection budgetary allocations should be subjected to open scrutiny by civil society organisations, the media, and the public in line with global best practices.
The group reaffirmed its commitment to tracking and monitoring government spending on social protection programmes to ensure they genuinely benefit the poorest citizens and do not become a tool for corruption or abuse of public trust.