September 22, 2025 – Human rights lawyer and public interest advocate, Festus Ogun of FOLEGAL, has petitioned the Federal Government demanding the release of the full list of beneficiaries of the N330 billion disbursed under the National Social Safety Net Programme.
In a letter addressed to the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, Ogun invoked the Freedom of Information Act, requesting details of all 8.1 million households that reportedly benefited from the funds.
“I am a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, legal practitioner, human rights activist and public interest advocate with a passion for defending human rights, and upholding the tenets of rule of law, constitutional democracy, fiscal transparency and good governance. I write for myself and on behalf of other concerned Nigerians,” the letter read.
The lawyer gave the Federal Ministry a seven-day deadline to release the information or face legal action. He insisted that Nigerians have a right to know how public funds were distributed and who received them.
On September 16, 2025, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced that N330,000,000,000 had been shared to 8.1 million households across Nigeria. According to the government, the initiative was “aimed at cushioning the harsh effects of economic reforms on Nigeria’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens.”
The disbursement was handled by the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. This development has sparked calls for greater fiscal transparency and accountability.