News
SERAP Urges Tinubu to Probe Payment of N585.2m Grant into Private Account
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly and thoroughly probe the alleged payment by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu of N585.2 million meant for disbursement to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun states into a private account.”
SERAP also urged him “to direct Mr Fagbemi and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly and thoroughly investigate whether the N585.2 million has been paid into any private account, and to identify and publish the names of anyone who may have received the money.”
SERAP said, “Anyone suspected to be involved in any improper payment or diversion of public funds should be brought to justice and any diverted public funds returned to the public treasury and paid directly to the rightful beneficiaries.”
In the letter dated 6 January 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Paying public funds into private accounts may create the perception or appearance of impropriety and give cover to any potential wrongdoing or diversion.”
According to SERAP, “Investigating these allegations and ensuring that the public funds meant to take care of the poor are transparently and accountably spent and recovering any diverted public funds are serious and legitimate public interests.”
The letter, read in part: “The public interests in safeguarding against the perception or appearance of impropriety or corruption also require your government to remove the opportunity for abuse inherent in the payment of public funds into private accounts.”
“The Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the country’s financial regulations and international obligations impose a fundamental obligation on your government to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds meant for socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.”
“Your government has a legal responsibility to ensure full compliance with the Financial Regulations 2009, prohibiting the payment of public funds into private accounts, to reduce vulnerability to corruption or risks of the funds being diverted for personal ends or other unlawful purposes.”
“Government officials hold positions of public trust. Public officials are expected to ensure compliance with Nigerian laws and international standards in the discharge of their public functions.”
“The persistent lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds meant to take care of the poor raises issues of public trust, makes the funds vulnerable to corruption or mismanagement, and undermines the integrity of poverty intervention programmes.”
“Your government has a legal obligation to probe and prosecute allegations of abuse of office and corruption in the spending of public funds meant to improve the conditions of vulnerable Nigerians.”
“SERAP is concerned that successive governments have failed to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds budgeted for social safety-nets and poverty alleviation programmes and projects.”
“Any risks of corruption in the spending of public funds meant to take care of the poor would erode the effectiveness of the government’s oft-repeated commitment to address the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy on vulnerable Nigerians.”
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.
“Any failure to investigate these grave allegations, bring suspected perpetrators to justice and recover any diverted public funds would undermine the integrity of the government’s poverty intervention programmes”.
“It would also create cynicism, and eventually citizens’ distrust about the ability of your government to prevent corruption or the appearance of corruption in the programmes.”
“Nigerians have the right to be free from poverty. Any risks of diversion of public funds budgeted to lift vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty would pose both direct and indirect threats to human rights and exacerbate extreme poverty in the country.”
“It would also undermine your government’s legal obligations to effectively and progressively address and combat extreme poverty as a matter of human rights.”
“SERAP also urges you to direct Betta Edu to publish details of spending of public funds drawn from the account of the National Social Investment Program (NSIPA), an agency under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Allegation, including the names of beneficiaries and details of the amounts received by them since 29 May 2023.”
“SERAP urges you to instruct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly track and monitor the spending of any public funds drawn from the account(s) of the National Social Investment Program (NSIPA).”
“According to our information, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, in a memo dated 20 December 2023 reportedly requested the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer public fund – N585.2 million – into a private account of an official in her ministry.”
“According to the memo, the money was transferred from the National Social Investment Program office account and is meant for disbursement to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun states, under the federal government poverty intervention project called Grants for Vulnerable Groups. N219.4 million is to be transferred to the vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom State, N73.8 million to Cross River State, N219.4 million to Lagos State, and N72.4 million to Ogun State.”
“SERAP is seriously concerned that years of allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the spending of public funds meant to support and assist vulnerable Nigerians and entrenched impunity of perpetrators have undermined the ability of successive governments to support those most in need.”
“Section 15(5) imposes the responsibility on your government to ‘abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power’ in the country.”
“Under Section 16(1) of the Constitution, your government has a responsibility to ‘secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.’ Section 16(2) further provides that, ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.’”
“Chapter 7, Section 713 of the Federal Government’s Financial Regulations 2009, provides: ‘Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.’”
“Articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption also impose legal obligations on your government to ensure proper management of public affairs and public funds, and to promote sound and transparent administration of public affairs.”
Nigeria’s debt to World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) rose by $2.08 billion in one year to $19.89 billion as of December 31, 2025, according to an analysis of external debt stock data released by the Debt Management Office (DMO).
The figure represents an 11.7 per cent increase from the $17.81bn owed to the global lender as of December 31, 2024.
So-called IDA is a member of the World Bank Group, headquartered in Washington, D.C. offering concessional loans and grants to the world’s poorest developing countries.
According to the report, Nigeria’s total debt to the IDA rose to roughly $18.2 billion to $18.7 billion by the end of 2025, making it the third-largest borrower globally from the IDA, behind Bangladesh and Pakistan.
DMO data showed that Nigeria’s IDA debt rose from $16.56 billion in 2024 to $18.51 billion n in 2025, an increase of $1.94 billion or 11.73 per cent.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) exposure also increased from $1.24 billion to $1.38 billion, representing an increase of $141.84million or 11.41 per cent.
The increase means World Bank loans accounted for 38.36 per cent of Nigeria’s total external debt stock of $51.86 billion, as of the end of 2025.
News
World Health Summit Regional Meeting Opens in Nairobi, Focuses on Stronger African Health Systems
The 2026 World Health Summit Regional Meeting opened in Nairobi on Wednesday with a strong call for coordinated action to build more resilient health systems across Africa.
The summit, hosted by Aga Khan University in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), Kenya’s Ministry of Health, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), attracted over 2,000 health leaders, policymakers, researchers, and development partners from more than 50 countries.
The meeting is themed: “Reimagining Africa’s Health Systems: Innovation, Integration and Interdependence.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Kenya’s President, William Ruto, urged African governments, health institutions, donor agencies, and development partners to move away from fragmented interventions and adopt system-wide reforms anchored on local ownership, strategic investment, and accountability.
Ruto said Africa must reposition itself within the global health architecture by leveraging its strengths and becoming a source of scalable health solutions rather than being viewed solely through the lens of persistent challenges.
“This imbalance is neither sustainable nor tenable. It calls for a decisive shift from fragmented, piecemeal interventions to comprehensive, system-wide transformation backed by coherent strategy, domestic and international financing, and accountable institutions,” he said.
President of the World Health Summit, Prof. Axel Pries, described the Nairobi meeting as a reflection of Africa’s growing influence in shaping global health priorities.
He said the summit was designed to convene leaders across sectors and regions to translate policy discussions into practical actions that strengthen health systems globally.
Also speaking, Prof. Lukoye Atwoli, International President of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting and Dean of Medical College East Africa at Aga Khan University, said the summit marked a shift in Africa’s role in global health governance.
“For too long, Africa has been the subject of health conversations held elsewhere. Today, African institutions, researchers, and policymakers are co-authors of global health policy,” Atwoli said.
President and Vice Chancellor of Aga Khan University, Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, said despite ongoing challenges such as climate change, chronic diseases, inadequate funding, digital inequality, and workforce gaps, Africa’s health sector is increasingly better positioned to integrate systems, deploy technology, and develop talent for quality healthcare delivery.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, said the summit offered an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration and advance universal health coverage through robust primary healthcare systems.
According to him, discussions at the summit are expected to generate a practical blueprint for building a more coherent and integrated health ecosystem across the continent.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, said global health security must remain a top priority for governments.
“Global health security is not a luxury; it is a prerequisite for national stability. We must move from reactive crisis management to proactive pandemic preparedness,” she said.
Director-General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, stressed the need for Africa to finance and build resilient health systems at scale to strengthen health security and reduce dependence on external support.
He said the Nairobi meeting provides a strategic platform for mobilising investments, strengthening partnerships, and advancing African-led healthcare solutions.
The summit will feature over 80 sessions focused on health financing, workforce development, digital health innovation, climate and health, and strengthening universal health coverage.
The meeting continues over the coming days with further discussions expected on emerging health challenges and long-term healthcare resilience across Africa.
The UK-Nigeria Technology Hub has launched its Creative Fund, a first‑phase grants initiative designed to address critical technical capacity gaps across Nigeria’s film, fashion, and music industries.
The fund will support the development of local digital production capacity, encourage the adoption of modern creative technologies, and promote the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), to strengthen Nigeria’s creative value chain.
The initiative directly supports the priorities of the UK‑Nigeria Economic Transformation and Investment Partnership (ETIP) Creatives Working Group launched in March 2025 and the delivers on commitments made during President Tinubu’s State visit to the UK in March 2026. It is designed to ensure that high potential creative projects can access the technical talent, tools, and resources required to produce, scale and complete their work locally.
Funded by the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub, under the UK Government’s Digital Access Programme and implemented by Tech4Dev, the Creative Fund responds directly evidence gathered through the State of the Creative Innovation Ecosystem in Nigeria, study in 2024. Drawing on over 1,700 survey responses, and fieldwork across seven states, the research showed that Nigeria’s creative economy employs approximately 4.2 million people and contributes around US$3 billion to GDP annually.
Despite this scale, the sector continues to face structural constraints – over 80% of practitioners are self-taught, fewer than 10% have access to formal financing, and high-value technical work is routinely outsourced outside the country. The Creative Fund is a direct response to these gaps, and central to the work of the ETIP Creative working Group.
Oyinkansola Akintola‑Bello, Director of the UK‑Nigeria Tech Hub, said: “Nigeria’s creative sector already delivers real economic value, and both governments have committed under the UK‑Nigeria Economic Transformation and Investment Partnership to supporting its growth.
“Through the ETIP Creatives Working Group, we are moving from ambition to action. The Creative Fund is a practical first‑phase intervention that addresses critical gaps in skills, infrastructure, and access to advanced tools, enabling Nigerian creatives to produce and scale high‑quality work locally.”
The Fund will support high-potential creative projects covering three industries; Film, Fashion, Music and will focus on initiatives that demonstrate strong potential for impact, scalability, and job creation.
It will subsidise projects that need to close technical gaps including critical specialists like VFX artists, sound engineers, post-production editors, and design professionals, or the digital tools and resources that make professional-quality work possible locally, for example digital asset management systems, content delivery tools, Digital Rights Management solutions, and AI-driven production technologies. The aim is straightforward; Nigeria’s best creative work should be made in Nigeria.
Abraham Akpan, Tech4Dev’s Country Manager for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa said: “The Creative industries are a core part of the digital economy, bringing together technology, culture and entrepreneurship.
“This Fund is about ensuring that Nigeria’s creative success is underpinned by sustainable local talent and capacity, while deliberately expanding access to tools, skills and finance for those who have been historically excluded. By prioritising women-led enterprises, youth-led ventures, and underrepresented groups, the fund embeds inclusion into every stage of delivery.”
The Fund is open to creative companies, studios, production houses, fashion enterprises, and music labels leading projects with clear technical needs. Applications will be assessed on project quality, its potential for local and international impact, and the applicant’s level of commitment to co-investment.
The initiative also encourages the responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence with selected projects expected to explore its application in production, storytelling, and innovation.
Applications are open now and will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the programme period.
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