The House of Representatives has opened an investigation into the whereabouts of over N30 billion recovered during the 2024–2025 probe into the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), amid concerns that the funds have not been lodged into the agency’s Treasury Single Account (TSA).
The decision followed an urgent motion raised on Tuesday by Saidu Abdullahi, who warned that millions of vulnerable Nigerians risk being cut off from essential social intervention programmes due to the unexplained delay in releasing the funds.
Abdullahi reminded lawmakers that NSIPA oversees major Federal Government welfare schemes, including the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, and the Grants for Vulnerable Groups.
He further recalled that President Bola Tinubu suspended NSIPA’s operations on 8 January 2024 to allow anti-corruption and security agencies investigate alleged financial irregularities within programmes such as TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni. According to him, the probe led to the tracing and recovery of “substantial sums” meant for the schemes.
However, Abdullahi expressed concern that despite these recoveries, credible intelligence suggests that more than N30 billion has not been transferred into NSIPA’s TSA — a development he said is crippling the rollout of intervention programmes nationwide.
“This prolonged non-release undermines the Renewed Hope Agenda, slows down poverty-reduction efforts, and exposes millions of poor households to avoidable hardship,” he warned.
Abdullahi added that although the President lifted the suspension on 21 January 2025, NSIPA remains unable to resume full operations because the recovered funds have not been made available.
He stressed that the uncertainty around “the location, custodianship and administrative management” of the money poses serious fiscal risks and could hinder the effectiveness of national poverty-alleviation initiatives.
Following unanimous adoption of the motion, the House resolved to:
- Set up an ad hoc committee to investigate all funds recovered during the 2024–2025 NSIPA probe.
- Verify the current status and custodians of the recovered monies.
- Determine why the funds have not been remitted into the agency’s TSA.
- Engage all relevant government institutions for documentation and clarification.
- Obtain from NSIPA an updated implementation and disbursement plan once the funds are released.
The committee is expected to report back within four weeks.
Presiding over the session, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu upheld the motion, stressing the legislature’s commitment to ensuring transparency, accountability and proper utilisation of resources dedicated to poverty-reduction programmes.
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