The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of turning its social intervention programmes into what it described as a “criminal enterprise” meant to benefit officials instead of poor Nigerians.
The party made the allegation in a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, following a report by the Auditor-General of the Federation that N33.75 billion in cash transfers to 3.29 million households could not be verified.
The ADC said the finding raised serious questions about the management of funds meant to support vulnerable Nigerians.
“Let us call this what it is. Not mismanagement. Not an oversight. It is an organised racket,” Abdullahi said.
He alleged that the latest finding was part of a pattern of problems that had affected the government’s social investment programmes.
The party recalled previous controversies involving former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu and former National Social Investment Programme Agency boss Halima Shehu.
According to the ADC, N585 million was reportedly transferred to a private account linked to Edu at the beginning of the Tinubu administration, while another N44 billion was allegedly unaccounted for under Shehu.
The party questioned why the government was introducing a new $1 billion Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme despite concerns over accountability in previous interventions.
Abdullahi said the government had not shown enough evidence that it had put stronger measures in place to prevent the misuse of the new funds.
“Given the familiar history, we are in no doubt that even in the unlikely event that this latest intervention is ever implemented, it would end up like the others before it: another racket,” he said.
The ADC also linked the growing need for government cash transfers to the economic hardship caused by the removal of the fuel subsidy and the devaluation of the naira.
It accused the government of creating hardship through its policies and then failing to properly manage programmes designed to cushion the impact on Nigerians.
“This is a government that manufactured hardship with one hand and pocketed the relief with the other,” the party said.
The ADC called for a full investigation into the social intervention scheme and demanded the immediate publication of the complete beneficiary register, REMITA payment records and the names of officials who allegedly obstructed the Auditor-General’s work.
