The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Government. The suit follows Auditor-General queries. The queries concerned unverified disbursements and missing financial records in the national social safety net programme. SERAP is asking the court to compel accountability. The case was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Nigeria’s social safety net programmes have faced repeated criticism. The Conditional Cash Transfer scheme was launched in 2016. It aimed to reach millions of poor households. In 2020, the Auditor-General flagged irregularities. In 2022, the House of Representatives investigated payments to ghost beneficiaries. In 2024, the World Bank demanded better tracking. The pattern repeats. Funds are disbursed. Records are missing. Beneficiaries are unverified. The poor are left without support.
SERAP said the Auditor-General’s reports exposed systemic failures. The reports identified unverified payments. They identified missing records. They identified weak controls. SERAP argued that the government has a legal obligation to account for public funds. It asked the court to compel the publication of disbursement records. It asked for an investigation. It asked for the recovery of misappropriated funds.
The government has not responded. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has not commented. The case is pending. No date has been set for hearing.
The social safety net is a flagship programme. It is meant to cushion the poor. It is funded by the government and international partners. The World Bank has provided loans. The programme has reached millions. It has also been plagued by fraud. The Auditor-General’s queries confirm the pattern.
The lawsuit is part of SERAP’s broader strategy. The group has sued the government over education, health and corruption. It has won some cases. It has lost others. The current suit may take years. The poor cannot wait years. The funds are needed now.
Winners: SERAP, which shows advocacy. Transparency advocates, who gain a case. Beneficiaries, if the funds are recovered. Losers: The government, which faces scrutiny. Officials who mishandled funds. The poor, who wait for relief. Taxpayers, whose money was misused.
Bottom Line: SERAP sued the government. The Auditor-General found unverified payments. The poor need support. The case must proceed. Accountability is not optional.