Former National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, has denied diverting ₦44 billion, saying neither she nor her family benefited from funds meant for the agency’s social intervention programmes.
Speaking on Arise Television on Monday, Shehu said she uncovered major financial irregularities shortly after taking office and reported them before her suspension in December 2023.
She said she raised concerns with then Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, after finding weak financial controls at NSIPA. According to her, funds were moved without her approval, while some programme managers appointed by the minister worked outside the agency’s administrative structure.
“There were movements of funds that I neither approved nor authorised,” Shehu said, alleging that the transactions happened without her knowledge or consent.
She also said she petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged breaches of due process in managing NSIPA funds.
Shehu said she was suspended barely 10 weeks after reporting the alleged irregularities, arguing that she was punished instead of being protected as a whistleblower.
Denying the ₦44 billion diversion allegation, she said investigators found no public funds in her personal accounts or those of her relatives and associates.
“I never transferred ₦44 billion to any personal account. The EFCC never recovered a kobo from my account, my family’s account or any friend’s account,” she said.
She explained that the transactions under investigation involved licensed service providers and financial institutions handling the payment of government social intervention funds to beneficiaries, rather than transfers to private accounts.
Shehu said she cooperated fully with investigators and submitted documents and other evidence during the probe.
She urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure transparency by making the NSIPA investigation findings public, saying this would clear her name.
“My integrity is my greatest asset. I may have made administrative mistakes, but I am not corrupt, and I did not divert funds meant for poor and vulnerable Nigerians,” she stated.
