Ex-NSIPA boss speaks on alleged diversion of N44b

Former National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Halima Shehu, has denied allegations that she diverted ₦44 billion, insisting that no funds were transferred to her personal account.

She spoke on the allegation while speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Monday.

Shehu said she alerted anti-graft agencies and other relevant authorities to alleged financial irregularities within the agency before her suspension in December 2023.

According to her, she discovered weak financial controls shortly after assuming office and raised concerns with the then Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, and other officials.

She alleged that funds were moved without her approval and that several programme managers appointed by the minister operated outside the agency’s established structure.

“There were movements of funds that I didn’t give approval for, didn’t authorise and didn’t consent to,” Shehu said, adding that the transactions were allegedly carried out without her knowledge.

The former NSIPA boss further claimed that she formally petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over the alleged violations before she was suspended.

Shehu maintained that rather than being protected as a whistleblower, she was removed from office barely 10 weeks after escalating the matter.

Rejecting allegations that she diverted ₦44 billion, she said investigators never traced any funds to her or members of her family.

“I never transferred ₦44 billion to any personal account. The EFCC never recovered a penny from my account, my family’s account, or any friend’s account,” she said.

She explained that the transfers under scrutiny were payments made to licensed service providers and financial institutions responsible for disbursing funds to beneficiaries of government social intervention programmes.

Shehu said she fully cooperated with the EFCC investigation and provided documents and evidence to support her claims.

Urging President Bola Tinubu to intervene, she called for the findings of investigations into the agency to be made public.

“My integrity is my asset. I may have made administrative mistakes, but I am not corrupt and I did not take funds meant for poor and vulnerable Nigerians,” she said.

Shehu’s remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny of financial activities linked to the administration of social investment programmes under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖