Former National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, has denied allegations that she siphoned ₦44 billion, insisting she exposed financial irregularities within the agency before her suspension.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Monday, Shehu said she alerted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant authorities after discovering what she described as serious financial control lapses at the agency.
Shehu explained that she assumed office on October 18, 2023, with extensive knowledge of the ministry, having previously worked on the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme and participated in the establishment of the ministry.
According to her, she had a clear understanding of the financial position of each programme inherited from the previous administration and was committed to strengthening transparency and accountability.
She said she spearheaded the digitisation of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme in collaboration with the World Bank, introducing financial literacy initiatives and facilitating the opening of more than 1.9 million beneficiary accounts to improve accountability and bring more Nigerians into the formal financial system.
Shehu also highlighted her role in the Tinubu-Shettima presidential campaign, where she served as National Director of the Social and Humanitarian Directorate. She claimed her mobilisation efforts among women, youths and beneficiaries of social intervention programmes contributed nearly three million votes to the campaign.
Recounting her time at NSIPA, Shehu alleged that she uncovered weak financial controls shortly after assuming office.
She said she informed then Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, and the ministry’s permanent secretary about unauthorised movements of funds and questioned the minister’s involvement in financial transactions, arguing that such actions fell outside her mandate under the NSIPA Act.
Shehu further alleged that Betta Edu appointed more than 10 officials into the agency without following the legal process, insisting that the responsibility for appointing programme managers rested solely with the NSIPA chief executive.
According to her, several financial transactions were carried out without her approval or authorisation.
She claimed that funds were transferred directly through programme managers appointed by the minister, who allegedly reported only to Edu and were instructed not to take directives from the NSIPA chief executive.
She also alleged that the former minister ignored her official correspondence and never invited her to meetings, making it impossible for her to effectively oversee the agency’s operations.
