Auditor-General queries N33.75bn cash transfers to 3.29m households

The Auditor-General for the Federation has raised questions over the disbursement of N33.75 billion in cash transfers to more than 3.29 million households across 35 states in 2023, saying available records were insufficient to establish that the funds reached legitimate beneficiaries.

The concern is contained in the 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance and Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, which reviewed transactions of the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Abuja, for the 2023 financial year.

The report, which was forwarded to the National Assembly on July 17, 2026, disclosed that electronic payments amounting to N33.751 billion were made to 3,295,207 households and beneficiaries captured in the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register.

However, the auditors said they were unable to confirm the identities of those who received the money because the payment vouchers lacked complete beneficiary information. They also noted that documents needed to match the disbursements with the official beneficiary registers were not provided.

A major issue highlighted by the auditors was the failure of the NCTO to produce a Remita statement that could show which beneficiaries actually received the payments compared with those listed in the two registers.

“This hindered the authentication of the payments and made it difficult to ascertain whether the beneficiaries who received the funds were genuine,” the auditors said.

The report further stated that attempts by the auditors to secure the Remita records from the cash transfer office were unsuccessful.

“All efforts to obtain access to the REMITA statement were obstructed and denied by NCTO accounts staff, thereby frustrating the audit process,” the report stated.

According to the auditors, the absence of adequate documentation exposed the government to the risk of making payments to people who were not eligible for the programme or to fictitious beneficiaries, potentially resulting in the loss of public funds.

The auditors also faulted the NCTO management for failing to respond to the audit query, stressing that the findings would remain in force until the recommended corrective actions were implemented.

Consequently, the Auditor-General recommended that the official responsible for managing the national programme should appear before the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly to account for the N33.75 billion and provide evidence that the funds were received by the intended beneficiaries.

The audit office further advised that any portion of the money that could not be satisfactorily accounted for should be recovered and returned to the national treasury.

It also called for documentary evidence confirming beneficiaries’ receipt of the funds to be submitted to the Public Accounts Committee.

The auditors warned that failure to provide the requested records should lead to sanctions for irregular payments in line with paragraph 3106 of the Financial Regulations, 2009.

They said the lapses identified in the disbursement process were contrary to provisions of the Financial Regulations governing public expenditure and documentation.

The audit team referred to paragraph 613, which places a responsibility on paying officers to ensure that recipients of public funds are authorised beneficiaries and, where required, provide proof of identity.

It also cited paragraph 603(i), which stipulates that payment vouchers must contain full details of the transaction and relevant supporting documents to enable proper verification.

The N33.75 billion cash-transfer issue was one of eight audit queries raised against the NCTO, covering transactions involving billions of naira and weaknesses in the office’s internal control framework.

Beyond the cash-transfer programme, the wider audit report identified several other financial management shortcomings across federal institutions, including payments without adequate supporting documents, unretired cash advances, revenues that were not remitted and contracts awarded in breach of established procedures.

(DAILY TRUST)