Auditor-General flags N33.75bn transfers to unverified beneficiaries

The National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) in Abuja failed to provide sufficient evidence to auditors that N33.75 billion in cash transfers to over 3.29 million vulnerable households reached genuine beneficiaries. The auditors could not obtain the required Remita statement showing the beneficiaries paid as against those listed on the National Social Register and National Beneficiary Register.

This made it difficult to ascertain whether the beneficiaries who received the funds were legitimate. The audit also identified weaknesses in the NCTO's internal control system, including the lack of full beneficiary details on paid vouchers and the obstruction of the auditors' attempts to access the Remita statement.