The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the status and whereabouts of more than N30 billion reportedly recovered from the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) between 2024 and 2025.
President Bola Tinubu had suspended NSIPA operations on January 8, 2024, for six weeks to allow for a comprehensive investigation into alleged financial misconduct. Despite the suspension being lifted on January 21, 2025, lawmakers noted that the agency has remained unable to fully resume its programmes due to the non-release of the recovered funds.
At Tuesday’s plenary, the House adopted a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Saidu Abdullahi, representing Bida/Gbako/Katcha Federal Constituency of Niger State. The motion called for the constitution of an ad-hoc committee to trace the total amount recovered, determine its custodians, and establish why the funds have not been credited to NSIPA’s Treasury Single Account (TSA).
Abdullahi explained that NSIPA oversees key federal social protection initiatives such as the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), and the Grant for Vulnerable Groups (GVG). These programmes aim to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, boost nutrition and school enrolment, support small-scale businesses, and strengthen socioeconomic stability.
He recalled that the suspension of NSIPA operations prompted investigations by security and anti-corruption agencies, resulting in the tracing and recovery of substantial funds from deposit money banks and payment service providers, including allocations for TraderMoni, MarketMoni, FarmerMoni, and the GVG scheme.
However, Abdullahi expressed concern that credible reports indicate that over N30 billion of these recovered funds have not been remitted to NSIPA’s TSA. He warned that this delay has hindered programme implementation and denied millions of Nigerians essential social and economic support.
He added that the prolonged withholding of the funds undermines the Renewed Hope Agenda, weakens small-scale enterprises, worsens hardship, erodes public trust, and threatens programme timelines.
The House, after adopting the motion, directed the soon-to-be-formed ad-hoc committee to engage all relevant agencies to obtain detailed information on the recovered funds. The committee will also secure a clear implementation and disbursement plan from NSIPA to guide how the funds will be utilised once released.
