I never diverted ₦44bn, says Ex-NSIPA boss

Former National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, has vehemently denied allegations of diverting ₦44 billion. She stated during a Monday interview on Arise Television that no funds were transferred to her personal account.

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There were movements of funds that I didn’t give approval for, didn’t authorise and didn’t consent to.

Shehu asserted that she alerted anti-graft agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), 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.

"There were movements of funds that I didn’t give approval for, didn’t authorise and didn’t consent to," Shehu said, adding that these transactions allegedly occurred without her knowledge. She further claimed that she formally petitioned the EFCC and ICPC over these violations before her suspension. Shehu maintained that instead of being protected as a whistleblower, she was removed from office just 10 weeks after escalating the matter.

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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.

Rejecting the ₦44 billion diversion claims, Shehu stated that investigators never traced any funds to her, her family, or her friends. 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 programs. Shehu emphasized her full cooperation with the EFCC and called for President Bola Tinubu to intervene and make the investigation findings 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 declared.

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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.