NEWS
Atiku Vows Probe of ₦33.75bn Cash Transfer to 3.29m Nigerians
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to constitute an independent team of experts to investigate ₦33.75 billion reportedly paid to 3.29 million vulnerable Nigerian households under the Federal Government’s cash-transfer programme.
Atiku made the declaration in a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, following an audit report that raised questions over whether the funds actually reached the intended beneficiaries.
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According to Atiku, the figures expose serious concerns about the government’s intervention programme, noting that ₦33.75 billion divided among 3.29 million households amounts to approximately ₦10,258 per household.
He criticised the Bola Tinubu administration for removing the fuel subsidy and increasing taxes, tariffs, transportation and electricity costs, while the intervention meant to cushion the impact of those policies was now facing serious accountability questions.
“This is beyond a bookkeeping scandal. The intervention is insultingly small, yet even that small amount cannot be cleanly accounted for,” Atiku said.
He also questioned the varying figures released by the government regarding the number of households that benefited from its intervention programme.
Atiku noted that the administration had claimed that more than ₦600 billion had been disbursed to over 10 million households, after Nigerians were earlier told that about 15 million households were beneficiaries.
“It now appears that the Tinubu administration cannot give Nigerians a coherent account of how many households actually benefited from its intervention programme, while significant portions of the expenditure have failed to withstand independent audit scrutiny,” he said.
The former vice president said the Auditor-General for the Federation, Shaakaa Chira, was reportedly questioning ₦33.75 billion allegedly paid to 3.29 million beneficiaries.
He added that the audit also raised questions over ₦36.74 billion in payments reportedly made without pre-payment audit and another ₦4.62 billion for which payment vouchers were not produced.
Atiku commended Chira for what he described as putting his constitutional responsibility above political convenience.
“That is what institutions are supposed to do — protect the public purse, not the political comfort of those in power,” he said.
Explaining his decision to launch an independent probe, Atiku said Nigerians could not reasonably be expected to trust the same government whose expenditure was under scrutiny to investigate itself.
“My team will constitute an independent group of financial, audit, technology and public-accounting experts to interrogate the available records surrounding these cash-transfer payments,” he said.
He said the team would examine beneficiary figures, payment channels, reconciliation records, audit queries and other inconsistencies surrounding the payments.
Atiku also said the investigation would establish whether the beneficiaries actually received the funds and determine whether access to relevant records had been obstructed.
“If Remita processed these transactions, the relevant records should be available for scrutiny. If beneficiaries received the money, there should be evidence. If access to records was obstructed, Nigerians deserve to know by whom and why,” he said.
He demanded that the government publish a verifiable payment trail if the beneficiaries were genuine, while insisting that funds should be recovered if they did not reach the intended recipients.
Atiku further called for prosecution of any official found to have diverted, misapplied or misappropriated funds meant for vulnerable Nigerians.
He argued that Nigerians needed more than repeated palliative announcements, saying the government should pursue economic policies capable of improving purchasing power and reducing the daily cost of transportation, food and energy.
“Our intervention will follow production. It will support domestic refining, increase local supply, reduce the cost of energy and ensure that the benefit reaches Nigerians through lower prices,” he said.
Atiku maintained that Nigerians who had already endured higher fuel prices, food costs, electricity bills, transportation fares and taxes should not also lose funds appropriated in their names.
Former Anambra State Governor and presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s continued absence from the United Nations General Assembly, contrasting it with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama’s participation in the 81st UNGA.
Obi raised the question in a post on X on Sunday, while reacting to Mahama’s address at the global gathering.
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The former presidential candidate wrote: “The dynamic President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, delivered a remarkable address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The international community has commended his leadership and the substance of his address.
“It is a reminder of what leadership can produce when competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character come together in the service of a nation.”
Obi then drew attention to Nigeria’s absence at the presidential level, asking why Tinubu had not attended the global gathering.
He wrote:
“Against this background, many are asking: Where is the President of Africa’s most populous nation, a country of more than 200 million people – more than Ghana – whose leader has been absent from the global stage for three consecutive UNGAs?
“Nigeria’s President, who ought to be representing the country and providing leadership for Africa at the international level, has not attended any of these three global gatherings. Where is he, particularly at a time when the country faces significant challenges, both domestically and internationally?”
Obi acknowledged that Vice President Kashim Shettima was present at the UNGA but maintained that questions remained over the President’s absence.
He stated: “Although our Vice President, Kashim Shettima, was present, the question remains: Where is the President?
“Let us continue to pray for his return and for his leadership in addressing the many challenges confronting the nation.”
Obi ended the post with his familiar political message:
Tinubu did not attend the 81st UNGA, with Shettima representing Nigeria at the gathering.
The President’s absence marks his third consecutive non-attendance at the UN General Assembly after he also did not personally attend the 79th and 80th sessions.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Africa cannot continue to bear the burdens of the global international order while being denied an equal voice in directing it.
Shettima stated this during a meeting with the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The development was contained in a statement issued on September 27, 2026, by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President.
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Shettima said Africa’s continued exclusion from permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council undermines fairness and the legitimacy of global governance.
“A continent cannot be summoned to bear the burdens of the international order and then denied an equal hand in directing it,” he said.
The Vice President reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for urgent reform of the United Nations, saying international institutions must become more representative, responsive and credible while reflecting current geopolitical and demographic realities.
He also commended UN Secretary-General António Guterres for supporting a more representative Security Council, citing his position that a 21st-century Council without permanent African representation is “unjust and indefensible.”
Shettima further praised Guterres for defending international law and human dignity amid conflicts and growing global tensions.
“You have remained a voice of reason as individual states drift from the obligations they assumed under the United Nations Charter and the rules of international law,” Shettima said.
He stressed that diplomacy must remain focused on the human consequences of conflicts.
“The mother searching for her child, the family driven from home and the hungry child awaiting food must never become abstractions in the language of states,” he added.
The Vice President also commended Amina Mohammed for her role in multilateral diplomacy and sustainable development, describing her service as a source of pride to Nigeria.
“Nigeria will remain a willing ally in the work of restoring trust among nations and dignity to lives diminished by hunger, violence and exclusion,” he said.
Mohammed, in response, thanked Nigeria and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for their support for the United Nations and her office.
“I want to thank through you, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and you for embracing me wholeheartedly not just as the DSG but as a daughter of the soil,” she said.
She described the visit as a “deep honour” and said Tinubu had been an “incredible support” to her and the UN institution.
Those present at the meeting included Governors Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara; Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim; and other senior officials.
Heavy rains have triggered severe flooding across parts of Bangkok, Thailand, forcing nearly 4,900 residents to evacuate to shelters as floodwaters swept through roads and residential areas.
The flooding has disrupted movement across parts of the Thai capital, with motorists and pedestrians forced to navigate submerged roads and seek alternative routes.
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According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, about 52,000 households have been affected by the flooding, prompting authorities to declare a flood disaster and intensify emergency response efforts.
Emergency teams have been deployed to assist affected communities and move residents from vulnerable areas to safer locations as water levels rise.
Bangkok is accustomed to seasonal heavy rainfall, but intense downpours can overwhelm drainage systems, particularly in low-lying areas, resulting in widespread flooding and disruption.
Authorities are continuing to monitor affected locations while coordinating evacuations and other emergency measures.
For thousands of residents, the immediate priority remains securing safe shelter and protecting homes and livelihoods as authorities work to manage the situation and restore normal activities once the floodwaters recede.
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