Former National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, has dismissed allegations that she diverted ₦44 billion, maintaining that no government funds were traced to her personal accounts or those of her family.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Shehu said she uncovered financial irregularities within the agency shortly after assuming office and promptly reported them to relevant authorities before her suspension in December 2023.
According to the former NSIPA chief, she observed significant weaknesses in the agency’s financial management system and raised her concerns with the then Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, as well as other government officials.
She alleged that certain financial transactions were carried out without her approval, authorization, or knowledge, adding that some programme managers appointed by the ministry operated outside the agency’s established administrative framework.
“There were movements of funds that I didn’t give approval for, didn’t authorize, and didn’t consent to,” Shehu said, insisting that she was unaware of the transactions at the time they occurred.
She further disclosed that she formally petitioned both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging financial misconduct within the agency before she was eventually suspended.
Shehu argued that instead of receiving protection for reporting the alleged irregularities, she was removed from office barely ten weeks after bringing the issues to the attention of anti-graft agencies.
Refuting claims that she diverted ₦44 billion, the former NSIPA boss said investigators did not recover any funds from her personal accounts or those belonging to her relatives or associates.
“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,” she stated.
She explained that the transactions currently under scrutiny involved payments made to licensed service providers and financial institutions responsible for distributing government social intervention funds to beneficiaries across the country.
Shehu also said she fully cooperated with investigators by submitting relevant documents and evidence to support her account of events.
Calling for greater transparency, she appealed to President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the findings of investigations into NSIPA’s financial activities are made 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 said.
Her remarks come as investigations and public scrutiny continue over the management of funds allocated to Nigeria’s social investment programmes under the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
₦44bn Fraud: I Blew The Whistle, But I Got Reprisal Instead Of Honour – Shehu
I gave the EFCC documents and evidence. The facts speak for themselves. I provided everything needed to clear my name of these false allegations, including records of the transfers and evidence of… pic.twitter.com/thCXtsLfUw
— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) July 27, 2026
