Dr Bernard Doro, Nigeria's Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, is at risk of contempt of court proceedings after allegedly failing to comply with a Federal High Court order directing him to publicly disclose the full list of beneficiaries of the conditional cash transfer programme in Ondo State.
Court documents obtained by POLITICS NIGERIA show that the minister has been served with Form 48—a formal legal notice under Nigerian civil procedure rules warning of the consequences of disobeying a valid court judgment. The notice was issued following non-compliance with a ruling delivered by Justice B.F.M. Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 3, 2025.
In the judgment, the court granted all reliefs sought by the plaintiff, Myson Nejo—a lawyer and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in the November 2024 Ondo State election. Nejo had sued the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs seeking transparency on the distribution of federal conditional cash transfers in Ondo State between January and May 2025, a period coinciding with the build-up to the gubernatorial poll.
The court specifically ordered the ministry to release comprehensive details of all beneficiaries across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State, including names, amounts received, dates of disbursement, and verification processes used. Justice Nyako also awarded ₦2 million in damages to Nejo for the ministry's initial refusal to provide the information through Freedom of Information requests.
According to court records, the ministry was duly served with the originating summons, hearing notices, the final judgment, and subsequent enforcement processes. No appeal has been filed against the November 2025 ruling, and no evidence of compliance—such as publication of the beneficiary list on the ministry's website, in national newspapers, or through any official channel—has been presented to the court or made public.
Form 48, now served on the minister, constitutes a "notice of consequences of disobedience to an order of court." It explicitly cautions that continued non-compliance may trigger committal proceedings for contempt of court, which could result in fines, sequestration of assets, or imprisonment until the order is obeyed.
The case originated from public statements made in early 2025 by Prof. Yilwatda Nentawe, then-Minister of Humanitarian Affairs (now National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress), claiming that approximately six million Nigerians had benefited from the federal conditional cash transfer programme. Nejo contended that such sweeping assertions required verifiable, disaggregated data—particularly in Ondo State, where the disbursements allegedly occurred during a politically sensitive election period. He argued that lack of transparency raised suspicions of misuse of public funds for electoral advantage.
Legal analysts say the matter highlights broader concerns about accountability in the management of social intervention programmes under President Bola Tinubu's administration. The conditional cash transfer scheme, inherited and expanded from previous governments, has been a flagship poverty alleviation initiative but has faced repeated allegations of politicization, ghost beneficiaries, and lack of proper monitoring.
As of Tuesday, February 24, 2026, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs had not issued any official statement addressing the court order, the Form 48 service, or plans for compliance. Neither the minister nor ministry spokespersons responded to requests for comment.
The development places significant pressure on the ministry at a time when public trust in government social welfare programmes remains fragile amid widespread economic hardship, high inflation, and unemployment. It also raises questions about the enforcement of judicial orders against federal officials and the potential political ramifications if contempt proceedings advance.
Myson Nejo, speaking after the latest development, reiterated his commitment to pursuing full enforcement of the judgment. "This is about transparency and the right of citizens to know how public funds are spent," he said. "If court orders can be ignored without consequence, then the rule of law is undermined."
The next step lies with Nejo's legal team, who may now file a motion for committal for contempt unless the minister complies by publishing the beneficiary list as ordered. Should contempt proceedings commence, they would likely return to Justice Nyako's court for hearing.
The case continues to draw attention from civil society groups, transparency advocates, and opposition parties, who view it as a test of the Tinubu administration's stated commitment to good governance and accountability in public resource management.
