Former National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Halima Shehu, has strongly refuted allegations linking her to the diversion of forty-four billion Naira, asserting that no public funds were ever transferred into her personal accounts or those belonging to her family members and friends. Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, Shehu broke her silence on the financial scandal that led to her abrupt suspension in December 2023, maintaining that she acted as an internal whistleblower who raised red flags over widespread financial irregularities and systemic bypasses within the agency before being removed from her post.
Shehu explained that shortly after assuming office at the agency, she discovered glaring weaknesses in financial control systems and observed unauthorized monetary movements that violated established administrative procedures. According to her account, several transactions were executed without her knowledge, authorization, or formal consent, despite her statutory role as the chief executive officer. She alleged that the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, appointed more than ten program managers into the agency outside the legally mandated organizational structure and instructed them to operate independently of her supervision. Shehu stated that financial operations were routinely routed directly from the ministry level to these appointed officials, effectively side-stepping internal checks and balances.
The former agency chief revealed that upon uncovering these breaches of financial regulations, she immediately escalated her concerns to key authorities, including the minister herself and the ministry's permanent secretary. When internal appeals failed to address the situation, Shehu formally petitioned anti-graft agencies, submitting detailed documentations to both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in December 2023. She also disclosed that she contacted international partners, including representatives of the World Bank, warning them against directly releasing funds from an eight-hundred-million-dollar support facility without proper oversight mechanisms in place.
Despite taking these formal steps to report the alleged misconduct, Shehu claimed she suffered retaliatory action rather than receiving protection under whistleblowing protocols. Barely ten weeks after escalating the matter and handing over evidentiary documents to anti-corruption investigators, she was suspended from her position while media reports emerged accusing her of diverting agency funds. Shehu expressed dismay that the comprehensive reports and evidence she voluntarily provided to investigators were seemingly disregarded, leading to public character assassination instead of a transparent review of the facts.
Directly addressing the central allegations regarding the forty-four billion Naira under scrutiny, Shehu insisted that investigative bodies never traced or recovered a single Naira from her bank accounts or those of her associates. She clarified that the large-scale fund transfers highlighted by investigators were legitimate institutional disbursements made to licensed commercial banks, microfinance institutions, and payment service providers contracted to distribute social welfare stipends to vulnerable beneficiaries under government intervention programs.
Throughout the probe, Shehu maintained that she cooperated fully with investigative authorities, providing full access to records and assisting agents in understanding the administrative workflow. Emphasizing that her personal integrity remains her most valued asset, Shehu conceded that while administrative oversights might have occurred during her brief ten-week tenure, she never engaged in corrupt practices or misappropriated funds intended for impoverished citizens. She concluded her interview by calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene directly, review the findings of the investigation, and publicly clear her name to restore her professional reputation.
