Suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to make public the report of its investigation into allegations that led to her suspension from office.
Shehu, who was suspended in January 2024 over alleged financial impropriety, said the publication of the report would vindicate her and restore her reputation, which she said had been damaged by what she described as false allegations.
The EFCC had questioned her following the suspension but has yet to publicly disclose the outcome of its investigation.
In an open letter addressed to the president and titled, “A Respectful Urgent Appeal for Justice, Vindication and Restoration Following Reprisal and False Allegations Against Me,” Shehu said she remained hopeful that Tinubu would intervene in her case.
The former NSIPA boss said she had devoted years of her life to public service and supported Tinubu’s presidential ambition long before he assumed office.
According to her, she lost her previous job under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari because of her political support for Tinubu and later lost her position in the current administration over allegations she insists were unfounded.
Shehu described the allegations against her as the most difficult period of her life, saying they had inflicted emotional, financial and reputational damage on her family.
She maintained that shortly after assuming office, she uncovered alleged financial irregularities and weak internal controls within NSIPA and reported the matter to anti-corruption agencies.
According to her, on December 22, 2023, she submitted documentary evidence of the alleged infractions to the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), expecting investigations to follow.
She, however, claimed that barely 10 days later, she was suspended without receiving any feedback from the agencies.
The former NSIPA chief further alleged that during her 10-week tenure, nearly N14 billion was withdrawn from the agency’s accounts without her approval or knowledge.
She also claimed that unauthorised signatories were added to the agency’s Remita account with the Central Bank of Nigeria, resulting in transactions outside her authority.
Shehu insisted that the EFCC did not recover any money from her and defended her stewardship, citing her previous management of the World Bank-supported Conditional Cash Transfer programme.
She said she supervised the digitisation of the programme, leading to the opening of more than 1.9 million beneficiary accounts across commercial banks, microfinance banks and payment service providers.
She disclosed that she had since written several letters to the EFCC, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and President Tinubu, requesting the conclusion and publication of the investigation but had yet to receive any response.
“My only prayer has been for closure and direct public release of the investigation report so the truth can be known and I can be free to continue to serve my country,” she wrote.