Halima Shehu Denies N44bn Fraud, Says She Was Bypassed

Halima Shehu, former National Coordinator and CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, has firmly denied the N44 billion allegations that have followed her since her sudden suspension in December 2023.

Speaking in an interview on Arise Television, Shehu said that long before the allegations became public, she had already flagged serious financial concerns to anti-graft agencies and other relevant authorities.

According to her, the trouble started almost as soon as she took office. She says she discovered weak financial controls within NSIPA and raised the alarm with Betta Edu, then Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, along with other officials.

Shehu claimed that certain programme managers appointed by the minister operated outside the agency's official structure, and that funds moved through the system without her sign-off.

"There were movements of funds that I didn't give approval for, didn't authorize, and didn't consent to," she said, adding that she was unaware the transactions were happening at all.

Before her suspension, Shehu says she formally petitioned two of Nigeria's top anti-corruption bodies, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, over what she believed were serious irregularities.

Her account of what happened next is blunt. Rather than being shielded as a whistleblower, she says she was removed from her position just ten weeks after raising the alarm.

On the central allegation, that she personally embezzled N44 billion, Shehu was unequivocal.

"I never transferred N44 billion to any personal account. The EFCC never recovered a penny from my account, my family's account, or any friend's account," she said.

She explained that the funds under scrutiny were sent to licensed financial institutions and service providers responsible for disbursing government social intervention payments to beneficiaries, not to any personal account.

Key points from her account:

• She says she reported irregularities before her suspension, not after
• She claims no funds were ever traced to her or her family
• She says she cooperated fully with the EFCC and provided supporting documentation

Shehu called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the findings of the agency's ongoing investigations 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.