The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, as well as the management of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), to account for and clarify the whereabouts of an alleged ₦2.9 billion in public funds said to be missing or diverted from the two agencies.
SERAP urged him “to direct Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and anti-corruption agencies to investigate the alleged missing or diverted funds, and any other diverted public funds from the two agencies documented in previous annual reports by the Auditor-General.”
SERAP also urged him “to direct NIGCOMSAT to disclose the shareholders and beneficial owners of the company which collected ₦465 million in ‘unauthorised investment’ from the agency.”
SERAP said, “Anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing or diverted public funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury.”
The grave allegations are documented in the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on September 9, 2025.
In the letter dated April 11, 2026 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “These allegations, involving critical public institutions, represent a grave violation of the public trust and a fundamental breach of Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws and international obligations.
“Accountability in NIGCOMSAT and NNRA is critical given their strategic roles in Nigeria’s digital economy and national safety systems. Mismanagement in these agencies not only wastes scarce public resources but also threatens national development, technological progress, and public safety.”
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government, NIGCOMSAT and NNRA to comply with our request in the public interest,” the organisation said.
According to concerns raised in the Auditor-General’s reports cited by SERAP, the agency allegedly failed to account for ₦465 million invested in Gicell Wireless Ltd without required ministerial and federal approvals, proper investment documentation, or due diligence, raising fears that the funds may have been diverted.
Further issues include alleged ineligible staff-related payments of over ₦3 million without supporting documentation, and an irregular ₦4.37 million rent payment for NIGCOMSAT’s Lagos office made through a wrong intermediary, with no evidence of refund.
The audit also flagged over ₦3.48 million spent on staff-related branding and marketing activities without adherence to procurement rules, alongside concerns that such payments may have been improperly handled.
In addition, NIGCOMSAT reportedly failed to remit about ₦507.98 million in internally generated revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, and could not account for over ₦6.13 million meant for store items that were never supplied.
The agency was also said to have transferred about ₦84.78 million from its REMITA account to a “Special Project” account without clear justification or evidence of how the funds were used.
Furthermore, more than ₦1.68 billion in outstanding debts allegedly remain unrecovered, with some debts unchanged for over four years.
SERAP is therefore urging authorities to account for all funds flagged, recover missing monies, ensure proper remittance to the treasury, and enforce accountability measures across the agency.
“NIGCOMSAT ‘failed to remit over ₦64 million [₦64,727,215.00] of statutory taxes deducted from payments made to various contractors and other beneficiaries as at 31st December, 2020.’ The Auditor-General fears ‘the money may have been lost,’” SERAP said.
“The Auditor-General noted that the above alleged diverted and lost public funds in NIGCOMSAT covered the periods of January 2021 to December 2021.”
SERAP also called for accountability over alleged financial irregularities at the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Abuja, involving several questionable payments and unaccounted funds flagged in Auditor-General reports.
According to the audit findings cited, the agency reportedly spent over ₦4.35 million on staff training in device optimization and security without evidence that the training took place, including no records of participants, attendance, venue, or completion reports.
It was also alleged that NNRA spent about ₦16.7 million on ICT equipment without proper approval, raising concerns that the items may not have been supplied.
Further findings indicate that more than ₦33.4 million was paid for store items such as window blinds, solar inverters, branded mugs, and diesel, which were reportedly never delivered.
The agency also spent over ₦15 million on various internal programmes, including staff induction and sensitisation exercises, without supporting documentation, while an additional ₦1.5 million cash advance for branded mugs was disbursed without following procurement procedures.
Audit concerns further show that about ₦9.1 million was used for store items such as ID card materials, pumping machines, and toner cartridges, which were also not supplied.
In addition, over ₦6.5 million in cash advances granted to staff for operational expenses reportedly remained unretired, and more than ₦2.05 million paid for foreign training in Dubai had no evidence of attendance.
The NNRA was also said to have failed to properly record about ₦1.95 million collected through Remita as penalty fees, leading to concerns about underreported revenue.
SERAP is therefore urging authorities to investigate the alleged lapses, recover any missing funds, ensure proper documentation of public spending, and enforce stricter financial accountability within the agency.
“The Auditor-General wants NNRA ‘to account for the money, and show evidence that the transactions have been recognized in the cashbook for the period under review or face sanctions relating to failure to collect and account for government revenue and gross misconduct,” it said.
“The Auditor-General noted that the above alleged diverted and lost public funds in NNRA covered the periods of January 2022 to December 2022.”
