HEDA Demands Transparency in N330bn Social Safety Net Disbursement

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has called on the Federal Government to release a full list of beneficiaries and a detailed breakdown of the N330bn reportedly distributed to poor Nigerians under the National Social Safety-net Coordinating Office.

The demand followed Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun’s recent disclosure that the government had commenced cash transfers funded by an $800m World Bank loan to cushion the impact of economic hardship.

In a statement issued on Sunday, HEDA Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, acknowledged the necessity of social protection given rising inflation and the removal of fuel subsidy but criticized the government for failing to uphold transparency in managing public funds. Suraju noted that the claim of disbursing N330bn “raises more questions than answers,” insisting Nigerians must know who the beneficiaries are, how they were selected, and the precise amounts received.

HEDA warned that without verifiable records, such cash transfers risk being tainted by corruption, patronage, and manipulation—citing controversies around similar schemes under former ministers Sadiya Umar and Betta Edu. The group urged the Finance Ministry to publish detailed data on beneficiaries and ensure future allocations are openly scrutinized by civil society, the media, and the public. It reaffirmed its commitment to monitoring government spending to guarantee that interventions reach the truly poor and vulnerable rather than becoming political tools or ghost schemes.