The Nigerian government under President Bola Tinubu’s administration spent a combined total of N130 billion on the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for ex-militants in the Niger Delta region during the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years. Each year accounted for N65 billion in expenditure aimed at maintaining peace and reintegrating former militants.
However, a recent Auditor-General’s report has uncovered alarming financial irregularities within the programme’s operations. The report highlights unauthorized withdrawals exceeding N6 billion without proper auditing, including payments of N1.53 billion for tuition fees to various universities for supposed students under the PAP without any supporting documentation such as receipts, admission letters, or evidence of payment. This violates Paragraphs 708 and 603(i) of the Financial Regulations, which mandate proof of service delivery and full particulars in payment vouchers.
Further breaches include the raising of N3.62 billion without any internal audit checks and cash advances totaling N29 million granted above regulatory limits to program officers without proper settlement of previous advances. Additionally, N87.7 million was spent on store items with no evidence that these were recorded in the program’s store ledger, suggesting poor inventory control.
These findings expose significant weaknesses in the internal control system of the PAP office in Abuja. Efforts to seek explanations from the programme’s management were unsuccessful. The irregularities underscore the urgent need for improved financial oversight to safeguard funds allocated for peacebuilding and development in the Niger Delta.
