The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas seven days to refer the allegations of diversion or failure to account for over N6.3 billion constituency project funds to anti-corruption agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, made the demand in a letter dated June 27, 2026, and addressed to the National Assembly, saying the organisation will take all necessary legal steps to compel the National Assembly to probe the allegations in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 Annual Report, published on September 9, 2025.
“We would appreciate the implementation of the recommended measures within seven days of receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the National Assembly to comply with our request in the public interest,” SERAP added.
The organisation urged the National Assembly leadership to make public the identities of contractors and companies that allegedly received constituency project funds without executing the projects, including the identities of their shareholders and beneficial owners.
“The allegations are against some federal ministries, departments and agencies including Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom; Federal Polytechnic, Udana; National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS),” he added.
SERAP said the Auditor-General’s report documented several cases of payments into private bank accounts, contracts awarded without due process, payments for contracts that were allegedly not executed or for services not rendered, undocumented expenditures, inflated contracts, procurement irregularities and failure to account for public funds.
The 2022 audited report on pages 367 to 396 states that the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON or Council) Abuja paid over ‘N22 million [N22,944,565.16] into the private account of some members of staff of the Council from the Constituency Projects Fund Account. There was “no evidence of utilisation of the funds and no explanations on the purpose for the payment of such amount into the individual accounts,” SERAP said.
The organisation also alleged that the council gave consultancy contracts valued at over N12.03 million in 2021 for the development of modern abattoirs in Kebbi State and the supervision of seven projects in Kebbi, Jigawa and Abuja. However, the report allegedly did not find any evidence that they were delivered including bills of quantities and engineering designs.
The money was to “produce bills of quantity, architectural design, structural design, mechanical design and electrical designs for the contracts and supervision. But the items could not be identified,’ he added.
The Auditor-General also claimed that the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, disbursed over N279.7 million to three contractors for youth and women’s empowerment and vocational training projects in Niger and Plateau states in 2022 without any supporting documentation, SERAP said.
The organisation said the report also alleged that another N279.7 million was paid as mobilisation fees without documentation, while more than N629.4 million was disbursed to contractors who allegedly did not meet procurement requirements, with no evidence of due process or contract advertisements.
SERAP said the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, allegedly paid over N407 million as mobilisation fees without supporting documents, more than N399 million to unqualified contractors, inflated contracts by over N192 million, spent more than N279 million on projects that were not fully executed, N50 million for an unexecuted borehole project, and disbursed over N83 million without the required approvals and documentation.
The group also accused NAPTIP of breaching procurement regulations by awarding contracts totaling over N21.8 million, paying over N176.8 million for logistics and consultancy services without proper documentation, and spending over N94 million on projects that were allegedly never executed.
SERAP also said the Auditor-General reported that NILDS did not submit audited financial statements for 2012 to 2022, failed to remit over N15 million as stamp duties and spent N1.6 million without approval of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Corruption in constituency projects denies poor and vulnerable Nigerians basic public services and development benefits, and undermines public confidence in government institutions, SERAP argued.
It called on the National Assembly to show leadership by ensuring accountability in the management of constituency project funds, noting that the allegations if proven would be a breach of the Constitution, Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and Public Procurement Act 2007, all of which demand transparency, accountability and due process in the use of public funds.
