The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas to immediately refer allegations of the diversion and mismanagement of over N6.3bn in constituency project funds to anti-corruption agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.
In a letter dated June 27, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation urged the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that anyone found culpable is prosecuted if sufficient evidence exists and that all diverted or unaccounted-for public funds are recovered and returned to the treasury.
SERAP also demanded the public disclosure of the identities of contractors, companies, their shareholders and beneficial owners that received constituency project funds but allegedly failed to execute the projects.
The organisation said the allegations are contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2022 annual report, published on September 9, 2025, describing the findings as evidence of “a grave violation of public trust” and constitutional provisions on accountability.
According to SERAP, the allegations of corruption in constituency projects continue to undermine economic development, weaken public confidence in government institutions and deprive Nigerians of essential public services.
The group gave the National Assembly seven days to act on its demands, warning that it would institute legal proceedings if no action is taken.
“The allegations that over N6.3bn in constituency project funds may have been diverted suggest a grave violation of the public trust, the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), and international standards,” the letter stated.
The anti-corruption watchdog said the National Assembly must demonstrate leadership in tackling corruption by investigating alleged abuses involving constituency projects approved by lawmakers.
The Auditor-General’s report cited multiple cases of financial irregularities across several ministries, departments and agencies, including the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
Among the alleged infractions were payments into private bank accounts, contracts awarded without due process, payments for projects that were either poorly executed or never executed, procurement irregularities, undocumented expenditures, inflated contract sums and failures to account for public funds.
SERAP highlighted findings that EHORECON allegedly paid more than N22.9m into private accounts of some staff members without evidence of how the funds were utilised, while hundreds of millions of naira were reportedly spent on consultancy services, capacity-building programmes and constituency projects without proper documentation or authorisation.
The report also alleged that the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, made payments running into hundreds of millions of naira to contractors for youth empowerment, vocational training and infrastructure projects without supporting documents or evidence of compliance with procurement regulations.
Similarly, the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, was alleged to have paid contractors hundreds of millions of naira as mobilisation fees without documentation, inflated contracts for solar power and streetlight projects by over N192m, and paid for projects that were either partially executed or not executed at all.
NAPTIP was also accused of awarding contracts irregularly, making undocumented payments exceeding N176m, and fully paying contractors for solar lighting and classroom renovation projects that were allegedly never carried out.
In addition, the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies was cited for failing to submit audited financial statements for a decade, from 2012 to 2022, failing to remit over N15m in stamp duties and spending public funds without the required authorisation.
SERAP argued that the alleged violations breach the Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and the Public Procurement Act 2007, which require transparency, accountability and competitive procurement in the management of public resources.
The organisation stressed that corruption in constituency projects disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable Nigerians by diverting resources meant for healthcare, education and other critical public services.
“Little can be achieved by the National Assembly in the fight against corruption if the leadership and members do not first confront the spectre of alleged corruption and mismanagement in constituency projects and the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies,” SERAP said.
“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 take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the National Assembly to comply with our request in the public interest.”
(The Whistler)
