The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to order an immediate investigation into the alleged disappearance and diversion of ₦26.9 billion from the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), warning that the scandal poses a major threat to digital access and socio-economic rights in Nigeria.
In a letter dated 9 May 2026 and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation called on the President to direct the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, and the Secretary of the USPF, Yomi Arowosafe, to explain the whereabouts of the funds allegedly missing from the intervention agency.
SERAP also demanded that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), alongside anti-corruption agencies, launch a thorough probe into the allegations and prosecute anyone found culpable.
The group said the allegations were contained in the 2022 audited report by the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on 9 September 2025, which detailed multiple cases of unaccounted spending, questionable contract awards, and alleged payments for services not rendered.
According to SERAP, the alleged financial irregularities threaten the core mandate of the USPF, which was established to expand telecommunications infrastructure and bridge the digital divide in underserved and rural communities across the country.
The organisation warned that any diversion or mismanagement of the fund would deepen inequality, limit access to internet connectivity, and exclude millions of Nigerians from economic opportunities, education, healthcare information, and civic participation in an increasingly digital economy.
Among the allegations cited by SERAP was the failure of the USPF to remit more than ₦13.8 billion in annual operating surpluses between 2016 and 2019, funds the Auditor-General reportedly feared may have been diverted.
The report also questioned claims by the agency that it spent over ₦11.7 million on international trainings during the COVID-19 lockdown period in 2020 without providing supporting documents such as invitation letters, invoices, receipts, or certificates of participation.
Further allegations included contracts worth over ₦2.8 billion allegedly awarded without approvals or proper procurement procedures, as well as an ₦8 million payment to a purported fund manager despite records allegedly showing that no such manager existed at the time.
SERAP also referenced claims that the USPF spent more than ₦6.4 billion on connectivity and access projects not captured in the approved 2020 budget, while another ₦2.8 billion was allegedly expended between January and May 2021 without documentation explaining the purpose of the spending.
The organisation further alleged failures by the agency to deduct and remit statutory taxes and stamp duties amounting to hundreds of millions of naira, alongside payments exceeding ₦390 million to consultants without evidence that contracted jobs were executed.
SERAP argued that the Federal Government has a constitutional and international obligation to combat corruption, recover stolen public funds, and ensure transparency in the management of resources intended for public welfare.
The group gave the government seven days to act on its demands, warning that it could institute legal proceedings against the government, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and the USPF if no action is taken.
