A civic group known as the Northern Coalition for Accountability and Public Trust has rejected claims by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project that ₦26.9 billion is missing from the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).
SERAP had earlier called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to launch an urgent investigation into the alleged disappearance or diversion of funds from the USPF.
The organisation also asked the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, alongside the USPF Secretary, Yomi Arowosafe, to explain the whereabouts of the money.
In addition, another group, the Coalition of Civil Society for Transparency and Accountability, threatened to organise protests if officials failed to provide explanations over the alleged missing funds.
Reacting to the controversy, NCAPT described SERAP’s claims as misleading, exaggerated and lacking proper context.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Executive Director, Ambassador Abubakar Yusuf Yaro, the group said available records do not support the allegation that ₦26.9 billion went missing from the fund.
According to NCAPT, the average yearly allocation to the USPF during the period under review was around ₦7.5 billion, making the allegation questionable.
The organisation argued that it was difficult to understand how a fund receiving about ₦7.5 billion annually could allegedly lose ₦26.9 billion.
NCAPT further claimed that more than ₦13.8 billion being mentioned in the allegations involved operating surplus deductions reportedly managed directly by the Nigerian Communications Commission before funds were transferred to the USPF.
The group maintained that the USPF never directly received or controlled those funds.
It also stated that the procurement processes linked to the allegations reportedly followed approved government procedures involving the Bureau of Public Procurement and relevant tender boards.
According to the coalition, payments connected to the projects were backed by documentation, certifications and project reports.
NCAPT accused SERAP of conducting what it described as a media trial instead of allowing proper investigations and oversight procedures to take place.
The organisation added that previous reviews and investigations by a House of Representatives ad-hoc committee reportedly found no evidence of wrongdoing in the operations of the USPF during the same period.
The group stressed that audit observations should not automatically be treated as proof of corruption, noting that such issues are usually meant for clarification through established institutional processes.
NCAPT called on the National Assembly and other oversight agencies to independently examine all records, invite everyone involved and allow due process to take its course without external pressure.