Odita Sunday 
HURIWA Raises Alarm Over Alleged N34.53tn Revenue Diversion, Demands Criminal Probe
By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has demanded an immediate criminal investigation into the alleged diversion of over N34.53tn in public revenue through controversial “first-line charges” between 2023 and 2025.
The association described the revelation, reportedly made by the World Bank, as evidence of what it termed a “shadow government financial system” operating outside constitutional accountability structures.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA said the disclosure confirmed longstanding fears that politically connected institutions were appropriating public funds beyond transparent legislative oversight.
“This shocking disclosure by a respected international financial institution confirms the long-standing fears of millions of Nigerians that a dangerous shadow fiscal structure now exists within the Nigerian state — one that permits powerful institutions and politically connected agencies to appropriate public wealth outside transparent constitutional processes and beyond effective legislative scrutiny,” the group stated.
HURIWA said the implications of the alleged diversion were grave, particularly at a time Nigerians were facing economic hardship, inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and declining public services.
“At a time when Nigerians are enduring unprecedented economic hardship, mass hunger, collapsing purchasing power, rising unemployment, worsening insecurity, failing public hospitals, underfunded schools and crippling inflation, it is morally indefensible and economically criminal that over N34 trillion could disappear through a system deliberately designed to avoid transparency and public accountability,” the association said.
According to the group, the World Bank reportedly stated that about 41 per cent of federation revenue failed to reach the Federation Account because it was retained through “first-line charges” by certain government agencies operating under questionable statutory arrangements.
The organisation alleged that agencies linked to the deductions include the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other revenue-generating institutions.
HURIWA argued that the development represented “a direct assault on constitutional democracy, fiscal accountability and the social contract between the Nigerian state and its citizens.”
The rights group further accused the National Assembly of failing in its constitutional oversight responsibilities.
“A legislature that permits the operation of massive off-budget spending systems amounting to tens of trillions of naira cannot honestly claim ignorance,” it stated.
The association also warned anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Code of Conduct Bureau, and the Nigeria Police Force, against remaining silent over the allegations.
“If the EFCC, ICPC, CCB, the Nigeria Police Force and other anti-corruption institutions fail to launch immediate criminal investigations into this monumental scandal, then the Nigerian people would be justified in concluding that these agencies have become mere decorative institutions incapable of confronting elite corruption,” the group said.
HURIWA demanded the immediate establishment of an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate all first-line charges, statutory deductions, and retained revenues between 2023 and 2025.
The association also called for a comprehensive forensic audit of the NNPCL, Nigeria Customs Service, and all revenue-generating agencies operating retention mechanisms tied to federation revenues.
Other demands included emergency public hearings by the National Assembly, full public disclosure of beneficiaries and expenditure records, prosecution of any official found culpable, and reform of all cost-of-collection structures.
The group further urged civil society organisations, labour unions, student groups, professional bodies, and religious organisations to defend constitutional governance and public accountability.
HURIWA also called on Nigerians to initiate democratic recall processes against lawmakers allegedly shielding executive misconduct through silence and complicity.
The association gave the Federal Government, anti-corruption agencies, and the leadership of the National Assembly until noon on Friday to announce concrete accountability measures.
“Failure to act decisively will confirm growing public fears that Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework has collapsed completely under political interference, institutional capture, and elite conspiracy against the Nigerian people,” the statement added.
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