Human rights lawyer Festus Ogun has filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request demanding that the federal government release the full list of 8.1 million Nigerians it claims benefited from N330 billion in cash transfers under its National Social Safety Net Programme.
He has threatened to sue if the government fails to comply within seven days.
In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and sighted today, Ogun asked for “full details of beneficiaries of the reported N330 billion allegedly disbursed to 8.1 million households across Nigeria.”
He said the request was rooted in the constitutional principles of transparency, accountability, and citizens’ right to information.
Ogun argued that such a massive disbursement of public funds cannot remain shrouded in secrecy. “The Nigerian people are entitled to know who the beneficiaries are, and whether these disbursements actually reached real Nigerians or were simply numbers cooked up on paper,” he stated.
The FOI request references government announcements in April 2023, when then-Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, said over N330 billion had been disbursed to millions of households under the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme.
Critics at the time questioned the credibility of the figures, pointing to widespread poverty and limited evidence of beneficiaries.
In his letter, Ogun warned that “compulsion thrives in darkness,” stressing that only full disclosure can restore public trust in social welfare programmes.
He insisted that the list of names and details of the 8.1 million households must be made available within the statutory seven-day timeline under the FOI Act, failing which “we will initiate legal action in court to compel compliance.”
This is not Ogun’s first clash with government authorities. The lawyer previously made headlines when he sued Lagos governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for blocking him on X (formerly Twitter), arguing that it violated his right to access public officials on social media.
