The Northern Coalition for Accountability and Public Trust has rejected allegations by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project accusing the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) of mismanaging N26.9bn, saying the claims were misleading and likely to trigger unnecessary public concern.
The coalition argued that issues relating to accountability should not be turned into what it described as “headline activism and media sensationalism,” maintaining that available financial records did not support the figures being linked to the agency.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the coalition’s Executive Director, Abubakar Yusuf Yaro, said an independent review conducted by the group showed that the USPF received an average yearly allocation of about N7.5bn within the period under consideration.
He questioned how an agency operating on such annual funding could allegedly misplace N26.9bn.
“Simple arithmetic raises a legitimate question: how does an institution with an average yearly funding of N7.5bn suddenly lose N26.9bn?” the statement read.
The coalition stated further that more than N13.8bn cited in the allegation related to operating surplus deductions not handled by the organisation, stressing that records examined showed the USPF neither received nor retained the funds in question.
Defending the execution of telecommunications infrastructure projects, the group noted that rural broadband expansion initiatives, ICT centres and connectivity programmes usually extend across several budget cycles.
According to the coalition, such projects require long-term implementation frameworks and approved financing procedures, making it impossible for them to be completed within a short period.
It added that procurement procedures for the projects followed due process through the Bureau of Public Procurement and other relevant tender boards.
The coalition also maintained that all payments were made only after certification processes supported by documentation, project reports and evidence of execution.
Questioning SERAP’s approach, the group asked why the organisation allegedly chose to go public without first seeking clarification through available institutional channels.
It further claimed that earlier audit assessments and investigations by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee did not uncover any wrongdoing in the operations of the USPF during the period being scrutinised.
The coalition insisted that audit observations should not be mistaken for evidence of corruption.
“Unfortunately, what Nigerians witnessed in this case appears closer to a public conviction campaign than a genuine search for accountability,” the statement added.
It described the USPF as one of Nigeria’s major intervention platforms for promoting rural connectivity and digital inclusion, noting that the agency had facilitated ICT access and telecom infrastructure development in underserved communities nationwide.
The group called on the National Assembly and other oversight bodies to independently examine all documents connected to the matter and allow due process to take its course.
“Nigerians deserve truth, not manufactured alarm,” the coalition stated.
