A coalition of 25 civil society organizations has urged the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, and the Secretary of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), Yomi Arowosafe, to publicly explain the whereabouts of N26.9 billion as flagged by the September 2025 Auditor-General’s report.
The call is contained in a communique on Tuesday signed by Bilal Galadima and James Ogenyi on behalf of the Coalition of Civil Society for Transparency and Accountability, following its emergency meeting in Abuja.
The CSO claimed that the annual report published by the Auditor-General of the Federation raised concerns over the alleged disappearance of ‘N26.9 billion’ in public funds under the Universal Service Provision Fund, USPF.
It claimed that the report detailed unaccounted expenditures, unremitted public funds, irregular contract awards, and payments for services not rendered, pointing to serious breaches of public trust, demanding an immediate, independent, transparent and full-scale probe by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government into all transactions of the USPF as flagged in the Auditor-General’s report.
Warning that failure to address the allegations with urgency and transparency will amount to a tacit endorsement of impunity, the Coalition vowed to mobilise Nigerians for a mass protest on Tuesday if the minister and USPF fail to account for the alleged missing funds.
The communique read, “The Coalition will embark on a mass protest on Tuesday next week (May 19, 2026) to express public discontent and demand urgent action on the alleged missing N26.9 billion USPF funds.
“We call on the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, and the Secretary of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), Yomi Arowosafe, to publicly account for and explain the whereabouts of the alleged N26.9 billion.
“We demand an immediate, independent, and transparent probe into all transactions of the USPF flagged in the auditor-general’s report.
“Prosecution and Recovery: Anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate if there is sufficient admissible evidence. Any missing or diverted public funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury.
“Any failure to address these allegations with urgency and transparency will amount to a tacit endorsement of impunity and a betrayal of Nigerians living in unserved and underserved communities who depend on the USPF mandate.
“The Coalition reaffirms its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of public resources. We shall not relent until justice is served and the integrity of the Universal Service Provision Fund is restored for the benefit of all Nigerians,” the coalition stated.
Meanwhile, Minister Tijani and Arowosafe are yet to officially respond to the accusation as of filing the report.
