HURIWA demands a forensic probe after a World Bank report reveals a shocking N34.53 trillion revenue diversion in Nigeria.
In a scathing indictment of Nigeria’s public finance architecture, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for an immediate criminal investigation into the alleged diversion of N34.53 trillion in government revenue. The civil society group’s demand follows a startling disclosure by the World Bank that a large chunk of federal revenue was withheld or deducted through opaque administrative mechanisms between 2023 and 2025.
According to the World Bank’s findings, approximately 41 percent of the country’s total federation revenue failed to reach the Federation Account. These funds were instead diverted under the guise of “first-line charges” and independent retention structures. Reacting to the development, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, stated that the revelation confirms long-held fears of a “shadow financial system” operating well outside constitutional appropriation and legislative oversight.
A ‘Catastrophic Indictment’ of Fiscal Governance
HURIWA labeled the World Bank’s report a “catastrophic indictment” of Nigeria’s fiscal management. The organization noted that while everyday Nigerians are continuously forced to endure severe economic hardships, skyrocketing inflation, worsening unemployment, and crumbling public infrastructure, a parallel fiscal empire is allegedly enriching powerful state actors.
The rights group specifically pointed fingers at major revenue-generating agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigeria Customs Service. These institutions have historically operated complex revenue-retention structures. HURIWA argues that these independent mechanisms allow trillions of naira to bypass parliamentary scrutiny entirely, effectively stripping the National Assembly of its power of the purse.
Institutional Failure at the Highest Level
The critique did not stop at revenue agencies. HURIWA severely chastised the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of becoming “silent spectators” to monumental fiscal irregularities. “A legislature that allows trillions of naira to pass through off-budget channels without accountability cannot claim ignorance. This is institutional failure at the highest level,” Onwubiko declared.
With public trust in democratic institutions hanging by a thread, the group urged Nigeria’s premier anti-corruption bodies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), to immediately act. Onwubiko warned that if anti-corruption agencies continue to focus heavily on petty financial crimes while ignoring multi-trillion naira institutional diversions, they risk losing all moral authority and public confidence.
Demands for Transparency and a 24-Hour Ultimatum
To salvage the situation, HURIWA has laid down a series of uncompromising demands. The group is calling for the immediate establishment of an independent judicial commission of inquiry to probe all statutory deductions and “first-line charges” made over the last two years. Additionally, they are demanding a comprehensive forensic audit of all implicated revenue-generating agencies, alongside the full public disclosure of all beneficiaries, legal authorizations, and spending details.
In a final push for accountability, HURIWA issued a strict 24-hour ultimatum to the Federal Government, the National Assembly, and anti-corruption agencies to announce concrete steps toward an official investigation. The association warned that continued silence would be viewed as absolute confirmation of institutional capture, urging labor unions, student bodies, and civil society groups to prepare to demand the democratic recall of lawmakers who fail to act. “Public office must never become a license for organized economic sabotage,” the statement concluded.
