The Northern Coalition for Accountability and Public Trust has defended the Universal Service Provision Fund against allegations of financial mismanagement raised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.
The coalition described SERAP’s claims of missing N26.9bn within the USPF as misleading and capable of creating unnecessary public distrust.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Executive Director of the coalition, Abubakar Yusuf Yaro, the group said available records and findings did not support the corruption allegations being circulated in the media.
Yaro stated that investigations conducted by the coalition showed that the USPF received an average annual allocation of about N7.5bn during the period under review.
According to him, the figures being quoted by SERAP failed basic scrutiny.
“Simple arithmetic raises a legitimate question: how does an institution with an average yearly funding of N7.5bn suddenly lose N26.9bn?” he asked.
The coalition further explained that over N13.8bn referenced in the allegations reportedly involved operating surplus deductions managed directly by the Nigerian Communications Commission before funds were transferred to the USPF.
It added that the USPF neither received nor retained the said funds.
The group also faulted what it described as attempts to portray multi-year telecommunications projects as suspicious expenditures.
According to the coalition, infrastructure projects such as rural broadband expansion, ICT centres and connectivity facilities naturally span several budget cycles.
It maintained that such arrangements were standard public finance practice within government institutions.
“At this juncture, we want to clarify that the records further indicate that the procurement processes referenced in the allegations passed through established approval channels, including the Bureau of Public Procurement and relevant tenders boards,” the statement added.
The coalition noted that payments linked to the projects followed due certification procedures backed with reports and supporting documentation.
It also questioned why SERAP allegedly ignored explanations and existing oversight findings before taking the matter to the media.
The group claimed that previous audit reviews and investigations conducted by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee reportedly found no irregularities in the operations of the USPF during the same period.
According to the coalition, audit observations should not automatically be interpreted as proof of corruption.
“Unfortunately, what Nigerians witnessed in this case appears closer to a public conviction campaign than a genuine search for accountability,” the statement said.
The coalition stressed that the USPF remained a critical intervention platform supporting rural connectivity, ICT access and digital inclusion across underserved communities in Nigeria.
It called on the National Assembly and relevant oversight agencies to independently review all documents and allow due process to prevail.
“Nigerians deserve truth, not manufactured alarm,” the coalition added.
