HURIWA wants the EFCC to investigate the fire…

● States that failure to repay capital components of balance sheets constitutes a serious economic and financial crime

[Press Release] Pro-democracy and civil rights group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) – has tasked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate the unexplained inferno in the offices of the Head of Service of the Federation.

The rights group also challenged the EFCC and ICPC to investigate both the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation to ascertain the whereabouts of trillions of Naira earmarked for capital components of federal ministries over the past two years.

“The refusal to fund capital budgets by this federal administration is not only a new breed of sophisticated economic and financial crimes, but constitutes a crime against humanity as hundreds of destitute Nigerians who have no funds to pay private medical bills or embark on overseas medical tourism as President Tinubu has consistently done, these unfortunate citizens have been left to die of treatable diseases like malaria due to lack of medicines in primary healthcare centers run by the Federal Ministry of Health which only got 36 million of dollars from the more than $230 billion approved for the capital budget in 2025 according to testimony to the National Assembly by Health Minister Dr. Pate.

Regarding the frequent fires of fir trees in government offices, especially in the financial departments of such government institutions, which HURIWA attributes to sabotage by government officials and politicians, he also wondered: “Why have there been continuously fires in strategic ministries and government agencies from 2015 until now and unfortunately the cause of such mysterious fires in places like the Corporate Affairs Commission and the offices of the Accountant General of the Federation which occurred during the highly corrupt federal administration of Muhammadu has not been ascertained Buhari? Since then Tinubu’s government has arrived, there have been suspicious fires in the strategic offices, especially in the offices that house the documents that deal with procurement. Now it’s up to the head of the Federation service. What will be the next office?

HURIWA also slammed the EFCC and ICPC for remaining mum on the shocking failures of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in financing capital projects since he took office and just as HURIWA has classified failures in cashback of capital components of budgets as huge economic crimes because we are told every year that appropriations bills are passed into law and government puts the cap on all kinds of places that borrow budget funds.

“Nigerian Customs and many other agencies that generate large revenues often inundate the public with public announcements of achieving their annual targets or exceeding such targets which amount to trillions of Naira. The Federal Government provides borrowed services to finance the budget. So why have the capital components of the budgets not been implemented, which is a huge financial crime, but the EFCC prefers it is none of their business? The National Assembly has also denounced these robberies, but the EFCC and ICPC they act like BOYS SCOUT OR PRESIDENT TINUBU’S BOYS BRIGADE.

HURIWA recalled that on February 25, 2026, a member of the Federal House of Representatives, Mr. Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, member representing Aba North/Aba South federal constituency and a key member of the Relief and Loans Committee, confronted the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, over the inexplicable disappearance of capital project funds despite trillions of naira in loans and record revenues.

Observers said what began as a routine budget defense quickly turned into a high-stakes interrogation when Rep. Ikwechegh revealed a disturbing pattern:
Hon Ikwechegh revealed that $1.15 trillion has been raised and specifically approved by the National Assembly to fund 30% of the 2025 capital budget
Hon Ikwechegh went further to specify that multiple loans have been secured, including: $1.2 billion for digital infrastructure, $500 million for economic stimulus, $500 million for SMEs (approved December 2025), $500 million from the African Development Bank (November 2025) for economic governance and energy transition, and a recent executive request of $21 million, $15 billion yen and 4 billion euros.

Hon Ikwechegh wondered why, despite this avalanche of borrowed money and strong revenue performance by agencies such as FIRS, Customs and others, capital projects across Nigeria remain zero outlay.
Hon Ikwechegh, visibly frustrated, walked the Minister through the figures with surgical precision: He told the Minister: With all these funds put together, I want you to enlighten us as to why the 2024 budget is yet to be fully implemented, and why the 2025 budget has only been funded at 34%, most of which are recurrent expenditure?

Hon Ikwechegh asked the Minister to further enlighten us as to why our capital projects still remain at zero?
Under pressure, Minister Wale Edun transferred responsibility to Finance Minister, Doris Uzoka-Anite, claiming that she was the one managing the disbursements.
This deviation infuriated committee members who asked; If the Finance Minister cannot account for ₦1.15 trillion approved for capital projects, who can?
Lawmakers shouted at the commission session, demanding answers. Some called for the resignations of ministers. The committee had no choice but to adjourn the hearing to Thursday 26 February, summoning the Minister of State to provide the clarity the nation deserves.

After the committee meeting, the Hon. Ikwechegh spoke to the press and said: “When funding for capital projects is zero, development stops. When development stops, Nigerians suffer.”
In Thursday’s resumed hearing, where Finance Minister, Doris Uzoka-Anite, was called to account for the missing ₦1.15 trillion, Uzoka-Anite confirmed that ₦1.15 trillion had indeed been approved for capital projects. However, it revealed that disbursement protocols require multiple approvals and that some “pre-disbursement conditions” were not met by some ministries.

He argued that although the funds exist, they cannot be released until the project documentation is complete
But the committee members, armed with the Health Minister’s previous testimony that he had received only ₦38 million of his ₦286 billion allocation, demanded to know: If the protocols were the problem, why were some ministries given the opportunity while others were not?

Hon Ikwechegh stood up again and asked: “Mr President, can the minister tell this committee which specific ministry has met all the conditions and has not yet received funding? If there were none, why was ₦1.15 trillion approved when the government knew that the conditions had not been met?”
The minister could not provide a single example. Hon Ikwechegh then said:
If capital funds were approved, where are they?
If they were stolen, who is responsible?
If this is a crime, who will be held accountable?
Hon Alex Mascot Ikwechegh reminded the committee that if funds are approved but never reach their destination, it is not maladministration. This is a crime.
On February 27, 2026, the Hon. Ikwechegh was invited to Aso Rock by President Tinubu for a closed door meeting.
After the meeting with the president, Hon. Ikwechegh announced his resignation from his APGA party, announcing his intention to join the APC.
Our prayers are with the Hon. Alex mascot Ikwechegh.

HURIWA therefore appealed to the two anti-corruption agencies: EFCC and ICPC to wake up from their government-controlled inertia and operational slumber and investigate and arrest officials of relevant government agencies so as to trace the exact location of the capital components of the balance sheets.

The rights group, through its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, condemned the Federal Government for depriving strategic ministries such as Health, Education, Water Resources, Agricultural Resources, Ministry of Women and Children and Humanitarian Affairs and poverty alleviation agencies of vital funds for their effective and efficient services to the welfare of the good people of Nigeria. “While Tinubu travels the world and goes on a rampage in every part of the world, even participating in conferences aimed at high school students, his government deprives public hospitals of much-needed funds to purchase essentials such as drugs to effectively administer treatment to poor citizens.

Specifically on the fire in the Office of the Head of Service, HURIWA concluded by recalling that this Monday morning, a fire broke out at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, affecting Section C of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation building. The fire was first spotted at around 8.20am, with thick smoke billowing from the structure, requiring the evacuation of staff and emergency response. The firefighters intervened on site and the authorities cordoned off the area, diverting traffic near the Federal Court of Appeal. No victims were reported and the causes of the fire are still unknown.

COMPANY EMMANUEL NNADOZIE ONWUBIKO,

NATIONAL COORDINATOR,

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). MONDAY 9 MARCH 2026.

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