NewsOnline Nigeria reports that coalition of 25 civil society organisations has called on the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, and the Secretary of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), Yomi Arowosafe, to publicly explain the alleged disappearance of N26.9 billion flagged in the September 2025 Auditor-General’s report.
The demand was contained in a communiqué issued on Tuesday by the Coalition of Civil Society for Transparency and Accountability following an emergency meeting held in Abuja.
The communiqué was jointly signed by Bilal Galadima and James Ogenyi on behalf of the coalition.
According to the group, the Auditor-General’s annual report raised serious concerns over alleged unaccounted expenditures, unremitted public funds, irregular contract awards, and payments for services reportedly not rendered under the USPF.
The coalition described the allegations as a major breach of public trust and demanded an immediate, transparent, and independent investigation into all transactions linked to the fund.
The CSOs also warned that failure by the government to address the allegations urgently would amount to endorsing impunity.
“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,” the communiqué stated.
“We call on the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, and the Secretary of the Universal Service Provision Fund, Yomi Arowosafe, to publicly account for and explain the whereabouts of the alleged N26.9 billion.”
The coalition further demanded the prosecution of any individual found culpable if sufficient evidence is established, alongside the recovery and remittance of any diverted public funds to the treasury.
It stressed that Nigerians living in underserved communities depend heavily on the USPF mandate and deserve accountability over the management of public resources meant for digital access and connectivity projects.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Tijani nor Arowosafe had officially responded to the allegations.
