NSIPA SAGA : HAJIA HALIMA SHEHU; AN INNOCENT SERVANT AT THE MERCY OF POLITICS?

NSIPA SAGA: 

HAJIA HALIMA SHEHU; AN INNOCENT SERVANT AT THE MERCY OF POLITICS?

ABUJA – Eighteen months after her suspension as Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, NSIPA, *Hajia Halima Shehu* says she remains a victim of a political witch-hunt despite finding no evidence against her.

WHO IS HALIMA SHEHU?

A native of Katsina State, Hajia Halima holds a first degree in English Language and a second degree in International Law and Diplomacy. 

A seasoned banker with experience across several departments and banks, she is described by associates as having “no record of dishonesty.” She also served as an ECOWAS election observer and coordinated a World Bank-sponsored financial inclusion program that enrolled 1.9 million beneficiaries.

During the 2023 elections, she headed President Bola Tinubu’s 774 LGAs rural mobilization team.  

On September 18, 2023, she was appointed CEO of NSIPA and confirmed by the Senate on October 18, 2023.

THE ALLEGATIONS SHE MADE

Within three months in office, Halima said she conducted a “structural integrity and system test” of the agency and uncovered what she described as red flags:

1. N14 Billion allegedly transferred out of the agency’s TSA account without her knowledge.

2. New and “strange” signatories allegedly added to the agency’s CBN-authorized signatories without her consent.

3. “Huge, doubtful and questionable” spendings from the agency’s funds domiciled at the CBN.

She said she documented all findings with evidence and reported to the EFCC and ICPC.

THE COUNTER-ALLEGATION AND SUSPENSION

Instead of commendation, Halima said she was counter-accused of approving the transfer of N44 Billion to private accounts. 

She was suspended by President Bola Tinubu in January 2024 and placed under investigation. The EFCC reportedly grilled her “serially and severally.”

According to her, “till date, not a single Naira has been traced to or recovered from me or my friends/relatives in the hoaxed fraud coined against me.”

She further alleges that both EFCC and ICPC have “deliberately refused” to make their findings public because it would give her “100% clean bill of innocence.” 

She says she has written to the President, EFCC and ICPC requesting they publish the investigation report, but got no response.

“From the settings and intents, Halima Shehu is being forced into guilt whereas she is substantially innocent in both wholesale and retail,” a statement from her camp reads.

COMPARISON WITH OTHER CASES

Her supporters are drawing parallels with two other high-profile cases:

1. Dr. Betta Edu – Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.  

Suspended in August 2024 over an alleged approval to transfer N585 Million meant for vulnerable groups to a private account. She was also grilled by EFCC. Calls for her reinstatement continue from stakeholders in Cross River State.

2. Hajia Ngozi Olejeme – Former DG of NSITF, 2009-2015.  

Arrested by EFCC over alleged theft and fraud of over N1 Billion. Her case is still pending before Justice Nwite at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Critics note that both Edu and Olejeme have “happily” been named as members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, while Halima Shehu remains in limbo.

THE LITERARY ANALOGY

In a personal note, Halima’s defenders likened her ordeal to Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” – “an innocent village girl whose history was distorted, hopes raised and dashed, while society looked away as she was convicted in both public opinion and the courts. Despite all, Tess remained innocent. So is Halima Shehu.”

As of press time, EFCC, ICPC and the Presidency had not responded to requests for comments or to publish the investigation report.