An Open Letter to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR 

An Open Letter to:  His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR  Federal Republic of Nigeria, Aso Villa, Abuja  For a “Respectful Urgent Appeal for Justice, Vindication and Restoration Following Reprisal and False Allegations Against Me.”  Your Excellency,  With due respect, I bow before your esteemed office with a heart that is both heavy and hopeful. I come as a daughter of Nigeria with respect, humility and tears I have held back for too long. My name is Halima Shehu, the suspended National Coordinator/CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, NSIPA. I am a Nigerian who has spent the best years of my life in service both in the private and in public office.  Your Excellency, I am broken as I appeal to you as the leader and father of the nation who promised Renewed Hope. Mr President, when you spoke of “Renewed Hope,” I did not hear a slogan, I believed. When it was still only words on paper, I stood up, I mobilized women, youths and communities. I campaigned in the remotest communities on poor roads with little funding and with little or no security, I risked my life and that of my family, we gave you our loyalty, our voice, our energy and our time because we believed that under your leadership Nigeria could be healed. You may recall that since I publicly declared my support for you as the APC presidential candidate in 2022, I have faced sustained personal and professional attacks. I lost my job under the previous administration for supporting you and I lost my job under this administration on false allegations. To this day, I have not received my entitlements — not while in office and not during suspension. Your Excellency, a Renewed Hope Nigeria cannot afford to abandon those who bled for it. If we punish honesty, we teach the next generation to be silent. If we restore justice, we teach them to serve with courage. Sir, the false allegations brought against me have been the darkest part of my life. My name, a name my parents gave me with honor, a name I have served with integrity was dragged into the mud. The damage is unquantifiable both to me and my family who now carry a burden they did not earn, also to my region whose daughters are told “this is what happens when women lead.”   To my faith and to women across Nigeria who now wonder if speaking the truth is worth the cost. It is also the pain of integrity wounded. It is the grief of a family legacy stained. It is the isolation of choosing truth and being punished for it. It is watching doors close and years of service reduced to whispers. Sir, I have watched you as a father of the nation evacuate Nigerians from war zones, rescue citizens from xenophobic attacks and grant pardon and compassion to those you have never met and have not stood with you till date. If your heart has room for them I have no doubt it’ll have a room for me as your daughter who stood with you when it mattered. Mr President, I have not come with anger. I have come with humility believing you are yet to know the depth to which I single-handedly fought the wrongdoings at NSIPA. The proactive steps I took to fight corruption should earn me your honor not dishonor.  Your Excellency, my pain began with conscience. Upon assumption of office, I encountered entrenched issues of opacity and weak financial controls within the Agency. Acting in good faith and in strict adherence to my oath of office, I uncovered and documented serious irregularities. On 22nd December 2023, I promptly reported same to the Chairmen of the EFCC and ICPC, submitting documentary evidence in support. I was assured that the matter would be escalated appropriately. To my utter shock, barely ten days later and without any feedback from the investigative bodies I was suspended from office. During my short ten-week tenure, substantial sums running into almost Fourteen Billion Naira (N14 billion) were removed from the Agency’s accounts without my approval, knowledge or authorization in clear violation of established financial protocols. Additionally, unauthorized signatories were reportedly added to NSIPA’s Remita account with the Central Bank of Nigeria without my approval, leading to further transfers outside my authority. As the chief accounting officer, these actions occurred beyond my control. Mr President, I have a verifiable track record of integrity, accountability and prudent financial stewardship including the successful management of over Three Hundred Million Dollars ($300 Million) in World Bank-supported Conditional Cash Transfer programmes. I was instrumental in fully digitizing the Programme, opening over 1.9 Million accounts for beneficiaries across Commercial Banks, Micro Finance Banks and Payment Service Providers, taking financial literacy to the grassroots which paved the way for accountability and transparency on the Programme.   My actions at NSIPA were fully consistent with this record and aligned with the Renewed Hope agenda. On 2nd Ja

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