By Hassan Hussain | April 25, 2026
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s grant community have petitioned security and oversight agencies and called for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing “grant saga”, in a bid to prevent public unrest over alleged irregularities in the administration of several grant schemes.
A non-governmental organisation, Advocacy for Grassroots Bridge Builders (GBB), is leading calls for calm and constructive engagement among members of the grant ecosystem, warning citizens against protests or any attempt to take the law into their own hands.
Speaking at a peaceful engagement held at the Nigeria Police Force Zone Seven Headquarters in Abuja, GBB head Mr Ibrahim Mosses Igoche said the meeting was convened to provide a lawful channel for grievances from NGOs, cluster heads, and beneficiaries affected by disputed grant processes.
“The aim is to promote transparency, accountability, and national stability,” Igoche said.
“We specifically appeal to aggrieved individuals not to embark on protests. Dialogue remains the most effective approach to resolving these disputes, and we must not allow the situation to degenerate into public unrest” he added.
Speaking further, Igoche disclosed that GBB is seeking an audience with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and has already submitted formal petitions to key institutions. He confirmed that the National Assembly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Department of State Services, the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Office of the First Lady, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and a presidential standing committee have all acknowledged receipt of the group’s submissions.
An elder statesman in the grant ecosystem, Dr Bartholomew Agbochenu, assured stakeholders that ongoing efforts are focused on restoring confidence and bringing relief to affected participants. He added that a dedicated website and link would soon be made available for the profiling of affected individuals.
Providing legal details, GBB’s legal adviser, Ibrahim Omaga, said the organisation has commenced a nationwide profiling of Nigerians involved in grant schemes to curb fraud and restore public confidence. He noted that the Nigeria Police had been officially notified, describing the force as “the mother agency in matters of internal security”.
According to Omaga, participants will be required to submit personal details online or through physical registration in Abuja. Legal instruments, including affidavits and powers of attorney, will be generated to enable GBB to represent them in grant-related matters.
He disclosed that GBB has been given a 30-working-day timeline to compile and present a comprehensive database of affected individuals to relevant authorities.
Our correspondent reports that the intervention is deliberately aimed at forestalling public unrest, amid credible reports of planned protests by aggrieved beneficiaries. The profiling exercise is expected to create a verified register of claimants to aid investigations and potential recovery efforts, following complaints of delayed disbursements, alleged diversion of funds, and lack of transparency in several donor-backed and government-linked grant schemes.
