Suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to direct the release of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation report into allegations of financial impropriety against her, insisting that the accusations were false and had destroyed her reputation.

In a video circulating on social media, Shehu pleaded with the President to bring closure to the case, saying she had endured months of uncertainty, hardship and reputational damage since her suspension.

Shehu recalled that she publicly supported Tinubu’s presidential ambition in 2022, claiming she mobilised women and youths across the country for his campaign despite facing personal risks.

“My message is for a respectful appeal for justice, vindication, restoration of dignity for the false allegation levied against me,” she said.

“When you spoke of renewed hope, I did not only hear a slogan. I believed when it was only words on paper. I stood up. I mobilized women and youth. I went to the remotest of communities, on poor roads, with little or no funding, with little or no security. I risked my life and that of my family. We gave you our loyalty, our votes, and our energy.”

According to her, her support for Tinubu came at a personal cost, alleging that she lost her job under the previous administration because of her political stance and was later suspended by the current administration over what she described as false allegations.

“You may recall that since I publicly declared my support for you in 2022, I have been a victim of professional and personal attack. I lost my job under the previous administration while supporting you. And I lost my job in the present administration on false allegations,” she said.

The former NSIPA boss lamented that her reputation had been severely damaged, adding that neither she nor her family deserved the burden they had carried since the allegations surfaced.

“My name dragged into the mud. My integrity smeared. The damage is unquantifiable both to me and my family who carry the burden they did not earn,” she said.

Shehu also alleged that she had yet to receive her entitlements while in office and during her suspension, describing the allegations as the darkest period of her life.

She said she had written several letters to the EFCC, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Presidency, but had received no response.

“The prolonged silence has left me in a stage of uncertainty, hardship, and reputational injury. My only prayer has been for closure and for direct release of the investigative reports so that truth can be known,” she stated.

Addressing the President directly, she added: “Baba, I appeal to you as the father of the nation, as my political father, to bring a closure to this case. I have been broken, Baba. My integrity stolen. All that I have worked for, it’s all in vain.”

She maintained that all her actions while serving at the agency were carried out in the interest of Nigerians.

President Tinubu suspended Shehu in January 2024 following allegations of financial impropriety at the National Social Investment Programme Agency under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

The EFCC subsequently questioned her as part of its investigation into the agency’s financial management. However, the anti-graft agency has yet to publicly disclose the outcome of its investigation.