ABUJA, Nigeria – The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu, seeking details about the N400 billion reportedly saved from the recent removal of the petrol subsidy.
The case follows reports that the Federal Government saved these funds within the first month of the subsidy removal.
In the lawsuit, numbered FHC/L/CS/1514/2023 and filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is seeking several orders of mandamus.
They are asking the court to compel President Tinubu to publish spending details of the saved funds, outline plans for their future use, and disclose mechanisms to prevent diversion into private pockets.
SERAP argues that Nigerians have a right to know how the savings are being spent, asserting that revealing the details would reduce corruption risks.
They maintain that the Tinubu administration is legally bound to ensure that these funds are used solely for the benefit of the country’s poor, who have been most affected by the subsidy’s removal.
The suit, filed on Friday, August 4, 2023, on behalf of SERAP by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Ms Adelanke Aremo, and Ms Valentina Adegoke, asserts that transparency in the spending of these savings would boost public trust.
They underline the government’s obligations under the Nigerian Constitution, the Freedom of Information Act, and the country’s anti-corruption and human rights obligations to give citizens access to information about government activities.
According to SERAP, the savings could be at risk of misappropriation or embezzlement without proper transparency.
They also point out that the effects of the subsidy’s removal pose a significant threat to the human rights of Nigeria’s poorest citizens.
As of now, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
SERAP Urges National Assembly to Drop N40 Billion New Vehicle, N70 Billion ‘Palliatives’ Plan
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to reject the controversial plan to spend N40 billion on 465 exotic and bulletproof vehicles for members and principal officials, and N70 billion as ‘palliatives’ for new members.
SERAP has called for the repeal of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act to reduce the National Assembly budget by N110 billion.
It suggests the budget should reflect the current economic conditions in the country and address the impact of the removal of the fuel subsidy on the over 137 million impoverished Nigerians.
Furthermore, SERAP urged the leaders to request President Bola Tinubu to propose a new supplementary appropriation bill, redirecting the N110 billion towards addressing the plight of over 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria.
While the budget allocates N70 billion as a ‘support allowance’ for 306 new lawmakers, only N500 billion is set aside as palliatives for 12 million poor Nigerians.
Another N40 billion has been dedicated to procuring 465 Sports Utility Vehicles, SUVs, and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials.
The letter, dated July 15, 2023, and signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, termed the budget allocation a “travesty,” accusing members of the National Assembly of “apparent conflicts of interest and self-dealing.”
SERAP considers it a grave violation of the public trust and constitutional oath of office for members of the National Assembly to disproportionately increase their budget during a time when over 137 million Nigerians are living in extreme poverty, a condition worsened by the removal of the fuel subsidy.
The letter insists that lawmakers should instead exercise their constitutional and oversight functions to enhance the conditions of the over 137 million impoverished Nigerians facing the impact of the removal of the fuel subsidy.
The planned purchase includes 107 units of the 2023 model of the Toyota Land Cruiser and 358 units of the 2023 model of Toyota Prado for Senate and House of Representatives members, separately from the official bulletproof vehicles expected to be purchased for the four presiding officers of the National Assembly.
The proposed N110 billion spending by the National Assembly is in addition to the N281 billion already allocated for lawmakers in the 2023 National Assembly budget, and separate from the N30.17 billion budgeted for the ‘inauguration expenses’ for new members.
SERAP expresses concern that the National Assembly budget may further increase, as members are reportedly demanding a salary and allowance raise purportedly to offset the impact of the removal of the fuel subsidy.
SERAP stresses reallocating the proposed N110 billion to address the situation of over 20 million out-of-school children nationwide would improve access to quality education.
Education is viewed as a fundamental human right and an indispensable means of realizing other human rights.
SERAP argues that the proposed spending of N110 billion by members of the National Assembly constitutes a breach of the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations.
It concludes that cutting the N110 billion from the National Assembly budget would be entirely consistent with lawmakers’ constitutional oath of office, promoting efficient, honest, and legal spending of public money.
