In a bid to promote transparency and accountability in governance, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for not disclosing the spending details of the N400 billion saved from the recent removal of the petrol subsidy.
The lawsuit, with the suit number FHC/L/CS/1514/2023, has been lodged at the Federal High Court in Lagos, and it seeks various directives to ensure the proper utilization of the subsidy savings.
SERAP’s Legal Action Requests:
An order of mandamus to compel President Tinubu to publish detailed expenditures of the N400 billion saved from the petrol subsidy cessation as of 29 May 2023.
Directives for President Tinubu to reveal plans for the subsidy savings, including earmarked projects.
Instructions for President Tinubu to share specifics of safeguards ensuring the subsidy savings are not misused.
The organization emphasizes that Nigerians have the right to know how the savings are spent, and transparency in spending details would minimize corruption risks.
SERAP further argues that the administration has a duty to ensure the savings directly benefit the 137 million impoverished Nigerians most affected by the subsidy’s removal. They warn against the potential misuse of funds, stating that without transparency, the savings from subsidy removal may be embezzled, misappropriated, or diverted.
Highlighting the public’s right to information regarding their government’s activities, SERAP asserts that transparency in spending details is essential to increase public trust and confidence that the savings will be used to benefit Nigerians.
The Nigerian Constitution, 1999 [as amended], Freedom of Information Act, and the country’s anti-corruption and human rights obligations are founded on the principle that citizens should have access to information regarding their government’s activities.
Transparency in spending details of the N400 billion and other savings from the removal of subsidy on petrol is vital to ensure that the savings can help poor Nigerians overcome the effects of such removal, thereby avoiding a morally repugnant result of double jeopardy on vulnerable citizens.
By taking legal action, SERAP aims to hold the government accountable for ensuring that the removal of subsidy on petrol does not negatively and disproportionately affect poor Nigerians, thereby undermining their right to an adequate standard of living.
The Freedom of Information Act, Nigerian Constitution, and international conventions all impose transparency obligations on the government to widely publish the details of how the N400 billion and other savings from the removal of subsidy on petrol are spent.
The hearing date for the suit has not been fixed yet. SERAP’s legal team, led by Kolawole Oluwadare, Ms. Adelanke Aremo, and Ms. Valentina Adegoke, is steadfast in their pursuit of accountability and transparency in governance, and they hope that this legal action will set a precedent for better management of public funds and promote sound and transparent administration of public affairs in the country.
