Harboursandport.com: Lagos - Socio-Economic Rights
and Accountability Project (SERAP), has filed a lawsuit in the Federal High
Court, Abuja “seeking leave to apply for judicial review and an order of
mandamus to direct and compel President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate president
Ahmed Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to
explain details of allocations, disbursement and spending of security votes by
the Federal Government, 36 state governors and 774 local governments between
1999 and 2019.
The suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1369/2019 and filed last
Friday followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and the
respondents’ failure to account for some N241.2 billion of public funds
allocated, disbursed and spent yearly as security votes, and the corresponding
lack of effective protection of the rights to security and welfare, life and the physical integrity of millions of Nigerians.
Others included as parties in the suit are: Mr
Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Ahmed Idris,
Accountant General of the Federation and Mr Anthony Ayine, Auditor General for
the Federation.
According to SERAP: “Nigerians have the
constitutional and international human right to know details of the exact
amounts that have been spent as security votes and specific areas and projects
covered by the allocations, disbursement and spending. There is overriding
public interest in Nigerians having access to these details, and the
respondents have legal obligations to facilitate public access to such
information.”
SERAP also argued that: “Constitutional provisions
requiring governments to ensure the security and welfare of the people are
intended to protect the security and safety of citizens and not the security of
a few individuals in government. Without transparency and accountability, the
mismanagement and corruption in the allocation, disbursement and spending of
security votes will continue with devastating consequences.”
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