The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP), has filed a lawsuit against the President Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over “the failure to thoroughly, effectively and transparently investigate spending on all social safety-nets and poverty alleviation programmes and projects executed between 2015 and 2022”.
Joined in the suit as respondent is the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
According to SERAP, a recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS), had shown that some 133 million Nigerians were poor, despite the government reportedly spending N500 billion yearly on ‘social investment programmes’, saying half of the poor people in the country are children.
In the suit, filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Blessing Ogwuche, SERAP is asking the court to “direct and compel President Buhari to thoroughly and transparently investigate the spending on all social safety-nets and poverty alleviation programmes and projects executed between 2015 and 2022”.
SERAP is also asking the court to “direct and compel President Buhari to ensure that suspected perpetrators of corruption and mismanagement of public funds meant to take care of the poor face prosecution, as appropriate, and any stolen public funds are recovered”.
In the suit, SERAP is arguing that, “Nigerians have the right to be free from poverty. Allegations of corruption in social safety-nets and poverty alleviation programmes pose both direct and indirect threats to human rights, and contribute to extreme poverty in the country”. It is also arguing that, “Investigating the allegations of corruption in the spending on social safety-nets and poverty alleviation programmes and projects and recovering any stolen public funds would serve the public interest”.
According to SERAP, “The Federal Government has a legal responsibility to ensure transparency and accountability in how public funds are spent, to reduce vulnerability to corruption and mismanagement”.
SERAP is also arguing that, “The government has legal obligations to effectively and progressively address and combat extreme poverty as a matter of human rights”.
