Tag: SERAP

“Social media not Nigeria’s problem; reject Bill to regulate it” – SERAP urges NASS

Aminu Imam

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas “to reject the recently reintroduced social media regulation Bill, which if passed would unduly restrict the rights to freedom of expression and privacy”. In the letter dated 14 October 2023, signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the Bill would “criminalise the legitimate and lawful exercise of human rights”. It urged them to “request the administration of President Bola Tinubu to drop any ongoing efforts to put pressure on Google,…

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Akpabio, other ex-Govs sued over salaries, pensions

Aminu Imam

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and nine other former governors in the 10th Senate over their collection of both salaries and pensions as senators. This was stated in a press statement issued by the SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, yesterday. Joined in the suit as Respondents are Senators Abdulaziz Yari, Aminu Tambuwal, Adamu Aliero, Adams Oshiomole, Ibrahim Gaidam, Seriake Dickson, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Aliyu Wammako, Gbenga Daniel, and Minister of Works, Dave Umahi. In the suit, filed last Friday…

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“Probe missing NNPC $15bn oil proceeds, N200bn for refinery repairs” – SERAP urges Tinubu 

Aminu Imam

President Bola Tinubu has been urged to probe the grim allegations that over US$15 billion of oil revenue, as well as the N200 billion budgeted to repair the NNPCL refineries, which have been reported as missing between 2020 and 2021.  Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) made the call yesterday, on the heels of a report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, (NEITI).  SERAP urged Tinubu to “name and shame anyone suspected to be responsible for the missing and unaccounted for public funds, and to ensure their effective prosecution…

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Fuel Subsidy Removal: Govs. get 7-day ultimatum to disclose spending details of FG’s N2bn palliative

Aminu Imam

Governors of the thirty-six States have been issued a 7-day ultimatum to give details of spending of the N2 billion palliative recently received from the Federal Government or face legal action. Recall that in August, the Federal Government announced a N5 billion palliative package for each state of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to cushion the effect of the removal of the fuel subsidy. Last Friday, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, said the Federal Government has released only N2 billion from the N5 billion loan it…

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SERAP issues Tinubu 48hrs to reverse ban on 25 media outfits

Aminu Imam

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to use his “good offices and leadership position to immediately reverse the unlawful ban on 25 journalists and media houses from covering the presidential villa and restore the accreditations of those affected.” According to reports, the Federal Government recently withdrew the accreditations of some 25 journalists from covering activities at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. In the letter, dated 26 August 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged him “to publicly instruct the officials in the…

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SERAP to sue FG over N70bn allocation to National Assembly

Aminu Imam

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has said that it will sue the Federal Government over the allocation of N70 billion to the National Assembly. The National Assembly, on Thursday, passed an amendment to the N819.5 billion 2022 supplementary budget, approving the sum of N70 billion to support the “working condition” of new lawmakers. The amendment, among others, seeks to provide N500 billion palliatives to Nigerians to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal. The amendment was passed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives a day…

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Fuel Subsidy: ‘Publish how N400bn savings was spent’, SERAP urges Tinubu

Aminu Imam

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP), has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to use his good offices and leadership position to “urgently publish details of spending of about N400billion so far saved as a result of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol.” He was urged by SERAP to “provide details of the plans on how subsequent savings from the removal of petroleum subsidy would be used, including specific projects on which the funds would be spent, and the mechanisms that have been put…

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SERAP threatens to sue CBN over regulations on customers’ social media handles

Aminu Imam

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened to sue the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over its new Regulations on customers’ social media handles. The apex bank, in its new customer Due Diligence Regulations, which is aimed at further deepen the identification process in the banking system, had mandated Financial Institutions to obtain the social media handle, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, residential addresses, among others from their customers. But reacting, SERAP urged the Acting Governor of the CBN, Folashodun Shonubi, to immediately delete the provisions in the CBN (Customer Due…

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10th Senate: ‘Disclose pensions paid to you as ex-Governors’, SERAP tells Akpabio, others

Aminu Imam

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and other 13 former governors in the 10th Senate to “disclose the total amount of life pensions, if any, that have been received from your s7tates as former governors”. In a statement yesterday, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, urged the new lawmakers to “promptly clarify if you have collected and/or currently collecting life pensions as former governors from your respective states, to stop collecting any such pensions and return the pensions collected to the treasury.” According…

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SERAP sues Tinubu over failure to probe missing fuel subsidy funds

Aminu Imam

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP), has sued President Bola Tinubu, over “the failure to probe the allegations that USD$2.1 billion and N3.1 trillion public funds of oil revenues and budgeted as fuel subsidy payments are missing and unaccounted for between 2016 and 2019”. SERAP filed a lawsuit against Tinubu at the Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking an order of mandamus to promptly investigate allegations that USD$2.1 billion and N3.1 trillion in public funds are missing and unaccounted for between 2016 and 2019. Additionally, they are seeking an…

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