Socio-economic Rights And Accountability Project, SERAP, has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos for leave apply for judicial review to enable it seek an order of mandamus compelling President Bola Tinubu, to set up a presidential panel of enquiry to probe allegations in the reports published by the Auditor General of the Federation between 2016 to 2019 that $2.1 billion and N3.1 trillion, public funds of oil revenues budgeted as fuel subsidy payments are missing and unaccounted for between 2016 and 2019.
SERAP is also asking the court for an order granting leave to it, to apply for judicial review to enable it seek an order of mandamus compelling the President to direct anti-corruption agencies to probe all fuel subsidy payments paid by successive governments in Nigeria since the return of democracy in 1999.
It also seeks an order to apply for judicial review to enable it seek an order of mandamus directing and compelling the anti-corruption agencies to duly name and shame anyone suspected to be responsible for the alleged widespread and systemic corruption in the use of oil revenues and the management of public funds budgeted as fuel subsidy, and to ensure the effective prosecution as well as the full recovery of any proceeds of crime.
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It also seeks an order granting leave to to apply for judicial review to enable it seek an order of mandamus directing and compelling President Tinubu to use any recovered proceeds of crime as palliatives to address the impact of the subsidy removal on poor Nigerians.
It also asked the court for an order granting leave, to apply for judicial review to enable it seek an order of mandamus directing and compelling the President Tinubu to put in place mechanisms for accountability and transparency in the oil sector.
The orders sought for by SERAP are contained in a motion ex-parte marked FHC/L/CS/1107/2023, filed before the court, by Oluwadare Kolawole.
SERAP states that the motion is pursuant to Order 34 Rules 1(1)(A)(b);2; 3(1)(2)(A)(b)(c) and 4 of The Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2019 and under the court’s inherent jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, the case has been assigned to Justice Peter Lifu, who adjourned the matter to June 21, 2023.
