Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has dragged 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Mr. Nyesom Wike before a Federal High Court, Abuja, “over their failure to account for the spending of trillions of FAAC allocations collected by their states and the FCT since 1999.”
SERAP suit followed reports that Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, disbursed N1.123 trillion to the federal, state, and local governments for March 2024.
The three ties of government shared N1.208 trillion in April. States collected N398.689 billion in March while they collected N403.403 billion in April.
In the suit filed on Friday, SERAP is asking the court to “direct and compel the governors and Mr Wike to publish spending details of the FAAC allocations collected by their states and the FCT since 1999 including the list and locations of projects executed with the money.”
SERAP is further asking the court to “compel the governors and Mr. Wike to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, to probe any allegations of corruption linked to the allocations and to monitor how the money is spent.”
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In the suit, SERAP is arguing that, “Nigerians ought to know in what manner public funds including FAAC allocations, are spent by the governors and FCT minister.”
According to SERAP, “Opacity in the spending of the FAAC allocations collected by the governors and Mr. Wike would continue to have negative impacts on the fundamental interests of the citizens.”
SERAP is arguing that, “trillions of FAAC allocations received by Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT have allegedly gone down the drain. The resulting human costs directly threaten the human rights of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.”
SERAP is also arguing that, “Without the information on the spending details of the FAAC allocations, Nigerians cannot follow the actions of their states and the FCT and they cannot properly fulfill their responsibilities as citizens.”
SERAP is also arguing that, “Directing and compelling the governors and FCT minister to provide the information sought and widely publish the spending details of the FAAC allocations collected by them would serve legitimate public interests.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
