SERAP drags FG to Courtroom over alleged lacking N57 billion within the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry 

The Socio-Financial Rights and Accountability Challenge (SERAP) has instituted a lawsuit towards President Bola Tinubu over “the failure to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to work with acceptable anti-corruption businesses to analyze allegations that over N57 billion of public funds have been lacking, diverted, or stolen from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021 alone.” 

This was disclosed in a press release signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, on Sunday and despatched to Nairametrics.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has been joined as a respondent within the go well with, with the advocacy group alleging that critical issues towards the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry have been documented within the 2021 audited report launched final month by the Workplace of the Auditor-Common of the Federation.

SERAP’s Allegations 

Within the go well with earlier than the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Lagos, SERAP is asking the court docket “to compel President Tinubu to direct Mr. Fagbemi to work with acceptable anti-corruption businesses to promptly examine allegations that over N57 billion of public funds have been lacking, diverted, or stolen from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021.” 

SERAP can also be asking the court docket “to compel President Tinubu to direct Mr. Fagbemi to work with acceptable anti-corruption businesses to prosecute anybody suspected to be answerable for the lacking N57 billion, if there may be enough admissible proof, and to get better any lacking public funds.” 

SERAP argues that investigating the allegations, prosecuting these suspected of being answerable for the lacking N57 billion, and recovering the lacking funds would assist finish the impunity of perpetrators.

“The allegations quantity to stealing from the poor. There’s a respectable public curiosity in guaranteeing justice and accountability for these grave allegations.” 

“Poor Nigerians have continued to pay the value for the widespread and grand corruption within the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, in addition to in different ministries, departments, and businesses (MDAs),” SERAP added.

Oluwadare and Ms. Oluwakemi Agunbiade additional emphasised that granting their reliefs would go a good distance in addressing corruption in ministries, departments, and businesses (MDAs), in addition to the nation’s funds deficit and debt issues.

“In line with the 2021 annual audited report by the Workplace of the Auditor-Common of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation didn’t account for over N54 billion (N54,630,000,000.00) meant to pay month-to-month stipends to Batch C1 N-Energy volunteers and non-graduate trainees between August and December 2021,” the go well with partly reads.

No date has been mounted for the listening to of the case.

What You Ought to Know: 

• SERAP is one in all Nigeria’s main public curiosity advocacy teams.
• The group additionally depends on litigation to hunt the court docket’s intervention in instances of alleged infractions by authorities officers and public establishments.
• When the matter commences, the AGF shall be anticipated to file a proper response, paving the way in which for the case to be heard and decided by the court docket.