By oluwaseyi Adediran
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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken President Bola Tinubu to court over his alleged failure to investigate the disappearance of N57 billion from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021. SERAP is urging the court to compel Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, to work with anti-corruption agencies to probe the missing funds.
The organization is also seeking a court order to direct the President to collaborate with anti-graft agencies to prosecute those suspected of being responsible for the missing funds, if sufficient evidence is available, and to recover any missing public funds. According to SERAP, investigating the allegations and prosecuting those responsible would help end the impunity of perpetrators and ensure justice and accountability for the serious accusations.
Allegations of Corruption and Mismanagement
The allegations against the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation are damning. The Ministry reportedly failed to account for over N54 billion intended for paying monthly stipends to Batch C1 N-Power volunteers and non-graduate trainees between August and December 2021. The Auditor-General has expressed concern that the funds may have been diverted and has called for recovery of the money and its remittance to the treasury.
Furthermore, the Ministry allegedly failed to account for over N2.6 billion allocated for the “homegrown school feeding programme during COVID-19,” as the program was never executed. The Ministry also reportedly spent over N78 million on a survey without approval or documentation, and failed to account for N39.5 million in “personal donations to different personalities”.
Consequences of Corruption
The consequences of corruption are far-reaching and affect citizens daily. Corruption forces citizens to incur additional costs for health, education, and administrative services. SERAP emphasizes that the allegations represent theft from the poor and that there is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these serious accusations.
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