Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to investigate allegations that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, paid N585.2 million for some vulnerable Nigerians into a private account.
SERAP is specifically asking President Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and other anti-corruption agencies to investigate the payment of the funds meant for disbursement to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun states into a private account of one of the employees of the Ministry.
The organisation is also calling on the president to direct the AGF and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly and thoroughly investigate whether the N585.2 million has been paid into any private account and to identify and publish the names of anyone who may have received the money.
It further demanded that anyone suspected to be involved in any improper payment or diversion of public funds be brought to justice, and any diverted public funds returned to the public treasury and paid directly to the rightful beneficiaries.
SERAP, which made the demands in an open letter dated January 6, 2024, signed by its deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, threatened to drag the federal government to court if it failed to respond to the demands.
The civil society organisation argued that if government officials continued to pay public funds into private accounts, it may create the perception or appearance of impropriety and give cover to any potential wrong doing or diversion.
It maintained that if the government investigates these allegations and ensures that the public funds meant to care for the poor are transparently and accountability spent, recovering any diverted public funds is a severe and legitimate public interest.
SERAP also stated that the public interests in safeguarding against the perception or appearance of impropriety or corruption also require the government to remove the opportunity for abuse inherent in the payment of public funds into private accounts.
The organisation insisted that the 1999 Constitution, financial regulations and international obligations impose a fundamental obligation on the government to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds meant for socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.
It further argued that the government has a legal responsibility to ensure full compliance with the Financial Regulations 2009, prohibiting the payment of public funds into private accounts, to reduce vulnerability to corruption or risks of the funds being diverted for personal ends or other unlawful purposes.
SERAP stated, “Government officials hold positions of public trust. Public officials are expected to ensure compliance with Nigerian laws and international standards in the discharge of their public functions.
“The persistent lack of transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds meant to take care of the poor raises issues of public trust, makes the funds vulnerable to corruption or mismanagement, and undermines the integrity of poverty intervention programmes.
“Your government has a legal obligation to probe and prosecute allegations of abuse of office and corruption in the spending of public funds meant to improve the conditions of vulnerable Nigerians.
“SERAP is concerned that successive governments have failed to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds budgeted for social safety nets and poverty alleviation programmes and projects.
“Any risk of corruption in the spending of public funds meant to take care of the poor would erode the effectiveness of the government of its repeated commitment to address the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy on vulnerable Nigerians.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.
“Any failure to investigate these grave allegations, bring suspected perpetrators to justice and recover any diverted public funds would undermine the integrity of the government’s poverty intervention programmes,” SERAP stated.
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