A Lagos based non-governmental Organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project,, SERAP, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice and Zainab Ahmed, the minister of finance, budget and national planning to publish a comprehensive list of names of people from whom N800 billion in looted funds were recovered, the details of spending and the dates of recovery.
The organisation in a Freedom of Information Act, FoI, request asked the president to direct appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly, thoroughly and transparently investigate allegations that payments totalling N51 billion were made into individual accounts in 2019.
In the letter dated June 13, 2020, and signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Publishing the details regarding the N800 billion recovered loot and investigating the alleged suspicious payments into personal accounts would be entirely consistent with fundamental principles of due process, and Nigeria’s international anti-corruption commitments.”
According to SERAP, “The information will also reveal the truth of where the money is going and why it is there, and allow Nigerians an opportunity to assess the impacts of any projects carried out with the recovered loot and the alleged payments into individual accounts.”
The letter, copied to Malami and Ahmed, read in part: “The public has a right to know how the recovered N800 billion loots have been spent, and the details and purpose of the alleged payments into individual accounts.”
“As a signatory to the UN Convention against Corruption, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Nigeria has committed to ensuring transparent management of public resources, and unhindered access to public information. These commitments ought to be fully upheld and respected.”
Source: Independent
