Socio-Financial Rights and Accountability Undertaking (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Lawyer Basic of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and anti-corruption companies to probe allegations that over N57 billion of public funds are lacking, diverted or stolen from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021 alone.
SERAP added that tons of of billions of naira had been additionally reportedly lacking in different Ministries, Departments and Companies (MDAs). In accordance with the organisation, the damning revelations are documented within the 2021 audited report launched final week by the Workplace of the Auditor-Basic of the Federation.
SERAP mentioned anybody suspected to be accountable ought to face prosecution as acceptable, with enough admissible proof, saying any lacking public funds needs to be totally recovered and remitted to the treasury.
The physique urged the President to make use of any recovered stolen funds to fund the deficit within the 2025 price range, and to concern a direct moratorium on borrowing by the Federal Authorities to ease Nigeria’s crippling debt disaster.
Within the letter, written on the weekend and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation mentioned the allegations amounted to stealing from the poor.
“There’s a reliable public curiosity in making certain justice and accountability for these grave allegations,” the physique mentioned. In accordance with SERAP, the allegations additionally recommend a grave violation of the general public belief, the Nigerian Structure 1999 (as amended), the nation’s anti-corruption laws and worldwide anticorruption obligations.
SERAP lamented that poor Nigerians had continued to pay the value for the widespread corruption within the ministry and different MDAs. The organisation recalled that the 2021 yearly audited report by the Workplace of the Auditor-Basic of the Federation, the Humanitarian Affairs ministry in 2021 did not 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.
SERAP famous that the cash was ‘indirectly paid to the beneficiaries.
“The auditor-general is worried that the cash could have been diverted. He needs the cash recovered and remitted to the treasury. He additionally needs suspected perpetrators of the diversion to be sanctioned in keeping with the monetary laws.
“The ministry additionally reportedly did not account for over N2.6 billion (N2,617,090,786.00) of public funds meant for the home-grown school-feeding programme throughout COVID-19, as ‘the programme was by no means executed.
“The cash was allegedly paid to 5 contractors to obtain, bundle and distribute COVID-19 palliatives to Kano, Zamfara and Abia states, however with none hint,” SERAP recollects amongst different accounted cash.
These allegations by the Auditor-Basic, SERAP mentioned, are completely different from the allegedly lacking or unaccounted for N729 billion, which is the subject-matter of the judgment by Justice Deinde Dipeolu.
