Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret.) is the target of a lawsuit brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, also known as SERAP for “failing to fully, effectively, and transparently investigate spending on all social safety net and poverty alleviation programs and projects executed between 2015 and 2022.”
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is included in the case as a respondent (SAN).
The National Bureau of Statistics recently released a report that indicated that 133 million Nigerians were living in poverty, despite the government allegedly spending N500 billion annually on “social investment programs.” According to SERAP, half of the country’s poor residents are children.
SERAP is asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to “direct and compel President Buhari to thoroughly and transparently investigate the spending on all social safety nets and poverty alleviation programs and projects executed between 2015 and 2022” in the lawsuit with the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/2357/2022 that was filed there last Friday.
Along with that, SERAP is requesting that the court “direct and compel President Buhari to ensure that suspected perpetrators of corruption and mishandling of public monies intended to take care of the poor face prosecution, if necessary, and any stolen public funds are retrieved.”
SERAP claims that “Nigerians have the right to be free from poverty” in the lawsuit. Human rights are threatened both directly and indirectly by allegations of corruption in social safety nets and programs to reduce poverty.
SERAP is also arguing that, “Investigating the allegations of corruption in the spending on social safety-nets and poverty alleviation programmes and projects and recovering any stolen public funds would serve the public interest.”
According to SERAP, in order to lessen its vulnerability to corruption and poor management, the Federal Government has a legal obligation to provide transparency and accountability in how public monies are used.
As a matter of human rights, the government is under a legal obligation to address and combat extreme poverty, according to SERAP.
Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Blessing Ogwuche, SERAP’s attorneys, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the organization, which stated in part, “The failure to address extreme poverty has resulted in high levels of inequality and serious violations of the economic and social rights of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.
