2024 Budget: Nigerian court asked to block ‘lawmakers’ from diverting trillions of naira earmarked for constituency projects

The Federal High Court, Abuja has been asked to give orders ensuring trillions of Naira budgeted for constituency projects in 2024 are not embezzled, misappropriated or diverted into private pockets by lawmakers.

The request was made by the  Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/452/2024, against the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, who leads the National Assembly.

It was filed against Akpabio over the national assembly’s failure to refer the alleged “N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution, and to recall Senator Abdul Ningi who blew the whistle on the allegations.”

This was disclosed in its statement issued by SERAP  on Sunday.

The advocacy group explained in its suit that granting the application would  encourage whistleblowers to speak up, improve public services, and ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.

SERAP’s lawyer, Kolawole Oluwadare added that no whistleblower should be penalised simply for making a public interest disclosure, as was done to Senator Ningi.

The statement partly reads,

• “In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/452/2024 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to refer the alleged N3.7 trillion budget padding to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution of suspected perpetrators.”
• “SERAP is also seeking: an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to immediately take steps to ensure the reinstatement of whistleblower Abdul Ningi who was suspended from the Senate over his allegations that the lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion.”
• “SERAP is also seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to put in place transparency and accountability mechanisms to ensure that the trillions of Naira budgeted for constituency projects are not embezzled, misappropriated or diverted into private pockets.”

A date is yet to be fixed for hearing of SERAP’s application.

Back story:

• Senator Abdul Ningi, the former Chairperson of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), had told BBC Hausa that there were irregularities associated with the budget, adding, ” we had a budget of N28 trillion but after our thorough checks, we found out that it was a budget of N25 trillion. How and where did we get the additional N3 trillion from, what are we spending it for?.”
• His allegations of budget padding was strongly debunked by the Nigerian presidency which said any increase in budgetary allocation was at the instance of the lawmakers.
• Nairametrics recalls that the Senate eventually reconvened and suspended Ningi for his comments.
• SERAP has now approached the court for several orders aimed at recalling the suspended Senator and restraining alleged moves to divert public funds.