SERAP: FG hasn’t obeyed court orders on recovered assets, budget padding

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) says the federal government has failed to obey multiple court orders, directing it to publish details of assets recovered, alleged budget paddling of 2016 among others. 

Oluwadare Kolawole, SERAP’s deputy director, in a press briefing titled: “Little to No Progress: Stopping Grand Corruption and Impunity in Nigeria” held on Wednesday, said many of its freedom of information (FOI) requests to government agencies and ministries were denied.

SERAP accused the federal government of the “tendency to pick and choose which court orders it complies with,” adding that the move is counterproductive to the federal government’s fight against corruption.

“High-profile judgments the federal government is refusing or failing to obey include at least six judgments obtained SERAP. The first is the judgment by justice Hadiza  Shagari ordering the federal government to tell Nigerians about the stolen asset it allegedly recovered, with details of the amounts recovered,” he said.

“The second judgment, by justice Mohammed Idris, ordered the Federal Government to publish details on the spending of stolen funds recovered by successive governments since the return of democracy in 1999.

“The third judgment, by justice Oguntoyinbo, ordered the federal government to challenge the legality of states’ pension laws permitting former governors now Serving “ as ministers and members of the National Assembly to collect such pensions and to recover pensions already collected by them.

“The fourth judgment, by justice Mohammed Idris, ordered the federal government to prosecute senior lawmakers suspected of padding and stealing N481 billion from the 2016 budget; and to widely publish the report of investigations into the alleged padding of the 2016 budget.

“The fifth judgment by justice Obiozor, ordered the Federal Government to publish the names of companies and contractors who collected public funds since 1999 but failed to execute any electricity projects.

“The sixth judgment, by the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja, ordered the Nigerian authorities to provide free and quality education to all Nigerian children without discrimination.”

When asked whether the federal government has appealed the aforementioned court orders, he said that there are no pending appeals, adding that if there is an appeal the organisation would have been informed.