The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to probe the allegedly over N57 billion of public funds “missing, diverted or stolen” in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021.
“Hundreds of billions of naira are also reportedly missing in other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs),” SERAP said.
These damning revelations are documented in the 2021 audited report released last week by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
SERAP said, “Anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing public funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury.”
SERAP urged him to “use any recovered stolen funds to fund the deficit in the 2025 budget, and to issue an immediate moratorium on borrowing by the Federal Government to ease Nigeria’s crippling debt crisis.”
In the letter dated 23 November 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “The allegations amount to stealing from the poor. There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these grave allegations.”
According to SERAP, “The allegations also suggest a grave violation of the public trust, the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), the country’s anticorruption legislation and international anticorruption obligations.”
The letter, read in part: “Poor Nigerians have continued to pay the price for the widespread and grand corruption in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviations and other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
