BREAKING: Govs, Wike, Dragged to Court Over Alleged Missing N40 Trillion Allocations

• A non-governmental organization, SERAP, has sued the 36 governors in Nigeria and the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike
• The governors and Wike were sued over their reported failure to account for the alleged missing N40 trillion federal allocations meant for local governments in the states and the FCT
• Legit.ng understands that the case will heard at at the federal high court, Abuja, as SERAP insists on transparency

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering governance and public journalism.

FCT, Abuja - The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued Nigeria's governors and Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), Abuja.

The governors and Wike were dragged to the federal high court, Abuja, over their reported failure to account for the alleged missing N40 trillion federal allocations for local governments in the states and the FCT.

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In a statement on Sunday, February 25, SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said that the lawsuit stems from former President Muhammadu Buhari’s revelations in December 2022, where he disclosed that funds allocated from the federation account to states were often misappropriated, with only a fraction reaching the intended recipients.

SERAP wants the court to “compel and direct Mr Wike to publish details of federal allocations meant for the Area Councils in the FCT and the actual disbursement of the allocations to the Area Councils in the FCT from 1999 to date.”

Furthermore, SERAP is arguing that “state governors and Wike cannot hide under the excuse that the freedom of information act does not apply to their states and the FCT".

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SERAP threatens legal action over Betta Edu

In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that more pressure was mounted on President Bola Tinubu over the controversy surrounding the now-suspended minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, Betta Edu.

SERAP urged Tinubu to direct the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and appropriate anti-corruption agencies, to thoroughly conduct a probe over a N585 million scandal.

Source: Legit.ng