A civil society group in Nigeria has asked the 36 state governors to disclose how they spent the N2 billion ($4.3m) each received from the federal government as part of the palliative measures to mitigate the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said in an open letter on Saturday that Nigerians have the right to know how their states are spending the funds, which are meant to provide relief to the poor and vulnerable citizens affected by the subsidy removal.
The group said transparency and accountability in the spending of the funds would help to reduce the risk of corruption, mismanagement, diversion, or opportunism. It also said it would serve as an important check on the state government’s activities and help prevent abuses of the public trust.
The letter, signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, gave the governors seven days to publish the spending details, including the names of beneficiaries and details of the reliefs provided with the money.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of this letter’s receipt and/or publication. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and your state to comply with our request in the public interest,” the letter read.
The letter also urged President Bola Tinubu to invite the anti-corruption agencies to jointly track and monitor the spending of the funds and any subsequent disbursement of public funds to the states.
The federal government recently disbursed N2 billion out of the N5 billion ($10.8m) palliative package for each state of the federation and the federal capital territory (FCT) to address the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy on petrol.
The subsidy removal, announced by Tinubu in his inaugural speech on May 29, has caused petrol prices to nearly triple in Nigeria, angering unions and spiking transport costs.
The subsidy removal has also sparked protests in some states, such as Kaduna, where workers went on strike last week over the petrol and electricity tariffs hike.
SERAP said it was concerned that some states may have misused or diverted the funds for other purposes, thereby undermining the objectives of the palliative measures.
The group cited a recent report by BudgIT, a civic organization that tracks public spending, which revealed that some states still need to account for how they spent previous funds received from the federal government for COVID-19 response.
SERAP said it hoped that its request would be granted in order to ensure that Nigerians enjoy their right to an adequate standard of living, as guaranteed by national and international laws.
Source: Vanguard
