The court ordered Buhari’s minister to account for a payment of N729 billion to underprivileged Nigerians.

Lagos:The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the  former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development  under Mohammadu Buhari, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq, to account for payments of N729bn to 24.3 million poor Nigerians for six months.

The court also ordered the former minister to provide the list and details of the beneficiaries who received the payments, the number of states covered, and the payments per state.

Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu delivered the  judgement in June following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/L/CS/853/2021, brought by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.SERAP.

The organization obtained the true certified  copy of the judgment last week Friday.

In his judgment, Justice Dipeolu held that, “The former minister is compelled by the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to give information to any person including SERAP. I therefore grant an order of mandamus directing and compelling the minister to provide the spending details of N729 billion to 24.3 million poor Nigerians in 2021.

Justice Dipeolu ordered the minister to “provide SERAP with details information of how the beneficiaries have been selected and the mechanisms for the payments to the beneficiaries.”

The judge also ordered the minister to “explain the rationale for paying N5,000 to 24.3 million poor Nigerians, which translates to five per cent of Nigeria’s budget of N13.6 trillion for 2021.”

She ruled that “the minister did not give any reason for the refusal to disclose the details sought by SERAP. SERAP has reeled out the relevant sections of the Freedom of Information Act 2011 that the minister contravened and has, in line with sections 20 and 25(1) of the Act, prayed this Court for an order of mandamus to direct and compel the minister to provide the information sought.”

Justice Dipeolu dismissed the objections raised by the minister’s counsel and upheld SERAP’s arguments. Kolawole Oluwadare, the deputy Director of SERAP  after the judgement said the ruling is a victory for transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds.

He said, “This ground-breaking judgment is a victory for transparency and accountability in the spending of public funds.

Justice Dipeolu’s judgement  highlights the critical need for the Tinubu government to address the systemic allegations of corruption in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management, and Social Development, as well as other ministries, departments, and agencies, as documented by the Federation’s Auditor-General.

“We commend Justice Dipeolu for his courage and wisdom and urge the former minister to immediately obey the court orders.”

In a letter dated July 6, 2024, sent to President Bola Tinubu on the judgment and signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, The NGO  requested that the president direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management, and Social Development, as well as the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, to immediately comply with thejudgement.

It reads: “We urge you to direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately compile and release the spending details of the N729 billion as ordered by the court.

“The swift enforcement and implementation of the judgment by your government will be a victory for the rule of law, transparency, and accountability in the governance processes and management of public resources, including the N729 billion.