The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to provide a transparent account of the spending of Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations to states and the FCT since 2019.
SERAP has also requested them to publish documents regarding the spending of FAAC allocations received by their states and the FCT since 1999.
The FAAC is responsible for reviewing and adopting the allocation of funds to states and the Federal Government of Nigeria.
These requests come in light of reports that the committee disbursed N1.123 trillion to the federal, state, and local governments for March 2024 alone, with states receiving N398.689 billion.
SERAP’s request, dated April 20, 2024, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, stated, “Without this information, Nigerians cannot follow the actions of their states and the FCT, and they cannot properly fulfill their responsibilities as citizens.”
“Trillions of FAAC allocations received by Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT have allegedly gone down the drain. The resulting human costs directly threaten the human rights of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians,” it added.
Publishing these documents would enable Nigerians to meaningfully engage in the implementation of projects executed with the FAAC allocations collected.
“If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel you and your state and the FCT to comply with our requests in the public interest,” it stated.
The FoI requests emphasized that “Secrecy in the spending of FAAC allocations received by your state and the FCT is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international anti-corruption obligations.”
