Nigeria is presently going through her worst of times. The country never had it this devastating. The citizens are not just wailing but are suffocating sequel to pains and frustrations. 

Yet ironically, these have provoked an unusual sense of vigilance and activism among the citizenry. Most people have suddenly become interested in governance more than ever. And consequently, there is now a massive expression of impatience regarding the expectations for interventions that deliver direct relief and assurances. The people are lamenting that what they experience today was certainly not what they bargained for with their votes.

Hence, the recent screening and subsequent confirmation of the ministerial nominees by the Senate was one event that underscored these feelings of disenchantment and rekindled citizens’ interest in governance. 

The exercise was roundly dismissed as a mere formality, full of frivolities. This perception was cumulatively sequel to the “bow-and-go” syndrome, eligibility and competency questions, lack of scrutiny and vigour as well as the absence of proofs of declaration of assets and liabilities. Others included low-level youth inclusion, gender disparity, exclusion of people living with disabilities and the over-bloated nature of the nominee's list, the elevation of partisan patronage above technocracy and then imbalance along the geo-political divides. Then to dramatize those issues and the belief that indeed, the exercise was below public expectations, there were various protests, advocacies and petitions.

Therefore by way of illustrations, certain nominees were shielded from scrutiny having been asked to just take a “bow and go” with little or no presentations, thereby denying Nigerians the opportunity of ascertaining the capabilities or otherwise of the would-be ministers. Also, while some others who had unimpressive outings in the past and the ones with moral burdens were given a clean bill of health, nothing was done about the absence of the nominees’ proofs of assets and liabilities declaration as required by the laws. 

Fundamentally, these perspectives sign-post patriotic consciousness and clamour for public officials with proven competencies and abilities who are validated by a responsible and responsive parliament, towards good governance and national development. 

But as compelling as those conclusions are, they can still be subjected to objectivity tests primarily by interrogating the laws.

By section 147 of the 1999 constitution on the appointment of ministers, it is the prerogative of the president to nominate while the senate confirms upon screening. It further says that primarily, the nominee must be “qualified for election into the House of Representatives.” And such qualification according to section 65 sub-section 2 of the constitution; the nominee must be educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent and, is a member of a political party and be sponsored by that party.

Instructively, there are no definite rules or a template for performing this all-important function. It thus implies that the Senate enjoys all the latitude and flexibility to apply any mode, provided that the laws, especially on the basic qualifications, are recognized. So by inference, the legislators,  

in establishing the characters and relative competencies of the nominees, are to restrict themselves to the earlier submitted details and then the interactive presentations on the floor. Also, they can screen and confirm based on antecedence. 

Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that screening does not translate to probe. There are specialized agencies that undertake elaborate investigations ahead of the Senate. This is the tradition.

However, citizens have the right to raise objections to the appointments of public officials. But such rights are exercised to their full potential either through the legislature or the judiciary. Between the elected representatives and the courts of law, including even the security agencies, one is at liberty to express themselves. At least, the nominees are well-publicized before their appearances for screening, which affords ample time to raise whatever misgivings, through either petitions or legal judgements. And of course, as highlighted above, records spoke for some. Those whose past conducts challenged the institutional memory of the Senate and the ones whose nominations elicited security concerns were duly taken care of.  

Furthermore, and except for ignorance or deliberate motives, there are parliamentary conventions that confer some kind of privileges to certain categories of persons. These include those who have previously passed through the legislature, either having served as a lawmaker or screened by the parliament. By the protocol, they do not necessarily require reassessment given that their background data are already on the legislative archive. As such, their recent details ought to have answered all the eligibility and capability questions. But unarguably, this peculiar courtesy does not completely immune the nominees from re-evaluation, when necessary. And again on another hand, it will be extremely difficult to establish the ingenuity or expertise of a prospective appointee in the absence of the intended portfolios. 

Then above all, because the buck stops on the desk of the president, who takes all the glory and blames, the discretion is entirely his, as to the quality of hands to enlist in his bid to actualize his agenda. He was entrusted with the popular mandate based on what he represents and the things he promised to deliver. Besides, there are mechanisms to regulate productivity or tackle incompetence and ineligibility in governance, such as key performance indices, KPIs, and the force of public opinion. The potency of these instruments has variously been demonstrated wherein some public officials were either sacked or made to resign when found wanting, while those that eventually served out their terms were denied subsequent opportunities.

Similarly, and on the claim of corruption, it is absolutely unfair to conclude that someone is of questionable disposition without concrete proof. The rule has always been that whoever is convicted faces the law. Nigeria’s history is replete with instances where variously, a serving lawmaker was sent to jail, serving ministers and heads of agencies notably, a serving secretary to the government of the federation, as well as some prominent judicial officers were relieved of their positions when proven corrupt. Also by the same token, a finance minister and presidential aides were made to quit offices principally by the immense power of public opinion. So it is uncharitable to just condemn an individual merely on parochial sentiments.

Still, on the issue of code of conduct, section 149 of the constitution says, that declaration of assets and liabilities is not done prior to appointment but after the nominee has been confirmed and has “subscribed the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Office as minister.” As such, anything to the contrary is unconstitutional and diversionary. 

So, conceding that Mr President in the exercise of his sole priviledge, has put forward those he trusts could deliver, the critical questions then should be: do they individually have the will, courage, and capacity to provide solutions?, are they Nigerians and passionate about national development?, are the states of the federation represented as required by the law, especially for the first time, the FCT? and lastly, does the senate have the constitutional powers to stop the president from appointing anyone of his choice? 

All these uphold the urgent need to tinker with the laws, particularly towards strengthening the legislature and other strategic institutions. The constitution is plagued by a substantial measure of weakness and in its wake, retards democratic governance and development.

But in the interim, the senate in a deliberate bid not to slow down governance, and guided by national interest, has discharged its responsibility. And thankfully also, the people have established the basic moral and performance benchmarks for the prospective ministers. So the ball is now in President Bola Tinubu’s court. As he dispatches them to their respective duty posts, governance has taken off in earnest and also, the assessment and evaluation by the vigilant masses have begun.

But moving forward, everyone should pay attention, with open minds, to the national assembly. The Senate cannot just for political expediency, feign ignorance of the shallowness of the constitution and begin to question the sense of judgement of the president in assembling those he believes can catalyze his obligations. The president of the senate, Godswill Akpabio, was popularly elected by his colleagues on the strength of his avowed commitment to collaboration against confrontation with the presidency, in the lasting interest of the citizenry, without of course, compromising the interdependence of the arms of government. His ideology is anchored on the truism that it is in the commitment of the arms of government to a shared vision or common policy direction while pursuing their different but complementary functions, that the welfare and security of the citizens are guaranteed. And to his credit in this regard so far, he has demonstrated steadfastness.

Even beyond that, past experiences have shown that whether or not the Senate withholds confirmation, the president who is the appointing authority must work with whoever he chooses, as long there are no significant breaches. The cases of the immediate past EFCC and Customs headships are pointers. 

Once again and empirically, the Senate’s confirmation does not mean the end of the process. The ministers are now open to a critical round of ‘screening’ wherein the president’s fire-and-hire powers are wielded against those who fall short of the right traits to hold offices.

But it all depends on how much the people sustain this renewed sense of vigilance and interest in governance, particularly by closing ranks with the legislature, given its peculiar constitutional circumstances. Active participation through a regular exchange of information with the elected representatives backed by constructive criticisms is crucial now if we truly wish for a happy, just and prosperous Nigeria.

About five senior officials in the Department of Farm Inputs Supports Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were arrested by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged diversion of funds.

They were said to have been arrested around 9 am on Thursday in a sting operation which lasted for about one hour in their office at the 5th Floor, Bank of Agriculture Building, Central Business District in Garki, Abuja,

It was learnt that the ICPC detained four of the officials for five days before they were later released. The director among them was said to have been released on health grounds.

The PUNCH learnt that the arrest has created tension among the staff of FISS and other parastatals in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A source said the investigation was connected with the diversion of funds meant for monitoring exercise and sensitisation programmes.

The situation was said to have hampered the monitoring and evaluation of farm inputs.

It was learnt that over N200m was found in the bank account of one of the officials being grilled, while over N100m was found in the bank account of one of his children.

Also, over N250m cash was found in the Abuja house of one of the suspects.

Investigation by the ICPC detectives revealed an inflow of over N60m in six months into the bank account of one of the suspects.

The ICPC has also seized landed properties, including a bakery and one herbal hospital.

When contacted, the spokesperson for ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, said the investigation was still on.

She said, “We don’t give updates on our cases to journalists. We don’t do media trials, that was why I didn’t respond (to your several enquiries. How do you now expect me to start disclosing to you? It doesn’t make sense. I can’t tell you; that is wrong, it’s unethical. How can I be telling you the outcome of our investigation?

“When the case goes to court, it will be in the public domain. There is nothing I can discuss, it will be tantamount to media trial.”

General Abdourahmane Tchiani, the leader of the Niger junta, has said the military is ready for dialogue.

Since his gang overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, Tchiani’s regime has shunned several peaceful overtures. But his latest move comes as ECOWAS prepares to invade the country.

Speaking during a meeting with Islamic scholars from Nigeria, Tichani on Saturday, August 12 was quoted to have said doors were open to explore diplomacy and peace in resolving the matter. 

Islamic scholars led by Sheik Bala Lau, Chairman of Jam’atul Izalatu Bida Waikamatu Sunnah, met with the junta in Niger’s capital on Saturday. 

In a statement Sheik Lau issued after the meeting, he said his delegation and the coup leader deliberated on several issues including ECOWAS demand for the reinstatement of Bazoum.

Asked if the discussion for dialogue took place, Lau quoted Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine,the Prime Minister of Niger, who was appointed by the junta as saying, “Yes, for sure. That was exactly what the leader of our country told them, he did not say he was not open to dialogue.” 

‘’We have agreed and the leader of our country has given the green light for dialogue. They will now go back and inform the Nigerian President what they have heard from us…. we hope in the coming days, they (ECOWAS) will come here to meet us to discuss how the sanctions imposed against us will be lifted,” he said.

Sheik Lau said the team had earlier told President Bola Tinubu who is also the Chairman of Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government that their position is that the political impasse in Niger be resolved through dialogue.

He said based on this, he told General Tchiani that the visit to Niger was to engage in constructive dialogue to encourage him and other military leaders behind the coup to toe the path of peace instead of war to resolve the crisis.

The ruling All Progressives Congress has stated that the persistent attacks on the legacy of the party’s National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, in Kano State may have cost the presidential candidate of New Nigerian People’s Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, a position in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu.

Prior to the unveiling of Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, there were suggestions that Kwankwaso might get a position in Tinubu’s government, given the fraternity between the duo after the presidential election.

However, Kwankwaso did not make the list of Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, while a former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, got a slot.

Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, the Director of Publicity of the APC, Bala Ibrahim, said he believed the attacks on Ganduje’s legacies in Kano State by Governor Abba Yusuf of the NNPP and Kwankwaso’s political godson was why Tinubu decided against giving Kwankwaso a ministerial position.

Ibrahim said, “Kwankwaso is a force to reckon with in the politics of Kano. But the way and manner his Kwankwasiyya movement goes about conducting itself has made the support for Kwankwaso to wane gradually. This is because of the brigandage the movement is bringing into the politics of Kano, and by extension, Nigeria.

“The President must have felt the pulse of the public and weighed the relevance and implementation of his policies, particularly his effort to win the hearts of Kano people. There is no way you will dismiss the political maturity, sagacity and experience of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje when it comes to the way he plays politics in Kano.

“If you weigh the two on a good calibrated scale, the political weight of Ganduje is by far higher than that of Kwankwaso. I believe the President must have listened to people who will give him honest and sincere advice, people who read the political temperature of the state very well, not those who are misguided by the hullabaloo of commotion caused by the brigandage of the Kwankwasiyya movement. It is that direction I think the President took the decision not to treat Ganduje lightly.”

But the Kwankwaso camp knocked the APC for trying to taint its principal.

The NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Major Agbo, told our correspondent that the APC did not deserve a response.

Agbo said, “Some of these issues are things the party is not supposed to be reacting to now. He (Kwankwaso) has spoken directly on the issue you talked about. He is the one who opted out. What else do you want?

“If Ganduje is saying what he is saying and wants to continue to be behaving like a garrison commander, it is his business, not ours.”

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has clarified its earlier statement where it alleged that unnamed persons were calling on the military to interfere in the country’s democracy.

The DHQ, through its spokesperson, Tukur Gusau, had also frowned at reports claiming that the armed forces were having welfare challenges.

“The report’s call on the military to interfere in our democracy is highly unpatriotic, wicked, and an attempt to distract the Armed Forces of Nigeria from performing it’s
constitutional responsibilities.

“…we detest any attempt by any individual or group to instigate the law abiding Armed Forces of Nigeria to embark on any unconstitutional change of government in our country,” the Defence Headqaurters had warned.

But clarifying on Sunday, Gusau said at no time was the military instigated or asked to overthrow the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

“We want to use this opportunity to reiterate that the AFN never received nor made such declaration at any time to anyone or any group…” Gusau said.

“The AFN is very comfortable with democracy and remain loyal to the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. The military is always willing and ready to defend the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.

The Nigerian military made the clarification in the wake of the recent coup in Niger Republic where a group of soldiers led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani overthrew the government of President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 2023.

As the negative effect of the fuel subsidy removal bites harder on the people, overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as the Latter Rain Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to tackle the problem of corruption embedded in the nation’s fuel subsidy regime rather than implementing ‘anti-people’ economic policies that are strangulating Nigerians.

The Lagos fiery preacher who spoke in his Church auditorium on Sunday in Ikeja, Lagos, on the theme ‘Vice, virtue and time: The three things that shall never stand still’, noted that the suffering and hardship being faced by the people since fuel subsidy was removed by the federal government were excruciating.

Bakare however expressed optimism that God will move into Nigeria after his state of the nation broadcast, saying, “We must share what the Lord has said to us and what he has shown to us.”

The cleric stated: Today’s state of the nation broadcast is a by-product of what we have seen and what we have heard. You are going to see God’s move in our nation after this state of the nation broadcast. Today will mark the time, day and season that God intervened in Nigeria’s affairs.”

Shedding more light on the hardship faced by Nigerians as a result of fuel subsidy removal and its harsh economic impact, he appealed to the president to tackle corrupt practices in government instead of imposing hardship on Nigerians.

“Mr President, kill corruption and not Nigerians. No economy can thrive on impunity,” Bakare said.

Condemning the idea of going to war with Niger Republic, the cleric warned: “Local support for Nigeria by Nigeriens is at an all-time low. It is, therefore, counter-productive to engage in warfare. While we condemn the coup d’etat in West Africa, we recognize that the situation calls for deep, introspection on the part of African leaders.

“We call upon Nigeria at this time to provide good leadership. The real question is whether President Tinubu has the capacity to provide moral leadership even in the domestic context.”

He noted that despite the challenges facing the nation, he is optimistic that God will move Nigeria forward.

On the position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its popularity among Nigerians, he said the results of the 2023 general elections has revealed that Nigerians are tired of the ruling party.

Bakare, who contested the 2022 presidential primary of the APC, said he joined forces with others to form the APC but the party has deviated from the principles it was founded on.

He said, “At this juncture, I must also sound a warning to the APC. I was there when the APC was formed and the extent of my involvement is well documented.

“As a stakeholder and more importantly as a nation builder, I am more obligated to state without equivocation that this is not the APC we envisaged. The results of the last elections were clear indications that Nigerians are fed up with what the APC had become.”

Bakare explained that, the fact that the votes polled by the APC during the 2023 presidential election declined from what it had in 2015 and 2019, was an indication that there was a loss of support base for the party.

“If it were not for the divisions within the Peoples Democratic Party and the emergence of the Obidient movement of the Labour Party that split the traditional support base of the PDP, the APC would have convincingly lost the 2023 elections. Even now, the party’s victory as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC is being challenged in court”.

According to Bakare, the APC has now become a platform for politicians “with no ideology”, who moved from one party to the other to seek power at all costs.

“The APC stood for progressivism characterised by substantial positive investment in social sectors such as education and healthcare and it achieved inclusiveness and social mobility,” he added.

Bakare stressed that what the party stood for has changed over time, saying this has changed over time given the current economic hardship being faced by many Nigerians which he said is a result of “anti-people policies” of the government.

Oil marketers, on Sunday, indicated that the cost of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, would rise to between N680/litre and N720/litre in the coming weeks should the dollar continue to trade from N910 to N950 at the parallel market.

They also hinted that dealers seeking to import PMS were being forced to put the plans on hold due to the scarcity of foreign exchange to import the commodity.

The warning came barely one week after the local currency crossed the N900/dollar ceiling, with the naira selling at over 945/dollar at the parallel market on Friday.

Oil dealers said the CBN Importers and Exporters official window for foreign exchange, which boast of a lower exchange rate of about $740/litre, had remained illiquid and unable to provide the $25m to $30m required for the importation of PMS by dealers.

This, they said, had led to the suspension petrol importation by dealers who were initially eager to import the commodity.

Operators told The PUNCH that the only marketer, Emadeb, who imported the commodity recently, was now finding it tough to recoup its investment due to the depreciation of the naira.

Senior officials of major oil dealers, who spoke to The PUNCH in separate interviews on Sunday, said PMS price hike was imminent unless the local currency appreciates in the coming weeks.

Leaders of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria of Nigeria, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, and Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria said there was a need for the Federal Government to intervene to address the crisis.

The National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, explained that the price of petrol was now driven by the fluctuations in forex, hence Nigerians should expect a hike soon.

Asked whether oil marketers were considering an increase in petrol price, he replied, “Once there is a slack in the naira against the dollar, there is going to be an effect. The demand and supply of forex is a key factor. We should also understand that it is not only petroleum products that use forex.

“Other manufacturers who import one thing or the other are also searching for dollars. So, the surge for dollars has continued to increase. So now that the dollar is hitting N910 to N940, and approaching N1,000, you should expect to buy PMS at the rate of N750/litre.

“It is simple mathematics, once the dollar is going up, have it in mind that the prices of petroleum products would definitely increase because the products are dollar-driven.”

Ukadike stated that oil marketers were still sourcing dollars from the parallel market, as the CBN’s Importers and Exporters official window was illiquid.

“Nigerians should brace for a price regime of between N680 to N720 if the exchange rate stays around N910 to N950/$, but the price is going to hit N750 once the dollar rises to N1,000.

“This is because marketers still source dollars from the parallel market, and not only marketers but virtually all importers in Nigeria. There is no subsidy any more on petroleum products, so you expect the cost to fluctuate with the dollars,” he stated.

The IPMAN PRO also stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited was still the major importer of petrol into Nigeria, though another importer, Emadeb, imported the commodity recently.

“NNPC is still the major importer for now. One other company, Emadeb, imported products recently, but because this product is being sold in naira, getting back their funds is another issue since the naira keeps depreciating, while PMS imports is in dollars.

“This is why it is often difficult to go back and buy again as an independent importer. That is the problem we are facing,” Ukadike stated.

On when Nigerians would start seeing the price increase, he said, “NNPC is like the sole distributor of petroleum products now, so once you see a change in the price of petrol at their outlets, then other marketers will implement it.”

Marketers not importing

The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Clement Isong, alluded to the fact the dealers were not importing petrol despite the fact that the government recently issued licences to about six marketers to bring in products.

Asked to speak on the import of PMS by other marketers and whether they were sourcing forex from the I&E window or the parallel market, Isong replied, “The I&E window is illiquid. There’s no money there.

“To buy products, it costs you between $25m to $30m. You can’t find it in the I&E window. So it doesn’t work and that is why people are not importing.

“We can’t find dollar again, you can’t find it right now. Nigeria has to sort out the security issues in the Niger Delta so that we can increase our daily crude oil output. If we increase it to 1.8 or two million barrels per day, then there’ll be dollar in the market. So we need to stop oil theft.”

FG should intervene

On the apprehension of a possible hike in petrol price, Isong stated that this was inevitable if the dollar continued to rise against the naira, but noted that the government might have to intervene.

“Well, the President himself said in his speech that if they find petrol prices moving too high, they would intervene. We don’t want prices to move too high, nobody wants that.

“So if the dollar continues to climb, we are expecting some sort of intervention from the government based on what the President said,” the MOMAN official stated.

He further explained that PMS was different from diesel in terms of pricing because petrol was newly deregulated.

“The dealer that has bulk of the stock is the NNPC. So it influences the price in the market. Diesel, on the other hand, is different, because it has been deregulated for a very long time. So people will sell petrol depending on their cost structure, loans they took from the banks, forex, etc.

“Many things are put into consideration by dealers before coming up with their selling prices. There’s no one person who sets or controls the price. Nobody is controlling the price of PMS. Right now, NNPC, however, will continue to control the flow of the price. But after a while, that will stop,” Isong explained.

Earlier, the President, PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, while speaking on the matter, had said, “So long as the naira is losing against the dollar, the price of petrol in our retail outlets will continue to increase. To address this, he called on Tinubu to make sure that Nigeria’s refineries were put back to use.

“We have requested that the President should declare a state of emergency on our refineries in order to speed up their repairs.

“That is the one sure way to go, in order to be able to predict the price of petroleum products, because for now, every PMS you buy in any retail outlet is dollarised,” Gillis-Harry stated.

Meanwhile, the CBN last week attributed the continued fall of the naira against the dollar to the diversion of Diaspora remittances to the parallel market.

The CBN Acting Governor, Folashodun Shonubi, spoke while delivering a lecture titled ‘Diaspora Remittances and Nigeria Economic Development’ at the National Institute for Security Studies in Abuja.

Shonubi said a lot of Diaspora remittances arrived in Nigeria in dollars and end up in the parallel market without being officially documented.

It is still unclear at what point the President Bola Tinubu administration plan to intervene in the market to arrest the unfolding crisis.

THE average cost of bus transportation within Nigerian cities rose from N649.59 in May 2023 to N1,285.41 in June 2023 as the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit rose, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

This means that the cost of intra-city bus transportation rose by 98 per cent or N636 within one month.

Figures obtained from the Transport Fare Watch report of the NBS for June 2023 revealed.

It said this included the breakdown of bus journeys within the cities per drop constant route; bus journey intercity (state route) charge per person amongst other means of transportation.

On a year-on-year basis, it said bus fares rose by 120.63 per cent from N582.61 paid by commuters in June 2022.

The average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N5,686.49 in June 2023 compared to N4,002.16 in May 2023 indicating an increase of 42.09 per cent on a month-on-month basis.

The report read, “The average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop increased by 97.88 per cent from N649.59 in May 2023 to N1,285.41 in June 2023. On a year-on-year basis, it rose by 120.63 per cent from N582.61 in June 2022.

“In another category, the average fare paid by commuters for bus journey intercity per drop rose to N5,686.49 in June 2023, indicating an increase of 42.09 on a month-on-month basis compared to N4,002.16 in May 2023. On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 55.25 per cent from N3,662.87 in June 2022.”

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, over plan to spend N40bn on 465 exotic and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials, and N70bn as ‘palliatives’ for new members.

The suit is coming on the heels of the statement by Akpabio that the Clerk of the National Assembly had sent holiday allowances into the various bank accounts of senators.

He had said: “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the clerk of the national assembly.”

According to reports, each senator received at least N2 million.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1606/2023 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel Akpabio and Abbas to review and reduce the N40 billion budgeted to buy 465 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials.

About 137 million Nigerians are said to be facing extreme poverty.

The organisation is also seeking an order restraining both leaders of the National Assembly from demanding or receiving the N40 billion to buy 465 SUVs and bulletproof cars for members and principal officials until an assessment of the socio-economic impact of the spending on the 137 million poor Nigerians is carried out in the public interest.

SERAP further wants Akpabio and Abbas ordered to repeal the Supplementary Appropriation Act 2022 to reduce the budget for the National Assembly by N110bn to reflect the current economic realities in the country.

In the suit, SERAP is arguing that Nigerians have a right to honest and faithful performance by their public officials including lawmakers, as public officials owe a fiduciary duty to the general citizenry.

SERAP is also arguing that unless the reliefs sought are granted, “the lawmakers will spend the N110bn, and the travesty, and apparent conflicts of interest and self-dealing by members of the National Assembly would continue.”

According to SERAP, while N70 billion ‘support allowance’ is budgeted for 306 new lawmakers, only N500 billion worth of palliatives is budgeted for 12 million poor Nigerians.

The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Ms Blessing Ogwuche, read in part: “The plan to spend N110bn is a fundamental breach of constitutional and international human rights obligations.”

“The planned spending of N110bn is a breach of section 57 (4) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 which provides that: ‘All persons in whose hands public funds may be entrusted for whatever purpose should bear in mind that its utilization should be Judicious.’”

“It is also a grave violation of the public trust and constitutional oath of office for members of the National Assembly to unjustifiably increase their own budget at a time when over 137 million poor Nigerians are living in extreme poverty exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidy.”

“Rather than exercising their constitutional and oversight functions to pursue the public interest by considering bills to improve the conditions of the over 137 million poor Nigerians who are facing the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy, the lawmakers appear to be looking after themselves.”

“According to reports, no fewer than 107 units of the 2023 model of the Toyota Landcruiser and 358 units of the 2023 model of Toyota Prado would be bought for the use of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively.”

“The planned purchase is different from the official bulletproof vehicles expected to be purchased for the four presiding officers of the National Assembly.”

“The proposed spending of N110 billion by members of the National Assembly is apparently on top of the N281 billion already provided for the lawmakers in the 2023 National Assembly budget. The proposed spending is also different from the N30.17 billion budgeted for the ‘inauguration expenses’ for new members.”