A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, to disclose the spending details of over N200 billion public funds collected by the government of former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) fund and allocations from the Federation Accounts.
The court ordered Oborevwori to disclose details of budgetary allocations and actual spending by the Okowa government between 2015 and 2019, including specific projects carried out to improve primary education in Delta State, and the locations of such projects.
The judgment was delivered by Justice Daniel Osiagor, following a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/L/CS/803/2019, brought by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Justice Osiagor also ordered the state government to disclose how the Okowa government spent over N7.28 billion received from UBEC between 2015 and 2017, and N213 billion received from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) in 2018, at an average of N17.8 billion monthly.
SERAP’s suit followed the case of seven year-old Success Adegor, who was sent home because her parents could not pay the ‘illegal’ school fee/levy of N900, and the ‘poor-quality’ of her Okotie-Eboh Primary School 1. Miss Success had, in a viral video in March 2019 said, “No be say I no go pay, dem go flog, flog, flog, dem go tire.”
Justice Osiagor further ordered the government to disclose details of the primary schools that have benefited from the projects carried out on access to free and quality primary education in the state, and information on indirect costs, including uniforms, exercise books, and transport costs to students and their parents.
Justice Osiagor dismissed all the objections raised by the state government, UBEC and the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board and upheld SERAP’s arguments. Consequently, the court entered judgment in favour of SERAP against the three respondents.
Justice Osiagor’s judgment, dated July 17, 2023, read in part: “SERAP’s application cures so much disinformation in the public space. The request by SERAP falls within the categories of records accessible by the public.”
“However, public institutions are becoming increasingly hysterical upon any request served on them for information bordering on accountability.”
“The arguments of the Delta State government and the Delta State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) that the Freedom of Information Act applies to only Federal Government officials cannot be sustained as public institutions are defined in Section 31 of the Interpretation section to include State institutions.”
“Besides, any State Freedom of Information Law that runs contrary to the Federal legislation to the extent of the inconsistency shall be void. See Section 4(5) of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 [as amended]. National Assembly’s legislative powers is for the peace, order and good government of Nigeria.”
“The Delta state government’s reliance on the Delta State Freedom of Information Law, 2019 is inappropriate in this case. The retrospective application of the Delta State piece of legislation is hollow as it cannot divest the vested rights of SERAP.”
“The Freedom of Information Act was the only piece of legislation applying to Delta prior to the filing of this suit by SERAP by the doctrine of covering the field. I am not unmindful of the concurrent powers of legislation between the Federal and State legislatures. There is therefore no feature depriving this court of jurisdiction.”
“Besides, the Delta State procedural step is inapplicable as it was not in existence when this cause of action arose. I therefore hold that SERAP has effectively triggered the application of the Freedom of Information Act by their letters of April, 2019 placing demands for information from the Delta State government.”