Court Orders Former Minister to Account for N729 Billion Payment to Poor Nigerians

The Federal High Court in Lagos has mandated Sadia Umar-Farouk, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management, and Social Development, to provide a detailed account of the N729 billion disbursed to 24.3 million poor Nigerians over a six-month period. This ruling follows a Freedom of Information (FOI) suit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu delivered the judgment, compelling the former minister to disclose the beneficiaries’ list, details of payments, the states covered, and the amounts disbursed per state.

SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, stated that the court’s decision came after SERAP obtained a certified true copy of the judgment. Justice Dipeolu emphasized the minister’s obligation under the FOI Act to provide the requested information, ordering her to disclose the selection process for beneficiaries and the payment mechanisms used.

Additionally, the court questioned the rationale behind the N5,000 payments to 24.3 million Nigerians, noting this constituted five percent of Nigeria’s 2021 budget of N13.6 trillion. The judge criticized the minister’s failure to provide reasons for denying the requested information, highlighting the sections of the FOI Act she contravened.

The judgment dismissed the minister’s preliminary objections, affirming that SERAP had complied with the statutory requirements to file the suit. The judge ruled that the case was not statute-barred, as the minister claimed, and proceeded to grant SERAP’s request for transparency and accountability in public spending.

In response to the ruling, SERAP urged President Bola Tinubu to enforce the judgment, emphasizing the importance of transparency in governance and the need to address systemic corruption documented by the Auditor-General. Prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, praised SERAP’s efforts, calling for immediate government action to combat corruption in public offices.

SERAP’s letter to President Tinubu called for immediate compliance with the court’s order, stressing that this would signal a commitment to the rule of law and distinguish the current administration from its predecessor.

The suit originated from the minister’s 2021 decision to disburse N5,000 monthly to poor Nigerians to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.