Breaking: Tension as court orders Buhari’s minister to account for N729 billion

4 months ago 6

Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu of the federal high court has ordered the former minister of humanitarian affairs, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, to account for N729 billion
Umar-Farouq was also ordered to provide the spending details of N729 billion to 24.3 million poor Nigerians in 2021
The court gave the order after the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) filed a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/L/CS/853/2021.

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Lagos state - The former Minister of humanitarian affairs, disasters management and social development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, has been ordered to account for payments of N729bn to 24.3 million poor Nigerians for six months.

Justice Deinde Isaac Dipeolu of the federal high court sitting in Lagos gave the order after the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) filed a Freedom of Information suit number: FHC/L/CS/853/2021.

Court orders Buhari’s minister to account for N729bn

According The Punch, the court also ordered Umar-Farouq to provide the list and details of the beneficiaries, the number of states covered, and the payments per state.

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As reported by The Punch, Justice Dipeolu delivered the judgement in June the certified true copy of the judgment was obtained by the organization last Friday.

Justice Dipeolu dismissed the objections raised by the minister’s counsel and upheld SERAP’s arguments.

According to the judgement, the court ordered the former minister to “provide SERAP with details of how the beneficiaries have been selected and the mechanisms for the payments to the beneficiaries,” Vanguard reports.

“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 also ordered Umar-Farouq 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.”