The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sued President Muhammadu Buhari “for failing to investigate allegations that over N1.48 trillion allegedly spent on maintaining the country’s four refineries between 2015 and 2020 may have been stolen, mismanaged, or diverted into private pockets.”
The suit was filed last week at the Federal High Court in Lagos State on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Ms Adelanke Aremo.
According to the group, the Federal Government spent N10.23 billion in June 2020 on three refineries that processed no crude.
In addition, the government approved $1.5 billion (approximately N600 billion) in 2021 to repair the Port Harcourt refinery. Despite massive investment, refineries remain idle as fuel scarcity persists.
The organization is also seeking “an order of mandamus to compel President Buhari to ensure the prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible for the importation and distribution of dirty fuel into Nigeria, and to identify and ensure access to justice and effective remedies to affected victims.”
It argued that, “It is in the public interest to ensure justice and accountability for alleged corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector, which has resulted in the importation and distribution of dirty fuel and protracted fuel scarcity in the country.”
“Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and international standards impose clear obligations on the Buhari administration to take effective accountability measures to weed out, expose, and punish allegations of corruption in the oil sector, and to ensure effective remedies for victims.”
SERAP is arguing that “alleged corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector and the importation and distribution of dirty fuel have continued to deprive Nigerians of economic opportunities, subjecting them to cruel and degrading treatment.”
SERAP is also seeking “an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to instruct appropriate anti-corruption agencies to jointly track and monitor the spending of public funds to rehabilitate, operate, and maintain Nigeria’s refineries.”
Joined in the suit as respondent is Abubakar Malami, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
