COVID-19: SERAP seeks knowledge of donations, payments, beneficiaries

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit asking the Federal High Court, Abuja, to order the federal government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to publicly identify and name Nigerians who have benefited from any cash payments, cash transfers, food distribution, and other reliefs and palliatives during the COVID-19 lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States.

In the suit filed last week, SERAP is seeking an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus to compel Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, and Mr Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor, to publish spending details of public funds and private sector donations for socio-economic benefits to the country’s poorest and most vulnerable people.”

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SERAP is also seeking an order to direct and compel Ms Umar-Farouk and Mr Emefiele to publish an up-to-date list of donations and names of those who have made payments as per their publicly announced donations; spending details of the N500 billion COVID-19 intervention funds, and the names of beneficiaries, and whether such beneficiaries include people living with disabilities (PWDs).

The suit followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information (FoI) requests dated 4 April, 2020, expressing concern that millions of the country’s poorest and most vulnerable people have not benefited from the announced palliatives, donations, reported cash payments, cash transfers and other reliefs.

SERAP is also seeking a declaration that the failure of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, and the CBN governor to provide SERAP the requested information on spending details of public money and private donations, and to publish names of beneficiaries amounts to a fundamental violation of the FoI Act and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The suit was filed on behalf of SERAP by its counsels, Kolawole Oluwadare and Joke Fekumo.

According to SERAP, any perception that the reliefs, funds, and donations are not reaching intended beneficiaries would undermine public trust and the integrity of the entire processes and modes of distribution of reliefs/benefits to Nigerians.