The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to “direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly investigate the spending of the billions of naira of Ecological Fund collected by Borno State since 2001, including the N816 million collected by the state between January 2024 and June 2024.”
SERAP said suspected perpetrators of allegations of corruption and mismanagement of ecological funds should face prosecution as appropriate if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any proceeds of corruption should be fully recovered.
It also urged the President to “direct Mr Fagbemi and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to urgently identify and ensure access to justice and effective remedies to affected victims in Borno state”.
It further urged him to “direct Mr George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation to work with appropriate anticorruption agencies to track and monitor the spending of Ecological Fund by the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 36 state governors, the 774 local government areas, as well as all emergency management agencies across the country funded through the Ecological Fund”.
SERAP, in a letter dated 21 September 2024 and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, told the President that his government has a legal obligation to address the prevalence of flooding across the country and its effect on people, and to ensure that the money meant to stop the floods is not lost to corruption.
“There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice for the victims of Borno’s flood victims, and accountability for the spending of the monthly ecological funds collected by the state through the Federal Account Allocation Committee [FAAC],” SERAP said in the letter.
“Although ecological funds are shared across the three tiers of government, and emergency management agencies, the funds are managed and supervised by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“The devastation in Borno highlights your government’s obligation to promote and ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of ecological funds by all tiers of government and emergency management agencies,” it said.
SERAP noted that Borno State receives millions of naira monthly through the Federal Allocation Committee as shares from the Ecological Fund, and other states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja also receive funds monthly from the Ecological Fund.
“According to reports, trillions of naira have over the years been budgeted through the Ecological Fund to tackle floods and other ecological problems,” the organisation said.
SERAP said it is concerned that the ecological funds collected by Borno State over the years may have been diverted, mismanaged or unaccounted for. It said it is also concerned about reports that the funds released to the states for ecological projects are characterised by mismanagement, diversion of funds, substandard and abandoned projects fully paid for.
“Ecological funds have also been allegedly spent for other purposes such as election campaigns and political patronage,” SERAP said.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.
“Your government has legal obligations to ensure protection of the rights of flood victims in Borno and elsewhere in the country, including the obligation to ensure they receive adequate food, shelter, safe drinking water, access to sanitation and other basic aid.
“Your government must use all means available to it to prevent and address the threats to human rights that result from climate change and to provide access to remedies when these rights are violated,” it said.
