The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against the 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nyesom Wike, “over their failure to account for the spending of the ₦14trn fuel subsidy savings they collected from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations, including details of projects executed with the money, and the completion reports on the projects.”
SERAP disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, explaining that the lawsuit followed reports that the governors and the FCT minister have received trillions of naira from FAAC allocations as fuel subsidy savings since mid-2023.
The organisation argued that despite the increased allocations, there has been no corresponding improvement in access to quality healthcare and education for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
According to SERAP, the suit, marked FHC/L/MSC/1424/2025, was filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The group is asking the court to “direct and compel the governors and Mr Wike to disclose the details of the spending of the increased FAAC allocations being savings from the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023.”
It further urged the court to “compel the governors and Mr Wike to disclose details and the location of the projects executed, if any, with the increased FAAC allocations from the savings from the removal of fuel subsidy.”
SERAP stressed that Nigerians have a right to know how public funds, including fuel subsidy savings, are utilised by state governments and the FCT administration.
“The constitutional principle of democracy also provides a foundation for Nigerians’ right to know the spending details of the money collected from the savings from the removal of fuel subsidy,” the statement said.
The group added that citizens’ access to such information is essential for promoting openness, transparency, and accountability, which are critical to democratic governance.
“There is a legitimate public interest for the governors and the FCT minister to urgently explain how they have spent the money they have so far collected from the subsidy savings,” SERAP stated.
No hearing date has yet been scheduled for the case.