The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has announced its intention to sue the Federal Government due to the allocation of N70 billion to the National Assembly.
The National Assembly recently passed an amendment to the N819.5 billion 2022 supplementary budget, which included the approval of N70 billion to support the “working condition” of newly elected lawmakers.
The amendment also includes provisions for allocating N500 billion in palliatives to help alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.
However, SERAP is specifically focusing on the allocation to the National Assembly and intends to take legal action against the government regarding this matter.
The amendment received approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives one day after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu forwarded the request to the parliament.
On Thursday, SERAP urged the administration of President Tinubu to retract the allocation.
“We are suing the Tinubu administration over its unlawful giveaway and allocation of N70 billion to the National Assembly at a time when some 137 million Nigerians are living in extreme poverty exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidy,” SERAP tweeted on Friday.
SERAP had earlier called on Tinubu to publish the details of the proposed transfer of N8,000 monthly to 12 million poor households for six months.
The rights group said it would issue a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to compel the President to publish the details of how the funds would be disbursed.
“We are issuing an FoI request to compel the Tinubu administration to publish details of proposed transfer of N8,000 monthly to 12 million poor households for six months, such as the list of intended beneficiaries, how they will be selected, and the methods of payments.”
