The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has instituted a suit against President Muhammadu Buhari and others over the national assembly’s budget increment.
The SERAP filed the lawsuit through their lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Atinuke Adejuyigbe, against the president and others for alleged failure to reduce “the unlawful National Assembly budget of N228.1 billion, including the N30.17 billion severance payments and inauguration cost for members.”
Recall that the legislature had increased its 2023 budget from N169 billion to N228.1 billion, which shows an increase of about N59.1 billion.
Other defendants in the suit include Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila; the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.
SERAP lawyer’s contended that It is a grave violation of public trust and constitutional oath of office for members of the National Assembly to increase their budget at a time when some 133 million Nigerians are living in poverty
SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus compelling the Senate President Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representative Gbajabiamila to undo the action.
The suit also seeks to restrain the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, from issuing the sum of N228.1 billion to the National Assembly not until a thorough assessment is carried out on the country’s debt crisis and spending on access to public goods and services and the country’s debt crisis are carried out.
According to SERAP, the overinflated budget by the National Assembly is more than the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) statutory transfer of N103.3 billion.
They said, “The increase is unreasonable, as it would substantially increase the cost of governance and exacerbate the country’s debt crisis. It is unlawful and unfair to the Nigerian people.
“Cutting the National Assembly budget would reduce the growing budget deficit, address unsustainable debt burden and serve the public interest.”
“By increasing its budget, the National Assembly has unjustifiably and disproportionately reduced the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) budget.
“This is a travesty, especially given that Nigeria currently has over 20 million out-of-school children, and half of all poor people in the country are children.”