The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to reveal the identities of companies and contractors who allegedly received over N167 billion in mobilization fees from 31 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) without completing the corresponding projects.
In an open letter dated November 30, 2024, and signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, the organization urged President Tinubu to instruct the Minister of Finance, Olawale Edun, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, to identify the contractors and recover the misappropriated funds.
The civil society group also demanded transparency regarding the projects funded by the N167 billion, including details of the locations, the contractors involved, and the amount each contractor was paid.
SERAP cited the 2021 audited report from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation as the source of the information, highlighting that the funds were allocated for contracts and projects that were never executed.
Further, SERAP requested that the government disclose the names of the shareholders and owners of the companies that collected the funds without carrying out the projects.
The group also urged President Tinubu to instruct the Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and relevant anti-corruption bodies to prosecute the companies and contractors responsible for the misappropriation.
According to SERAP, publishing the names of these contractors would serve as a deterrent to future corruption and encourage accountability.
The organization stressed that holding the companies accountable would help reduce public sector waste and fraud, improving the efficiency of government spending.
SERAP also highlighted the case of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. (NBET), which reportedly paid N100 billion to contractors for projects that were never completed.
The letter pointed out that 30 other MDAs, including the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, and the Federal University of Gusau, were also implicated in this scandal.
“These contractors and companies may also be complicit in grand corruption,” SERAP stated.
The organization concluded by urging the government to take action within seven days of receiving the letter. If no response is received, SERAP indicated it would resort to legal action to compel the government to act.
Failure to address the corruption allegations, SERAP warned, would allow companies and contractors to continue undermining public trust and obstructing the country’s development by misappropriating funds meant for essential services.
