The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit over the National Assembly’s budget against Senate President Ahmad Lawan and House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
In a statement issued on Sunday, SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare stated that the suit was necessary due to their “failure to cut the unlawful National Assembly budget of ₦228.1 billion, including the ₦30.17 billion severance payments and inauguration costs for members.”
Defendants in the suit are President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning.
He stated that the suit was in response to the National Assembly’s decision to increase its 2023 budget from N169 billion proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari to ₦228.1 billion. While the approved budget shows a ₦59.1 billion increase, the country’s budget of ₦21.83 trillion is based on a ₦10.49 trillion revenue and a ₦11.34 trillion deficit.
SERAP is seeking “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Dr Lawan and Mr Gbajabiamila to review and reduce the budget of N228.1bn the leadership and members of the National Assembly allocated for their own benefit” in the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/152/2023 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The rights group is requesting “an order restraining and preventing Ms Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, from releasing to the National Assembly the budget of ₦228.1 billion, until an impact assessment of the spending on access to public goods and services and the country’s debt crisis is carried out.”
It also requests “an order restraining and prohibiting Lawan and Gbajabiamila from demanding or collecting the ₦228.1 billion National Assembly budget until an impact assessment of the spending on access to public goods and services and the country’s debt crisis is completed.”
“It is a grave violation of the public trust and constitutional oath of office for the members of the National Assembly to increase their own budget at a time when some 133 million Nigerians are living in poverty.
“The National Assembly budget of N228.1bn is higher than the statutory transfer to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), which is N103.3bn.
“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 the unsustainable debt burden, and serve the public interest.
“By increasing its own budget, the National Assembly has unjustifiably and disproportionately reduced the budget for the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).”
BizWatch Nigeria reports that no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
