Socio-Economic Rights and
Accountability Project, SERAP, has petitioned
the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other
Related Offences Commission, ICPC, urging
them to investigate alleged shortfall in the
remittance of accrued funds for the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme,
SURE-P, projects amounting to over N500
billion from January 2012 to September 2013. In a petition by SERAP through its Executive
Director, Mr. Tokunbo Mumuni, the group also
requested the anti graft commission to bring
to justice the perpetrator of the act. The group stated: “SERAP is seriously
concerned that the failure to account for the
shortfall of about N500 billion out of the over
N800bn which ought to have accrued for the
SURE-P projects is a flagrant denial of the
social and economic development of millions of Nigerians. The inability of government officials to account
for huge amount of resources mapped out for
the improvement of the country is a serious
impediment and setback to the goals of
development for which the SURE-P funds have
been set aside to achieve in the first place. The denial of the rights of millions of Nigerians has
contributed hugely to extreme poverty and civil
strife.”
It requested the ICPC to carry out a
comprehensive and transparent investigation
of allegations of shortfall in the remittance of
accrued SURE-P funds in the petroleum sector
and to make public its findings, arguing that
the investigation would serve as a necessary precursor to strengthening transparency and
accountability and reducing the incidence of
corruption in the sector. SERAP also requested for a platform to engage
policy makers and political leaders in
developing an anti-corruption strategy such as
establishing an independent audit group for
the purposes of ensuring and recovering the
outstanding remittance recovered for the execution of SURE-P projects. According to the group, “The problem is
compounded by the continuing failure of the
government to effectively ensure transparency
and a genuine system of accountability as well
as its failure to investigate and prosecute
those high ranking public officials suspected to be involved in corruption. We recall the
heightened agitations which followed shortly
after the announcement on the removal of oil
subsidy in early 2012. The partial removal of oil
subsidy targeted a list of developmental
demands which the SURE-P funds was set up to meet. “The challenges created in the shortfall of
funds accruing to the SURE-P and the shortfall
in remittance to the SURE-P management
team, as well as the failure to account for such
shortfall is already an outright failure of
government to allay the fears of millions of Nigeria against even a partial removal of oil
subsidy.”
Accountability Project, SERAP, has petitioned
the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other
Related Offences Commission, ICPC, urging
them to investigate alleged shortfall in the
remittance of accrued funds for the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme,
SURE-P, projects amounting to over N500
billion from January 2012 to September 2013. In a petition by SERAP through its Executive
Director, Mr. Tokunbo Mumuni, the group also
requested the anti graft commission to bring
to justice the perpetrator of the act. The group stated: “SERAP is seriously
concerned that the failure to account for the
shortfall of about N500 billion out of the over
N800bn which ought to have accrued for the
SURE-P projects is a flagrant denial of the
social and economic development of millions of Nigerians. The inability of government officials to account
for huge amount of resources mapped out for
the improvement of the country is a serious
impediment and setback to the goals of
development for which the SURE-P funds have
been set aside to achieve in the first place. The denial of the rights of millions of Nigerians has
contributed hugely to extreme poverty and civil
strife.”
It requested the ICPC to carry out a
comprehensive and transparent investigation
of allegations of shortfall in the remittance of
accrued SURE-P funds in the petroleum sector
and to make public its findings, arguing that
the investigation would serve as a necessary precursor to strengthening transparency and
accountability and reducing the incidence of
corruption in the sector. SERAP also requested for a platform to engage
policy makers and political leaders in
developing an anti-corruption strategy such as
establishing an independent audit group for
the purposes of ensuring and recovering the
outstanding remittance recovered for the execution of SURE-P projects. According to the group, “The problem is
compounded by the continuing failure of the
government to effectively ensure transparency
and a genuine system of accountability as well
as its failure to investigate and prosecute
those high ranking public officials suspected to be involved in corruption. We recall the
heightened agitations which followed shortly
after the announcement on the removal of oil
subsidy in early 2012. The partial removal of oil
subsidy targeted a list of developmental
demands which the SURE-P funds was set up to meet. “The challenges created in the shortfall of
funds accruing to the SURE-P and the shortfall
in remittance to the SURE-P management
team, as well as the failure to account for such
shortfall is already an outright failure of
government to allay the fears of millions of Nigeria against even a partial removal of oil
subsidy.”
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