News

Floods: Group Drags Buhari To Court Over ‘Missing Ecological Funds’

Published

3 years ago

December 4, 2022

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over “the failure to probe the spending of trillions of ecological funds by governments at all levels—federal, state and local governments from 2001 to date, and to ensure the prosecution of suspected perpetrators of corruption and mismanagement of public funds.”

Joined in the suit as Respondents are the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

The United Nations Children’s Fund recently said that no fewer than 600 persons died and 1.3 million were rendered homeless as a result of the floods that ravaged most states across the country, with the destruction of properties worth billions.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/2283/2022 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Lagos, SERAP is asking the court to “direct and compel President Buhari to promptly and thoroughly investigate the spending of Ecological Fund by governments at the Federal, state and local government levels from 2001 to date.”

SERAP is also asking the court to “direct and compel President Buhari to ensure that suspected perpetrators of corruption and mismanagement of trillions of ecological funds are promptly brought to justice, and any missing public funds fully recovered.”

In the suit, SERAP is arguing that “the failure to probe the alleged missing trillions, prosecute suspected perpetrators and recover any missing public funds is a fundamental breach of constitutional and international legal obligations.”

SERAP is also arguing that “impunity for corruption in the management of Ecological Fund will continue as long as high-ranking public officials go largely unpunished for their alleged crimes.”

According to SERAP, “It is in the public interest to direct and compel President Buhari to probe these allegations so that evidence can be taken before the court and the truth about the spending of ecological funds revealed, and justice served.”

SERAP is also arguing that “the Federal Government has violated the obligations to protect and uphold the human rights of those affected, and to provide them with access to justice and effective remedies.”

The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyer Kolawole Oluwadare read in part: “The Federal Government has the legal obligations to address the calamitous consequences of flooding for the human rights of millions of people, and to prevent and address the consequences that climate change may reap on human rights.”

“According to the audit of the Ecological Fund Office carried out by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the total amount received by the fund from December 2011 to November 2016 alone was N277 billion.”

“The operations of the Fund from 2012 to 2016 reportedly showed that some of the disbursements were not utilised for the purpose for which it was established. During these periods, N74,170,932,645.20 was released to State Governments to solve ecological problems in their States.”

“Although ecological funds are shared across the three tiers of government, and emergency management agencies, the funds are managed and supervised by the Federal Government.”

“The Federal Government has the legal obligations to prevent and address the threats to human rights that result from climate change, and to provide access to justice and effective remedies for victims when these rights are violated.”

“The Federal Government has a positive obligation to protect individuals against the threat posed to human rights by climate change, regardless of the causes, and to effectively address the aftermath of the flooding such as deterioration in health, diminishing access to safe drinking water and susceptibility to disease.”

“Climate change also has the potential to exacerbate existing threats to human rights in the country. Rising global temperatures will jeopardise many people’s livelihoods, increasing their vulnerability to poverty and social deprivation.”

“Many years of allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the spending of Ecological Fund and entrenched impunity of perpetrators have undermined the ability of governments at all levels and emergency management agencies to prevent the impact of flooding on the human rights vulnerable Nigerians.”

“Allegations of corruption and mismanagement have undermined the ability of authorities at all levels to invest in drainage systems, and to tackle soil erosion and climate change challenges across several parts of the country.”

“The funds released for ecological projects are characterised by mismanagement, diversion of funds, substandard and abandoned projects fully paid for. Ecological funds have also been allegedly spent for other purposes such as election campaigns and political patronage.”

“Prevention of corruption in the spending of the Ecological Fund, and preventing and addressing the challenges caused by climate change are serious and legitimate public interests.”

“There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for alleged corruption and mismanagement in the management of the Ecological Fund.”

“Nigerians have the right to know how the public funds budgeted to address ecological challenges are spent. Publishing the details of allocations of the Ecological Fund since 2001 would promote transparency, accountability, and reduce the risks of corruption in the spending of the funds.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
PUNCH

News

Film Premiere: Edo In Talks With Embassies To Promote Safe Migration —Agazuma

Published

4 hours ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

The Edo State Government has opened talks with various embassies to establish modalities and strategies aimed at reducing or completely eliminating irregular migration, while promoting safe migration practices.

The Director General (DG) of the Edo State Migration Agency, Lucky Agazuma, disclosed this during the premiere of the film “Cold Dishes” held in Benin City.

He emphasized the need for stakeholders to work together to end the scourge of irregular migration in Nigeria.

Agazuma, who was part of the audience that watched the movie, said the Edo State Government has made remarkable progress in tackling irregular migration.

He noted that the Monday Okpebholo-led administration has continued to deliver good governance to the people of the state.

According to him, the government is creating jobs, regularising teachers’ appointments, improving the educational system, and intensifying public enlightenment campaigns to educate citizens on the dangers of embarking on irregular migration.

He expressed appreciation to the governor for prioritising the issue of irregular migration and for working tirelessly to curb it in the state.

Agazuma described irregular migration as “dangerous and deadly,” and assured that the agency would continue to assist intending travelers on safe and legal travel options.

“We are discussing with embassies in Nigeria to help promote safe migration and ensure Nigeria is a VISA free nation as it will help reduce the process of embarking on illegal migration.

“For the film that has been premiered today, it talks about migration and irregular migration and the dangers surrounding it.
As an agency we are working to check traffickers in the State and we have a government that is accountable to it’s citizens, working to improve their lives”

“The last administration relegated Edo people bringing in consultants to do the job here but the Governor Monday Okpebholo led administration has changed the narrative creating the atmosphere for Edo people to fix Edo themselves,” he said.

Agazuma further revealed that the agency has continued to rescue Edo indigenes from the hands of traffickers, including those who have been held in captivity for years in their search for greener pastures.

He called on citizens to shun irregular migration and ensure that they only travel through legal means to avoid falling prey to traffickers.

“Our work and focus as an agency is bringing the world to Edo. The administration of Monday Okpebholo is bringing good governance to Edo and in the long run eliminating irregular migration.”

A lead actor in the premiered film “Cold Dishes” and an Edo indigene, Osas Ighodalo, also expressed appreciation to Okpebholo for creating an enabling environment for the entertainment industry to thrive.

“Edo State is taking the lead in the fight against irregular migration and the government has continued to support all efforts to eliminate the scourge. I thank the Edo State government and the migration agency for standing with our returnees and rehabilitating them. The film is a call on all Stakeholders to do more,” she said.

News

Forceful Entering Into State-owned Property In Edo Risks Jail

Published

4 hours ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has signed law prescribing 10 years Imprisonment for anyone who violently or forcefully enters into state-owned property.

The governor also assented to, law prescribing five years imprisonment for anyone who is involved in an unauthorized sale or transfer of government property without the governor’s consent.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Benin.

Itua in the statement quoted the governor as emphasizing that the “new legal framework is a clear demonstration of his administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, impunity, and misuse of government property.”

The governor’s CPS said the law also prescribed stringent penalty for professionals who aid or abet illegal land transactions involving state property.

The statement partly reads: “The Edo State Public Property Protection Law, 2025, establishes the Edo State Public Property Protection Committee, a statutory body mandated to oversee, safeguard, and recover all public properties belonging to the State. The law empowers the committee to prevent unauthorized occupation, vandalism, encroachment, alienation, or destruction of public assets.

“Under the new law, the committee shall have the authority to identify, inspect, seal, and recover encroached public properties, investigate disputes, and collaborate with law enforcement agencies to ensure strict compliance. It also empowers the committee to initiate legal actions through the Ministry of Justice against any individual or entity found in contravention of the provisions of the law.

“Public assets belong to the people of Edo State, not individuals. This law ensures that no one, no matter how highly placed, can appropriate public property for private gain,” he said.

“The law prescribes stringent penalties for violations. Unauthorized sale or transfer of government property without the governor’s consent now attracts a five-year prison term, while violent or forceful entry into state-owned property could lead to up to ten years’ imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offence.

“Professionals who aid or abet illegal land transactions involving state property will also face sanctions, including prosecution and referral to their professional bodies for disciplinary action.

“Additionally, false petitions or fraudulent claims relating to government lands will attract severe penalties to deter abuse of process.”

News

Immigration Seizes Senator Natasha’s Passport At Airport

Published

5 hours ago

November 4, 2025

Editor

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP/Kogi Central) has cried out that Nigerian immigration officers seized her passport at an airport, preventing her from travelling abroad.

Over the weekend, Akpoti-Uduaghan celebrated her second anniversary in the Senate by commissioning projects in Kogi Central.

The lawmaker went live on Instagram at the airport as she questioned immigration officials over the alleged confiscation of her passport.

In a video obtained on Tuesday, she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of giving the order for her passport to be seized.

She described the action as an unlawful restriction of her movement and a gross violation of her fundamental rights.

“Hello, fellow Nigerians. I’m Senator Natasha. Having completed my second year in office, I decided to take a week off. I’m at the airport here, and my passport has been withheld again,” she said in the video.

“This same thing happened before when I was stopped from travelling even though I had committed no offence, and there was no court order restricting me. The last time this happened, the officer in charge told me that the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, instructed them to withhold my passport and prevent me from travelling because he claimed that each time I go abroad, I ‘spoil the image of the country’ by granting interviews to international media.”

According to the senator, it was only after the intervention of a certain influential person that her passport was released the last time such an incident occurred.

“Godswill Akpabio has instructed the Controller General of Customs to withhold my passport. This is wrong,” the lawmaker said.

She claimed that President Bola Tinubu had instructed the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, to withdraw all cases in the court filed by the Federal Government against her.

My invitation to Akpabio, other colleagues procedural, not personal, Natasha clarifies
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s passport was later released by the immigration officials.

The Kogi legislator was involved in a high-profile dispute with Akpabio in February over seat reallocation in the Senate, which escalated into her six-month suspension, effective March 6, 2025.

She, however, resumed her duties on September 24, 2025.