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Security Votes: SERAP Gives Governors Seven Days To Explain Spending

Published

2 months ago

June 29, 2025

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to all 36 state governors across Nigeria, demanding immediate disclosure of how security votes have been spent since May 29, 2023.

In letters dated June 28, 2025, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation urged state governors to not only make public the details of their security vote expenditures but also to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly investigate and monitor the funds disbursed under this opaque category of spending.

“The escalating insecurity in several states is taking a devastating toll on socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians, driving up extreme poverty, intensifying hunger, and leading to other grave human rights violations,” SERAP stated.

The organisation referenced the recent massacre in Benue State and broader national insecurity as a compelling justification for their demand.

According to SERAP, despite billions of naira being allocated annually for security votes, many governors are failing to uphold their constitutional duty to ensure the security and welfare of the people.

Citing Section 14(2)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution, SERAP emphasised that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,” warning that the persistent secrecy surrounding these funds has enabled widespread misuse and undermined public trust.

“In 2021 alone, state governors and local government chairmen reportedly collected over N375 billion in security votes.

“Yet, insecurity continues to spiral out of control in many states, highlighting a dangerous disconnect between allocated resources and actual results.”

Security votes—typically large, discretionary funds allocated to state executives ostensibly for improving security—are widely criticised for their lack of transparency and accountability. While governments often cite national security as a reason for nondisclosure, SERAP argues there is no legal basis for hiding public spending under this guise.

“While authorities may keep certain matters of operational secrecy from the public, there is no constitutional or legal justification for withholding basic information on how public funds are spent,” the letter read.

Referring to a landmark Supreme Court ruling, SERAP reminded governors that the Freedom of Information Act applies to all levels of government, including states.

“The judgment sends a powerful message that state governors can no longer escape accountability for how they spend security votes,” the group added.

SERAP warned that failure to respond within seven days of the receipt or publication of the FoI request would prompt legal action to compel compliance.

“The public interest in publishing the information sought outweighs any considerations to withhold it,” SERAP stated. “The people have a right to know how their money is being used, especially in matters as crucial as security.”

The group further argued that the misuse and secrecy around security votes have hindered meaningful oversight and contributed to a culture of impunity, where governors view these funds as personal entitlements rather than tools to enhance public safety.

“Years of secrecy in the spending of security votes have limited the ability of Nigerians to hold their leaders accountable,” the statement continued.

“This is a grave violation of public trust and a breach of the Nigerian Constitution, national anti-corruption laws, and international obligations,” SERAP noted.

Quoting Section 15(5) of the Constitution, SERAP reminded governors that they are mandated to “abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of office.”

It added that proper use of security votes should be directed at improving the security situation or returned to the public treasury.

SERAP’s position came as a result of the recent assessments from international organisations.

According to the World Bank, Nigeria has been listed among 39 countries classified as being in “fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS).”

“The World Bank noted that insecurity is contributing to extreme poverty in Nigeria.

“Millions are experiencing acute food insecurity, while severe gaps in education and healthcare undermine national development,” SERAP said.

The organisation concluded by urging governors to lead a transparent and honest national dialogue about the security crisis and the real impact of security vote expenditures.

“Disclosing these details will not only build public trust but also catalyse more effective, collective responses to the worsening security challenges across the country,” SERAP stated.

News

FG Unveils Revised Curriculum For Basic, Secondary, Technical Education

Published

14 hours ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad

The Federal Government said it completed a comprehensive review of school curricula for basic, senior secondary and technical education aimed to make Nigerian learners “future-ready.”

The Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement signed on Friday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, and made available to newsmen on Sunday.

Folasade said the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad announced the curriculum on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, while speaking in Abuja.

According to the minister, the review was carried out in collaboration with key education stakeholders, including the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission and the National Board for Technical Education.

The new framework is designed to reduce content overload, improve learning outcomes, and ensure Nigerian students are equipped with skills relevant to today’s global demands.

Prof. Ahmad said the exercise went beyond merely trimming subjects, stressing it focused on improving content to promote deeper learning and reduce overload for pupils and students.

“Under the revised structure, pupils in Primary 1–3 will study a minimum of nine and a maximum of 10 subjects; pupils in Primary 4–6 will take 10 to 12 subjects. Junior secondary students may offer 12 to 14 subjects, senior secondary students will take eight to nine subjects, and technical schools will offer nine to 11 subjects,” the statement read.

“The revised curricula will reduce content overload and create more learning time for students,” Prof. Ahmad said, adding that the changes reflect the government’s commitment to delivering quality, practical and relevant education in a rapidly changing world.

The Ministry of Education commended stakeholders for their role in the review and said implementation will be accompanied by strict monitoring to ensure a smooth transition across schools nationwide.

The ministry did not give an exact date for rollout, but said the new curricula will be phased in with oversight from relevant agencies to guarantee effective adoption.

News

Over 23,000 People Still Missing In Nigeria — ICRC

Published

15 hours ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

The International Committee of the Red Cross says more than 23,659 people remain missing in Nigeria, leaving 13,595 families in anguish, most of them women struggling with uncertainty and hardship.

Protection of Family Links Team Leader of ICRC in Damaturu, Mr Ishaku Luka, disclosed this on Sunday during activities to mark the International Day of the Disappeared.

He said 68 per cent of those still searching for answers were women, while 59 per cent of those missing were minors at the time of their disappearance.

According to him, Yobe State alone accounts for 2,500 cases, the majority recorded in Gujba Local Government Area.

“Behind every missing person is a family living in pain, uncertainty, and economic difficulty.

“The anguish is compounded by legal, administrative, and psychosocial challenges. These families deserve acknowledgement, care and support,” Luka said.

He explained that the issue of missing persons was one of the most devastating consequences of armed conflicts, disasters, and migration.

He urged parties to conflicts, authorities, and communities to take greater responsibility in preventing disappearances.

Sharing ICRC’s interventions, Luka said by June 30, the organisation had collected 451 new cases in Nigeria, and closed 515 cases.

Luka added that the organisation had facilitated the reunification of seven separated children with their families.

“Every day, worldwide, we help reunite 20 people with their families. Every hour, we help clarify the fate of two missing people. Every minute, we help four separated persons contact their loved ones,” he added.

Head of ICRC Sub-delegation in Damaturu, Mr Rashid Hassan, said families of the missing should not be left alone in their struggles.

“Time does not heal. Acknowledgement, answers and respect do. Families must know that their loved ones are not forgotten and their demands are heard,” Hassan stressed.

He said the ICRC, working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), had provided mental health and psychosocial support, livelihood assistance, and orientation programmes for families of missing persons in Borno and Adamawa states.

Hassan urged authorities to fulfill their obligations by clarifying the fate of missing persons, protecting the dignity of the dead, and addressing the economic and social needs of the affected families.

He also called on society to show solidarity, avoid stigmatisation, and support the resilience of families searching for answers.

Globally, Hassan said, more than 94,000 people were newly registered as missing in 2024, bringing the total to 284,400.

He stressed, however, that the figure represented only a fraction of the real number.

“As we commemorate this day, we renew our commitment to advocate for the rights of the disappeared and to push for continuous efforts in searching for answers.

“No family should live with the torment of uncertainty,” Hassan said.

(NAN)

News

Ex-TVC’s ‘Your View Host,’ Afolabi-Brown, Admits Ignorance In Past Criticism Of Peter Obi

Published

15 hours ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

… narratives how she once considered suicide

Former Your View host, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, has said her past remarks about former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, were made without knowing much about him or his record in office.

The veteran media personality, in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, explained that her comments on the Labour Party presidential candidate at the time were not based on personal familiarity with his record.

“It was because I did not know him. After I made that comment, people called me and said, ‘Morayo, do you realise that when he was governor, he actually served us?’

“So that was him. I said, ‘Oh, I did not know,’” she said.

The broadcaster also opened up about her battle with depression, recalling how she once considered taking her own life.

“I was depressed. It got so bad that I thought I was suicidal. I just left everything behind.

“I remember just walking on the express, hoping a car would hit me. It was that bad,” she revealed.

Afolabi-Brown explained that she decided to step away from Your View after the show’s tenth anniversary, saying she had long harboured the thought of moving on.

“It was when we were 10 years old that I knew it was time to move on to the next thing.

“I’ve been harbouring that thought for a while, but I just didn’t know to what or where, you know.

“But I think last year, I got that light bulb moment,” she said.

Brown further narrated how she was sacked from TVC until her identity became known to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“People now call Asiwaju, ‘Do you know whose child was sacked?’ He said, ‘I’m not aware.’

“He said, ‘This is the Alao Aka-Bashorun’s daughter. That’s when he knew it was me,” she recalled.

On controversies during her career, she revisited the uproar that trailed an on-air interview in which she was accused of calling her husband a pedophile.

According to her, the First Lady’s intervention helped her make peace and publicly apologise.

Her exit from Your View, she noted, marked the end of her 12-year journey on the breakfast show.