SERAP sues Buhari over N1.48 trillion spent on maintaining refineries

Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari over what it described as his failure to probe allegations that over N1.48 trillion reportedly spent on maintaining the country’s four refineries between 2015 and 2020 may have been stolen, mismanaged or diverted into private pockets.

The organisation in the suit maintained that the government reportedly spent N10.23 billion in June 2020 on three refineries that processed zero crude and that also in 2021, the government approved $1.5 billion (about N600 billion) to repair the Port Harcourt refinery. Adding that despite the huge spending, the refineries are still not working while fuel scarcity persists.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/806/2022 filed last week at the Federal High Court, Lagos; SERAP is seeking “an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Buhari to investigate the spending on Nigeria’s refineries, and alleged mismanagement of public funds budgeted for maintaining the refineries since 1999.”

SERAP is also seeking “an order of mandamus to compel President Buhari to ensure the prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible for the importation and distribution of dirty fuel into Nigeria, and to identify and ensure access to justice and effective remedies to affected victims.”

The organisation stated that it is in the public interest to ensure justice and accountability for alleged corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector, which has resulted in the importation and distribution of dirty fuel and protracted fuel scarcity in the country.

SERAP maintained that the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), and international standards impose clear obligations on the Buhari administration to take effective accountability measures to weed out, expose, and punish allegations of corruption in the oil sector, and to ensure effective remedies for victims.

Adding that, ensuring justice and accountability in the spending of public funds on refineries would improve the availability of petrol and the enjoyment by Nigerians of their right to natural wealth and resources.