The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over his administration’s failure to prosecute contractors who allegedly collected over N167 billion from 31 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) without executing any projects.
The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, under suit number FHC/L/MISC/121/2025, also named the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), as a respondent.
Filed on behalf of SERAP by its legal representatives Kolawole Oluwadare and Oluwakemi Agunbiade, the lawsuit asserted that granting the reliefs sought would help restore transparency and accountability in the management of public funds by MDAs.
SERAP is asking the court to compel Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olawale Edun, to disclose the names of the contractors and companies that received the public funds but failed to execute the projects.
The organisation is also urging the court to mandate the government to prosecute those involved and recover the misappropriated funds.
Additionally, SERAP is demanding that Edun publish details of the projects, including their specific locations, the amount received by each contractor, and the names of the shareholders of the implicated companies.
According to SERAP, these demands are based on the findings in the 2021 Audited Report by the Auditor-General of the Federation, which revealed that numerous contractors and companies were paid for projects that were either abandoned or never initiated.
The report highlighted that the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. (NBET) alone disbursed N100 billion to contractors for projects that were not executed.
Other affected MDAs include the Nigerian Correctional Service, National Pension Commission, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Federal Medical Centre Bida, National Centre for Women Development, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and the Federal University of Gasua, among others.
SERAP argued that the failure to act on these allegations has severely impacted governance and the delivery of essential public goods and services, ultimately harming ordinary Nigerians.
The organisation insisted that holding the contractors accountable would help combat fraud, corruption, and wasteful spending in MDAs, ensuring that public funds are properly utilised for national development.
The organisation further maintained that the allegations constituted a gross violation of the Nigerian Constitution, the country’s anti-corruption laws, and international obligations, including the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
SERAP argued that ignoring these violations allowed corruption to thrive and places an additional financial burden on citizens, who are forced to pay out-of-pocket for critical services such as healthcare, education, and administration.
The organisation insisted that the government must impose effective and dissuasive sanctions on individuals and companies found guilty of corruption in line with international best practices.
SERAP maintained that ensuring the recovery of the diverted public funds and prosecuting those responsible would significantly improve public trust in governance and reinforce the rule of law.
The organisation stressed that transparency is fundamental to democratic governance, as it allows citizens to actively monitor government performance, assess policy effectiveness, and demand accountability from public officials.
As of now, the court has not fixed a date for the hearing of the case.
