Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, “to promptly account for and explain the whereabouts of the missing or diverted N3 trillion of public funds, as documented in the recently published 2022 annual report by the Auditor-General of the Federation.” SERAP said the grave allegations are documented in the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on 9 September 2025.

SERAP Asks INEC Chair Nominee Amupitan To Make Prosecuting Electoral Crimes Top Priority

Account for N14trn fuel subsidy savings or face legal action’, SERAP tells 36 governors, Wike.

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike to “urgently disclose the spending details of the estimated N14trn fuel subsidy savings they collected from FAAC allocations, including details and locations of projects executed with the money, and the implementation status and completion reports, if any, on the projects.”

SERAP urged them to “provide details of the plans on how subsequent fuel subsidy savings they expect to collect from FAAC allocations, including details of any planned projects on which the money would be spent.”

SERAP also urged them to “publicly invite the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to track and monitor the spending of the fuel subsidy savings collected by you, to ensure that the money is not diverted into private pockets.”

The 36 governors and the FCT minister have reportedly collected trillions of naira from FAAC allocations as fuel subsidy savings since mid-2023. But the increased allocations have not translated into improved access to basic public services, such as quality healthcare and education for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

In the Freedom of Information requests dated 4 October 2025 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “There is a legitimate public interest for governors and the FCT minister to urgently explain how they have spent the money they have so far collected from the subsidy savings.”

SERAP said, “The savings from the removal of fuel subsidy ought to be spent solely for the benefit of the poor and vulnerable Nigerians who are bearing the brunt of the removal. Transparency in the spending of the money would help to avoid a morally repugnant result of double jeopardy on these Nigerians.”

The FoI requests, read in part: “There is a significant risk of mismanagement or diversion of funds linked to the increased FAAC allocations collected by the states and FCT.”

“The spending details of the money collected by several states and the FCT from fuel subsidy savings have been mostly shrouded in secrecy.”

Shock as Nigerian beggars launch their organization.

A fresh controversy erupts as Nigerian beggars launch their organization, with details of their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) emerging online.

This was disclosed in a viral video on the popular video-sharing platform, TikTok.

Nigerian beggars launch their organization

In the viral video, the CEO of the organization proudly flaunted an identification card confirming his membership.

According to him, the organization is open to fulfilling the dreams of aspiring beggars into its membership.

“”We’ve an association you can join and I’m their CEO. Is your dream to be a professional beggar?. Are you dreaming to be a professional beggar in Nigeria?. With our institution, your dream cab become true and real “, He stated.

Prior to the launch of the organization, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, states that beggars in Abuja need systemic support and rehabilitation programs to break the cycle of poverty, rather than merely formalizing their profession.

Additionally, Wike threatened to arrest beggars, sparking public debate.

However, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged him to withdraw the threat, emphasizing dignity and human rights for marginalized individuals.

The organization highlighted the need to address poverty root causes and violations of economic and social rights, especially for Abuja residents.

SERAP Demands Senate Reinstate Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

the Clerk of the National Assembly on August 28, noting that her six-month suspension had elapsed and citing a July court judgment that declared her suspension excessive and unlawful. However, the Acting Clerk, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, said the matter remains subjudice due to an appeal filed by the Senate President. SERAP insisted that pending court cases cannot be used to block her resumption and demanded that her salaries and allowances be paid.

#Senate #SERAP #NatashaAkpotiUduaghan

Unlawful,’ SERAP Faults FG Over Passport Fee Hike
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Federal Government to urgently reverse the new passport fees announced by the Nigeria Immigration Service.

Veteran Nollywood Actor Chief Kanran Passes On at 69 After A Brief Illness.

Veteran Nollywood actor Olusegun Akinremi, popularly known as Chief Kanran, has d+ed at 69, just three days before his 70th birthday. A family source said the Yoruba film star passed away in a Lagos hospital on Friday after a brief.

As of Friday evening, no official statement had been released. Famed for his charismatic portrayals of wealthy characters in Yoruba films, Chief Kanran also graced stage and TV productions for over five decades.

He began acting as a child, later training at the University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University, and was mentored by the late Ayanfemi Phillips. His work spanned Yoruba and English productions, including the TV soap Megafortune.

In later years, he faced severe personal and financial hardships. In a 2015 radio interview, he revealed that a 2017 fir+ d+stroyed his home, studio, and equipment, leaving him homeless after also losing his wife to cancer.

“My house got b¥rnt, my wife and children left me… I’ve been sleeping in a church for over a year. Feeding has been difficult,” he said. A devout Cherubim and Seraphim member, he was known for wearing his own clothes on set, avoiding borrowed costumes.

Chief Kanran’s legacy endures through his mentorship of younger actors and his lasting impact on Yoruba cinema.

SERAP Gives Niger Governor 48-Hour Ultimatum Over Badeggi FM Shutdown

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Niger State Governor Umaru Bago, demanding the reversal of his administration’s closure of Badeggi FM 90.1 in Minna.

Governor Bago had ordered the shutdown, licence revocation, and profiling of the station’s owner, accusing it of unethical broadcasting and incitement. SERAP described the move as unlawful and a threat to press freedom, urging the governor to reinstate the station’s licence and guarantee staff safety.

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) also condemned the action, calling it an abuse of power and insisting that only the National Broadcasting Commission has the authority to revoke broadcast licences.

Abuja Court Dismisses INEC’s Bid to Halt Prosecution of 2023 Election Offenders

A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) attempt to overturn a judgment mandating it to investigate and prosecute electoral offenders from the 2023 general elections.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in a ruling delivered on July 23, 2025, dismissed INEC’s preliminary objection, declaring that his July 18, 2024 judgment was final and not a default ruling as claimed by the Commission.

The court reaffirmed that only the Court of Appeal can overturn the judgment, not the same court via administrative excuses.

The case followed a suit by SERAP, which accused INEC of failing to act on electoral violence, bribery, and vote-buying. Justice Egwuatu’s earlier ruling directed INEC to appoint independent counsel and prosecute offenders, including political office holders.

The contempt hearing against INEC is set for October 20, 2025.#INEC, #SERAP, #ElectoralOffences, #NigeriaElections2023, #ElectionViolence,

Killings: SERAP tells governors to account for security votes.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged state governors to account for the spending of public funds in the name of security votes since May 29, 2023, to guarantee and ensure the security of life and property of Nigerians resident in the states.

SERAP also urged the governors to urgently invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly investigate, track and monitor the spending of security votes by the states.

In a Freedom of Information request at the weekend, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said that in the wake of the Benue massacre and well-documented ongoing cases of insecurity in several states, there had been a legitimate public call for governors to account for how they spend security votes.

SERAP said the escalating insecurity in several states was taking a toll on socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians, driving up extreme poverty, intensifying hunger, and leading to other grave human rights violations.

According to the body, the framers of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) never contemplated opaque spending of public funds as security votes.

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