A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the President Muhammadu Buhari led Administration to give a detailed account of a $460 million Chinese loan.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had in December 2019 filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed.
The petition followed her failure to disclose information and specific documents on the total amount of money paid to contractors from a $460 million loan.
The loan was obtained in 2010 from China to fund the Abuja CCTV project.
No Explanation
Ahmed had disclosed that Nigeria was servicing the loan.
According to her, she had no explanations on the status of the project.
SERAP via a statement on Sunday disclosed that the Court had demanded that the government publish the total amount of money paid to Chinese and local companies and contractors.
The body also demanded specific details of the names of the companies and contractors and status of the implementation of the project.
The order was given by Justice Emeka Nwite.
He gave the order while delivering judgment in a Freedom of Information suit.
The suit number is: FHC/ABJ/CS/1447/2019 brought by SERAP.
In his judgment, Nwite agreed with SERAP that there is a reasonable cause of action against the government.
Public Interest
He added that accounting for the spending of the $460 million Chinese loan is in the interest of the public.
Justice Nwite also said that the Minister of Finance is in charge of the finance of the country.
As such, the minister cannot by any stretch of imagination be oblivious of the amount of money paid to the contractors for the Abuja CCTV contract.
And also the money meant for the construction of the headquarters of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
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“SERAP’s core objectives are to promote human rights, transparency, accountability and anticorruption in Nigeria.
“I am of the humble view that there is a reasonable cause of action against the government [through the Minister of Finance].
I so hold that SERAP has made out a case to be entitled to the reliefs sought.
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