PUNCH
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos has directed the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, Sadia Umar-Farouk, to give details of how N729bn allegedly disbursed to 24.3 million poor Nigerians was carried out.
The court ruled that the ex-minister should provide a list of all the beneficiaries, including their bank details, that received the N5,000 disbursed for six months.
The judge gave the orders while delivering judgment on a suit, marked FHC/L/CS/853/2021, filed by Social Economic Rights and Accountability Project.
According to SERAP, the judgment was delivered in June while the certified true copy was released by the court on Friday.
In a statement on Sunday, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oludare, explained that Umar-Farouk filed a preliminary objection to challenge the suit but the court dismissed it.
According to SERAP, Justice Dipeolu, while delivering the judgement, held that “The former minister is compelled by the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to give information to any person, including SERAP. I, therefore, grant an order of mandamus directing and compelling the minister to provide the spending details of N729bn to 24.3 million poor Nigerians in 2021.
