Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against the 36 state Governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over their alleged failure to account for fuel subsidy savings running into trillions of naira.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement released on Sunday, SERAP said the suit was prompted by reports that state governments and FCT have received about ₦14 trillion from Federation Account Allocation Committee disbursements since the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023, without clear public records showing how the funds were used.
The organisation argued that despite the sharp increase in allocations to states, there has been no corresponding improvement in access to basic services such as healthcare, education, and social welfare for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos with number FHC/L/MSC/1424/2025, seeks an order compelling the governors and the FCT minister to publicly explain how the subsidy savings were spent.
SERAP is also asking the court to direct them to disclose details of projects funded with the money, including their locations and completion status, if any.
It said, “Nigerians ought to know in what manner public funds, including fuel subsidy savings, are spent by the governors and FCT minister.”
“The constitutional principle of democracy also provides a foundation for Nigerians’ right to know the spending details of the money collected from the savings from the removal of fuel subsidy.”
SERAP maintained that public access to such information is essential for transparency and accountability in governance, stressing that citizens have a legitimate interest in how the funds have been managed.
The statement added, “Citizens’ right to know promotes openness, transparency, and accountability that is in turn crucial for the country’s democratic order.”
“There is a legitimate public interest for the governors and the FCT minister to urgently explain how they have spent the money they have so far collected from the subsidy savings.”
As of the time of filing the report, the court had not fixed a date for the hearing of the case.
