The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over his alleged failure to prosecute contractors who received over N167bn from 31 ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) for projects that were never executed.
The legal action, filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos (suit number FHC/L/MISC/121/2025), also names the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, as a respondent.
In a press release on Sunday, titled, ‘SERAP Sues Tinubu Over Failure to Prosecute Contractors in N167bn Project Fraud in MDAs’, the group called on the court to compel Tinubu to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to publicly disclose the names of the implicated contractors and ensure their prosecution.
SERAP is also seeking a court order mandating Edun to publish details of the projects, including their locations, the funds received by each contractor, and the identities of the shareholders.
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“The allegations of corruption involving these contractors have continued to impair, obstruct, and undermine the access of poor Nigerians to essential public goods and services,” SERAP stated in its suit.
According to the 2021 Audited Report by the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on November 13, 2024, 31 MDAs collectively paid over N167 billion for projects that were never executed.
The Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. alone reportedly disbursed N100 billion to companies for unexecuted projects.
Other implicated agencies include the Nigerian Correctional Service, National Pension Commission, Petroleum Technology Development Fund, and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development.
SERAP insists that failing to hold these companies accountable violates the Nigerian Constitution and international anti-corruption agreements.
“Holding these contractors accountable would help prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in public spending,” the organisation added.
No date has been set for the hearing of the case.
