SERAP drags Fashola to court over contractors that disappeared with project money

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Minister of Power, Works and Housing Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN over the disappearance of some contractors who collected money for projects but failed to carry them out.

SERAP grouse is the alleged failure of the minister to disclose specific names and details of the contractors and companies who allegedly collected money for electricity projects but failed to execute any projects, starting from the return of democracy in 1999 to 2018.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/105/19 filed last week at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, SERAP is seeking “an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus directing and/or compelling Mr Fashola to provide specific details on the names and whereabouts of the contractors who collected public funds meant for electricity projects but disappeared with the money without executing any projects.”

The suit followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information request dated 4 January, 2019 giving Mr. Fashola 14 days to publish “the names of all contractors and companies that have been engaged in the power sector since the return of democracy in 1999 to date, details of specific projects and the amounts that have been paid to the contractors and companies, details on the level of implementation of electricity projects and their specific locations across the country.”

Recall that former Nigeria’s Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had recently revealed on Channels TV that “We collected money from local, state and federal governments and others. Contractors were given some contracts and were paid hundred per cent upfront. Up till now, we are not holding the contractors responsible. People have collected money upfront one hundred per cent and have disappeared; and have not even done any work.”

Taking the matter up in a suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its counsel, Adelanke Aremo, organization said “publishing the names will make it hard for contractors and companies to get away with complicity in grand corruption. The citizens have the right to see that the Freedom of Information Act is enforced where there is an infraction of the right to information or a threat of its being violated, in matters of public interests.”

The suit read in part: “By compelling Mr. Fashola to name the contractors and their registration details, if any, Nigerians will be better able to hold them to account for allegedly absconding with public funds meant for electricity projects, thereby throwing the country into perpetual darkness and socio-economic stagnation as well as denying people their human rights.

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“Granting the order as prayed would ensure that allegations of complicity in grand corruption by contractors and companies in the power sector do not go unpunished. Unless the names of the contractors and companies are disclosed and widely published, alleged corrupt contractors and companies executing electricity projects will not be deterred and the victims of corruption that they committed will continue to be denied justice and effective remedies.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

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