The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a direct challenge to President Bola Tinubu, calling for immediate action on the long-awaited forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
In a letter, SERAP urged the President to instruct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to launch an investigation into allegations that senior government officials and politicians implicated in the 2000-2019 NDDC audit report have actively suppressed its release.
The human rights organisation specifically requested that Fagbemi, in conjunction with relevant anti-corruption agencies, swiftly identify those responsible for hindering the publication of the comprehensive report and ensure they face justice for obstruction.
SERAP further demanded that the Attorney General immediately make the NDDC forensic report public, and explicitly name individuals implicated in the alleged embezzlement of over N6 trillion from the commission.
It also asked Fagbemi to pursue the individual’s prosecution, recover stolen funds, and provide adequate redress to victims of corruption.
Signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the letter emphasised the government’s constitutional duty to release and act upon the report, regardless of how ‘uncomfortable reading’ it might make for those implicated.
SERAP contended that the continued suppression of the audit report erodes public confidence, particularly among the long-suffering victims of corruption in the Niger Delta who have patiently awaited accountability.
SERAP stated that deliberately withholding or obstructing the report constitutes a grave and willful attempt to interfere with and pervert the course of justice concerning the widespread corruption allegations within the NDDC.
The group argued that such delays in releasing the report and implementing its recommendations have effectively allowed suspected perpetrators to evade consequences and denied victims access to justice.
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Issuing an ultimatum, SERAP stated that if the requested measures are not undertaken within seven days of the letter’s receipt or publication, the organisation intends to initiate legal proceedings before the ECOWAS Court of Justice to compel the Nigerian government to comply in the public interest.
It underscored the legitimate public demand for the full NDDC forensic audit report to be made public, stressing the need to expose and bring to account those responsible for letting the report languish. SERAP highlighted Article 25 of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which obliges governments to penalize conduct that wrongly interferes with corruption investigations.
SERAP expressed concern that failure to publish and implement the report would undermine public faith in investigations into corruption.
It argued that victims in the Niger Delta are eager to see the report’s recommendations and witness progress towards making the NDDC fit for its intended purpose. The organisation suggested that the audit’s prolonged delay could imply that it was commissioned as a mere pretext to defer accountability rather than to genuinely promote transparency.
SERAP also pointed out that the extraordinary delay contradicts the Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and the nation’s international anti-corruption and human rights obligations.
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The group noted that approximately N1.4 billion was reportedly allocated for the forensic auditors. SERAP criticised the fact that a publicly funded audit report has been left unaddressed for several years, attributing this oversight to the former Muhammadu Buhari administration’s failure to deliver justice for the people of the Niger Delta, who are the primary victims of the alleged NDDC corruption.
The organisation posited that bringing those suspected of grand corruption detailed in the NDDC forensic report to justice and recovering illicit gains would reinforce Nigerians’ rights to restitution, compensation, and a guarantee of non-repetition, thereby boosting public confidence in the anti-corruption drive.
The audit report, SERAP stated, presents prima facie evidence of extensive corruption and its devastating effects in the Niger Delta, asserting Nigerians’ right to know the identities of those who obstructed its publication. Citing Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, SERAP reminded the government of its mandate to eliminate all corrupt practices and abuse of power.
The organisation voiced deep concern that despite Nigeria’s vast oil wealth, ordinary citizens have seen minimal benefit from the trillions of naira earmarked for the region’s socio-economic development, primarily due to pervasive grand corruption and an ingrained culture of impunity among offenders.
SERAP detailed that the missing N6 trillion and over 13,000 abandoned projects in the Niger Delta continue to severely impact the human rights of Nigerians, limiting their access to essential public goods and services such as education, healthcare, and consistent electricity.
The group highlighted that public schools are dilapidated, and healthcare facilities in many parts of the region lack even basic amenities.
The organisation argued that utilising the audit report to genuinely combat the rampant corruption within the NDDC and prosecute those implicated would significantly help alleviate poverty, improve access to public services for Nigerians in the region, and enhance the government’s ability to fulfil its human rights and anti-corruption commitments.
SERAP also referenced UNCAC Article 26, which mandates the effective prosecution of corruption allegations and the imposition of “effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.” According to SERAP, certain high-ranking government officials and politicians identified in the NDDC forensic audit report allegedly prevented its publication.
The group said the Buhari administration purportedly allowed the report to remain unreleased to shield these individuals.
SERAP’s information includes an allegation that the wife of a former minister collected N48 billion over 12 months for ‘training Niger Delta women,’ and that most NDDC contracts were allegedly awarded to members of the National Assembly.
SERAP noted that the Buhari administration initiated the audit to scrutinize the commission’s financial activities and project execution from 2001 to August 2019, with the aim of uncovering mismanagement and misappropriation.
Despite the forensic audit report being submitted to the former president in September 2021, it has remained unreleased for four years, suggesting, in SERAP’s view, that the Buhari administration did not treat the report or its recommendations with the seriousness required.
