SERAP Demands Probe into Missing N26 Billion as HEDA Condemns Lawmakers’ Alleged Bribery Scandal
SERAP Demands Probe into Missing N26 Billion as HEDA Condemns Lawmakers' Alleged Bribery Scandal
SERAP Urges Probe into Missing N26 Billion, HEDA Condemns Alleged Lawmakers’ Bribery Scandal
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and relevant anti-corruption agencies to urgently investigate allegations of missing, diverted, or stolen public funds amounting to over N26 billion from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources in 2021.
These allegations are detailed in the 2021 audited report released by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation on November 13, 2024.
SERAP has urged the government to ensure that anyone found responsible is prosecuted, provided there is sufficient admissible evidence, and that any missing funds be fully recovered and remitted to the national treasury. The organization further recommended that the recovered funds be used to reduce Nigeria’s 2025 budget deficit and help address the nation’s crippling debt crisis.
In a letter sent over the weekend and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group emphasized the public interest in ensuring justice and accountability regarding the allegations. It warned that the alleged misappropriation represents a serious violation of public trust, the Nigerian Constitution (as amended), anti-corruption laws, and international anti-corruption commitments.
SERAP also cautioned that failure to act within seven days of receiving the letter would prompt legal action to compel the government to comply with its demands.
HEDA Condemns Alleged Lawmakers’ Bribery Scandal
Meanwhile, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has strongly condemned an alleged bribery scheme involving some members of the National Assembly. The organization has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to immediately launch an investigation into the matter.
According to an investigative report, members of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund, along with their counterparts in the House Committee on University Education, allegedly demanded N480 million in bribes from vice chancellors of federal universities in exchange for approving their 2025 budget allocations.
In a statement signed by HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, the civil society group described the allegations as deeply disturbing, warning that such actions not only violate ethical and legal standards but also entrench corruption in Nigeria’s already underfunded education sector.
Suraju emphasized that it is unacceptable for university administrators—who are responsible for managing the nation’s citadels of learning—to be subjected to intimidation and coercion by lawmakers who should be promoting transparency and accountability.
“The lawmakers allegedly involved must be identified, investigated, and, if found guilty, prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Corruption, especially in the education sector, undermines national development, weakens institutions, and erodes public trust in governance,” Suraju stated.
HEDA has urged anti-corruption agencies to take swift action to restore confidence in Nigeria’s education system and governance structures.
