Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a crucial appeal to Professor Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, regarding the recent budget padding allegations labeled against the national assembly.
SERAP advocated for the probe of the House leadership following allegations labeled against it by the former Chairman of the House appropriation committee, Abdulmunin Jibrin.
The petition dated 27 July 2016 was signed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni.
SERAP said the removal of critical projects and replacement of such projects with constituency projects, which have not only undermined the fight against corruption in the country but also exacerbated extreme poverty and violations of internationally recognized human rights should also be probed.
The petition reads in part: “SERAP is seriously concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability of the National Assembly, which is not consistent with the behaviour of an institution that is constitutionally mandated to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of Nigeria. This lack of accountability partly explains why ordinary Nigerians do not trust the National Assembly, and its ability to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of Nigeria, and to curb corruption within its systems.”
“SERAP is concerned that the longstanding practice of constituency projects by the National Assembly of Nigeria and the corresponding alleged diversion of public funds have continued to systematically drain the country’s “maximum available resources”, precipitating poverty, and economic crisis which inevitably magnify dispossession, hunger, disease, illiteracy, and insecurity.”
“Alleged budget padding and abuse of office by the leadership of the House of Representatives in particular and the National Assembly in general also have uneven consequences against the vulnerable groups of the society, including the poor, women and children, perpetrating and institutionalizing discrimination. By allegedly exploiting public funds for the personal gain of leaders rather than socio-economic development of the country, constituency projects jeopardize the needs and well-being of future generations as well.”
“SERAP notes that the Nigerian constitution 1999 (as amended) grants legislative power to the National Assembly to “make laws for the peace, order and good government”. SERAP believes that this power implies that the National Assembly including the House of Representatives will serve as a crucial bastion of transparency, accountability, and the rule of law that are necessary to reduce poverty, establish a corruption-free society, and effective enjoyment of human rights.”
“SERAP is seriously concerned that in the process of alleged budget padding the leadership of the House of Representatives removed key projects such as on roads, electricity and/or drastically reduced their costs. These projects ordinarily would have contributed to reducing the effects and consequences of poverty in the country while also enhancing respect for human rights.”
“We believe that the allegations that the leadership of the House of Representatives worked to abuse the budget process to benefit themselves at the expense of the majority of Nigerians is a fundamental breach of constitutional oath and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which Nigeria is a state party, which requires states to use their maximum available resources to promote and secure the enjoyment of basic economic and social rights such as the rights to food, to healthcare, to access to quality education and adequate standards of living.”
“Article 2(1) of the Covenant provides that each State party to the present Covenant undertakes to take steps to the maximum of its available resources, with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the rights recognized in the present Covenant by all appropriate means, including particularly the adoption of legislative measures.”
“This implies that government at all levels including the National Assembly has a duty to ensure that public funds are used to benefit Nigerians and not for personal use. Human rights cannot be achieved without significant expenditure in critical areas of governance.”