The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nyesom Wike, over their alleged failure to account for the spending of ₦14 trillion in fuel subsidy savings.
SERAP disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, stating that the funds were received by the governors and the FCT minister as part of increased Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements following the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023.
According to the organization, the suit was prompted by reports indicating that the governors and the FCT minister have collected trillions of naira in fuel subsidy savings since mid-2023, without providing details of how the funds were utilized.
SERAP argued that despite the increased allocations, there has been no corresponding improvement in access to quality healthcare, education, and other essential public services for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
The suit, marked FHC/L/MSC/1424/2025, was filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The organization is asking the court to “direct and compel the governors and Mr Wike to disclose the details of the spending of the increased FAAC allocations being savings from the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023.”
It also urged the court to “compel the governors and Mr Wike to disclose details and the location of the projects executed, if any, with the increased FAAC allocations from the savings from the removal of fuel subsidy.”
“Nigerians ought to know in what manner public funds, including fuel subsidy savings, are spent by the governors and FCT minister.
“The constitutional principle of democracy also provides a foundation for Nigerians’ right to know the spending details of the money collected from the savings from the removal of fuel subsidy,” the statement read.
SERAP further stressed that transparency and accountability are fundamental to democratic governance.
“Citizens’ right to know promotes openness, transparency, and accountability that is in turn crucial for the country’s democratic order.
“There is a legitimate public interest for the governors and the FCT minister to urgently explain how they have spent the money they have so far collected from the subsidy savings,” the organization said.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
