SERAP demands details of Nigerian 50,000-naira relief payments
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Nigerian organisation SERAP asks the government to detail the funding and distribution of 50,000-naira emergency relief intended for vulnerable people. Its request covers beneficiaries, payments, contracts with financial service providers and whether the aid is monthly or one-off, according to Punch.
Nigerian organisation Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the federal government to publish financial and administrative information relating to the monthly 50,000-naira relief intended for vulnerable Nigerians. In an access-to-information request dated 7 November, SERAP specifically seeks the selection criteria, payments made and contracts concluded with financial service providers, according to Punch.
The organisation also asks the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, to specify the budget for the National Emergency Relief and Stabilisation Intervention (NERSI) programme, the funds released and spent, and the geographical distribution of beneficiaries. SERAP notes a discrepancy between the ministry's announcement, which presents the aid as monthly, and a question-and-answer document that does not clearly specify its frequency or duration.
SERAP is also seeking guarantees against political interference in the allocation of the aid, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections. The organisation says beneficiaries should not be compelled to participate in political rallies, support candidates or display political material in order to receive the aid.
The request comes after ActionAid's call for details on Nigerian 50,000-naira relief, published on 2 November, and after Peter Obi's request to President Bola Tinubu concerning 15.8 trillion naira in public spending, published on 7 November in his call for details on 15.8 trillion naira.
