Socio – Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately set up a presidential panel of inquiry to probe the well-established allegations of embezzlement, misappropriation or other diversion of security votes by Nigeria’s state governors since May 2015 and to ensure that those responsible face prosecution.
SERAP said it welcomed the declaration of ‘a national security emergency’ by the president but warned this would not work unless governors are held to account on how they spend billions of naira of security votes to ensure the security and welfare of the people in their states.
According to the advocacy group, in the face of the growing insecurity in several parts of the country, president Tinubu must exercise the political will and show the leadership by urgently holding state governors to account on their spending of billions of naira collected by them as security votes.
It noted that probing the spending of security votes by state governors and ensuring accountability for the alleged the embezzlement, misappropriation or other diversion by state governors would enhance the implementation of the ‘nationwide security emergency.’
It added that it would improve the ability of the federal government to deliver on the promises to ensure the security of Nigerians, and to keep them safe.
It explained that holding state governors to account and asking them to explain how they spend security votes collected by them as well as recovering any embezzled public funds would serve legitimate public interests.
SERAP in a statement signed by its deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, on Thursday read in part: “As revealed by a recent report by Transparency International (TI), most of the funds appropriated as security votes are spent on political activities, mismanaged or simply stolen. It is estimated that security votes add up to over N241.2 billion every year.”
“On top of appropriated security votes, state governments also receive millions of dollars yearly as international security assistance.
“Longstanding allegations of embezzlement, misappropriation or other diversion of security votes by state governors have hugely contributed to the growing insecurity in the country, and the failure of governors to effectively discharge their constitutional responsibility to ensure the security and welfare of their own people.”
“Pervasive tendency by state governors to regard or treat security votes given to them for security of their states as their personal entitlement or funds is antithetical to the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended] and international standards.”
“Security votes should be used for improving the security situation in the states or returned to the public treasury.”
“Successive governments have failed to effectively discharge their primary and constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property of the Nigerian people. This is patently contrary to Section 14(2)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution, which provides that: ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government’.”
“Against the background of well-documented cases of abduction, killings and ongoing security challenges in several parts of the country, the time has come for president Tinubu to hold state governors to account on their spending of security votes in their states.”
“While sitting state governors may enjoy immunity from arrest and prosecution, they do not enjoy immunity from investigation. Any allegations of embezzlement, misappropriation or other diversion of security votes against sitting governors can and should be investigated pending the time they leave office and lose immunity. The findings of such investigation can also be the basis for initiating impeachment proceedings against any indicted governor.”
