Provide ex-presidents’ loan details, SERAP urges Tinubu

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to provide the organisation with copies of loan agreements obtained by the governments of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari

SERAP is also seeking the spending details of the loans, interests and other payments so far made on the loans.

The body also asked the President to establish an independent audit on the spending of the loans obtained by the governments of the former presidents, and to make public the findings of any such audit.

In the Freedom of Information request at the weekend, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said publishing copies of the agreements would prevent and combat waste, corruption, mismanagement, and abuse in the spending of public funds.

SERAP said no one should be able to pull curtains of secrecy around decisions on the spending of public funds, which could be revealed without injury to the public interest, stressing that democracy required accountability and that accountability required transparency.

According to the organisation, Nigerians are entitled to information about what their government is doing on their behalf as their right to information.

“Nigerians’ right to a democratic governance allows them to appreciably influence the direction of government, and have an opportunity to assess progress and assign blame.

“The accountability of government to the general public is a hallmark of democratic governance, which Nigeria seeks to achieve.

“Your government should make it possible for citizens to have access to agreements and spending details to judge whether their government is working for them or not,” SERAP stated.

The body noted that publishing the agreements would demonstrate often expressed commitment to openness in government, promote accountability and improve public accountability in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).

It added that publishing the agreements and spending details would allow the public to see how and on what these governments spent the loans and foster transparency and accountability.

The information SERAP said would help to explain why, despite billions of dollars in loans obtained by successive governments, millions of Nigerians had continued to face extreme poverty and lack access to basic public goods and services.