Probe billions of ecological fund awards to Borno, SERAP tells Tinubu

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and anti-corruption agencies to investigate the spending of billions of naira of Ecological Fund collected by Borno State since 2001, including the N816 million collected by the state between January 2024 and June 2024.

According to SERAP, suspected perpetrators of corruption and mismanagement of ecological funds should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any proceeds of corruption should be fully recovered.

The organisation also urged the President to direct Fagbemi and anti-corruption agencies to urgently identify and ensure access to justice and effective remedies to affected victims in Borno State.

SERAP further asked Tinubu to direct the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr George Akume, to work with anti-corruption agencies to track and monitor the spending of Ecological Fund by the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, 36 state governors, the 774 local councils and all emergency management agencies across the country, funded through the Ecological Fund.

In a letter at the weekend, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said government had a legal obligation to address the prevalence of flooding across the country and its effects on the people, and to ensure that the money meant to stop floods was not lost to corruption.

The body noted that Borno State received billions of naira monthly through the Federal Allocation Committee as shares from the Ecological Fund.

MEANWHILE, a firm, Bosch Nigeria, has said it will explore the Big 5 Construct conference to mitigate flood challenges in Lagos. According to the firm, Lagos is a city prone to severe flooding challenges, which needs to be addressed.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Country Businesses Manager, Bosch Nigeria, Samson Ajayi, said the conference would address flooding for the advancement of the construction sector.

“For the first time, Bosch Nigeria will participate in Big 5 Construct Exhibition, where we’ll showcase the GWS 30-230 from our Power Tools division—a new angle grinder engineered specifically for heavy-duty construction applications. We’ll also feature the GRL 600 rotational laser from our Measuring Tools section, offering 360° precision, along with a selection of accessories and our latest car technologies, all designed to meet specific needs of construction activities,” Ajayi stated.