In a landmark judgment affirming the public’s right to accountability and transparency, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted the application of the Incorporated Trustees of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), compelling the National Assembly to release critical information on the N37 billion renovation of the National Assembly Complex.
Delivering judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/51/2022, brought on behalf of HEDA by Seidu Mohammed, the judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ruled in favour of HEDA’s request for an order of mandamus, directing the National Assembly to provide detailed information on the renovation.
Specifically, the court ordered the National Assembly to release the proposal, assessment, and procedure employed in arriving at the initially reported N37 billion for renovation; the actual amount approved and allocated for the renovation; and the amount already disbursed for the renovation.
The court held that the information sought was simple and harmless, and that the National Assembly had no valid reason to deny HEDA the information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Reacting to the judgment, HEDA’s Chairman, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju, described the Court’s decision as a major win for transparency and accountability in governance.
In another development, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, has urged the government to, as a matter of urgency, embrace fiscal discipline and ensure prudent government spending.
He also called for better management of liquidity injections to effectively prevent fuelling inflationary pressures.
Reacting to the July 2025 inflation figures put out by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), he said the figures presented a mixed outlook for the economy, with notable improvements in some key indicators but lingering risks that demanded policy attention.
Noting that there are some positive trends, including the fact that headline inflation declined for the fourth consecutive month, easing from 22.22 per cent in June to 21.88 per cent in July, a deceleration of 0.34 per cent.
Also, month-on-month food inflation moderated, falling from 3.25 per cent in June to 3.12 per cent in July, while core inflation posted marginal declines year-on-year (-0.03 per cent) and a sharp slowdown month-on-month, from 3.46 per cent to 0.97 per cent.
These developments, he said, reflected a gradually stabilising macroeconomic environment, supported by exchange rate stability, improved investor confidence, and the lingering impact of import duty waivers on key staples such as rice, maize, and sorghum.
