SERAP drags governors, FCT minister to court over Alleged N14tn fuel subsidy savings
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has instituted legal action against the 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, over their alleged failure to properly account for trillions of naira received as savings from the removal of fuel subsidy.
In a statement released on Sunday, the civil society organisation said the lawsuit followed reports indicating that state governments and the FCT administration had collectively received about N14 trillion in additional allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) since the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023.
SERAP alleged that despite the substantial increase in revenue accruing to the states and the FCT, there has been little or no corresponding improvement in access to essential public services, particularly quality healthcare and education, especially for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
The suit, marked FHC/L/MSC/1424/2025, was filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The organisation is asking the court to compel the governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose how the funds derived from fuel subsidy savings have been spent.
Specifically, SERAP is seeking an order directing the defendants to provide details of projects executed with the additional FAAC allocations, including their locations and completion status, if any such projects exist.
According to SERAP, Nigerians have a constitutional right to know how public funds are utilised, stressing that transparency in the management of subsidy savings is essential to democratic governance.
“Nigerians ought to know in what manner public funds, including fuel subsidy savings, are spent by the governors and the FCT minister,” the organisation stated, adding that openness and accountability are critical to sustaining the country’s democratic order.
The group further argued that there was a compelling public interest in ensuring that those entrusted with managing the subsidy savings explain how the funds have been applied, given the economic hardship many citizens continue to face.
As of the time of filing the report, no date had been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
SERAP has been at the forefront of advocacy for transparency and accountability in public finance management, particularly in relation to fuel subsidy spending, which has long been a contentious issue in Nigeria’s economic and political discourse.
