Court seeks details of N535 million school feeding expenditure during lockdown from Humanitarian Ministry
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Dr Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, to release details of how the sum of N535.8 million was expended on feeding of school children during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Justice Nkeonye Maha, in a judgment, directed the minister and the ministry to furnish a civil society group with parts of the information sought in line with Section 25 (1) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.
Justice Maha held that the minister’s failure to respond to the group’s letter dated August 6, 2020 or even give reasons for the refusal to respond to the request as prescribed under the FOI Act contravened the provisions of Section 4(a) and (b) of the act.
“In view of all the matters before me and flowing from the objectives of the FOI Act 2011, the court hereby orders the 1st and 2nd defendants, in line with Section 25(1) of the FOI Act, to furnish the plaintiff with the information sought in reliefs 3(a), (b), (c), (d),” she declared.
The judge also ordered the minister to comply with the orders of the court within 21 days upon receipt of the orders.
She, however, refused to grant “reliefs 3(e), (f) and (g) of the plaintiff.”
According to reports, the Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International had filed the suit marked: FHC/ ABJ/CS/1162/2020 following alleged refusal of the then Minister, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq, and her ministry to respond to the information sought.
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The group alleged that independent investigation and information available to it “revealed that the so-called modified and implemented school feeding programme during lockdown against coronavirus pandemic was a scam, cover-up and well-articulated fiction to embezzle public funds.”
It said that the development was contrary to the statement made by Umar-Farouq during the taskforce briefing on COVID-19 on August 3, 2020.
Therefore, in the originating summons, the group sued the minister, the ministry and the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants, respectively.
Also joined in the suit were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Independent Corrupt Practice and other related offences Commission (ICPC) as 4th and 5th defendants.
The group sought an order of mandamus compelling the 1st defendant (minister) to immediately release and make available to it all the information and documents requested in its application letter to wit: Details, accompanied with documentary evidence of how the N523,273,800 was spent on school feeding programme during the COVID-19 lockdown in three states following presidential directive as disclosed to Nigerians by the 1st defendant during the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 briefing of Monday, 3rd August, 2020 in Abuja.
“Details with the aid of documentary evidence disclosing how the said N523,273,800 was dispatched/distributed to the 124,589 households whom the 1st defendant claimed received take-home rations valued at N4,200. 00 to wit: In the FCT, 29,609 households were impacted; 37,589 households in Lagos and 60,391 in Ogun, making a total of 124,589 households impacted between May 14, and July 6. If 124,589 households received take-home rations valued at N4,200, the amount will be N523,273,800.”
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