SUNTV Global Channel Report
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. (NBET) to court over the alleged failure to account for ₦128 billion in public funds linked to Nigeria’s troubled power sector.
The lawsuit follows damning revelations in the latest annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, released on September 9, 2025, which flagged widespread financial irregularities within the Ministry of Power and NBET. SERAP says the findings point to deep-rooted mismanagement that continues to fuel Nigeria’s persistent electricity crisis.
The suit, filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/143/2026, comes just days after Nigeria recorded its first national grid collapse of 2026—an incident that plunged much of the country into darkness and reignited public anger over the state of electricity supply.
In the action, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus compelling the Minister of Power and NBET to fully account for the alleged missing or diverted ₦128 billion. The organisation is also asking the court to order the disclosure of detailed records showing how the funds were spent, including dates of disbursement, names of beneficiaries or contractors, and their registered business addresses.
SERAP further wants the court to compel the authorities to reveal the full names and official positions of all public officers who authorised, approved, or were involved in releasing the disputed funds.
According to SERAP, Nigerians are paying a heavy price for corruption and lack of accountability in the power sector, enduring repeated grid collapses, failing transmission infrastructure, and rising electricity bills despite unreliable supply.
“Ordinary Nigerians continue to stay in darkness but are still forced to pay crazy electricity bills,” the organisation said, adding that transparency in the management of public resources is critical to fixing the country’s power challenges.
The lawsuit, filed on SERAP’s behalf by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo, relies heavily on the Auditor-General’s 2022 audited report. The report alleges, among other things, that the Ministry of Power failed to account for over ₦4.4 billion transferred to project accounts for the Mambilla, Zungeru, and Kashimbilla power projects, with no evidence of how the funds were spent.
It also alleges that more than ₦95 billion was paid to contractors for projects with no supporting documents or proof that the projects were executed. The Auditor-General warned that the funds may have been diverted and recommended full recovery.
Other allegations include over ₦33 million spent on foreign trips—covering estacodes, flight tickets, and visa fees—without approval from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation or the Head of Civil Service.
NBET is accused of multiple financial breaches, including awarding contracts worth hundreds of millions of naira without due process, transferring billions of naira into unauthorised sub-accounts, making undocumented payments to power companies, and engaging consultants without evidence of services rendered.
The Auditor-General also flagged extra-budgetary spending of over ₦1 billion by NBET without approval from the Minister of Finance or the National Assembly, as well as payments for vehicles, legal services, staff training, and festive packages allegedly made without proper authorisation or documentation.
In all cases cited, the Auditor-General warned that public funds may have been diverted, misapplied, or used to pay for work not done, and recommended that the monies be recovered and remitted to the treasury.
SERAP argues that granting the reliefs sought by the court would strike a major blow against impunity in the power sector and help improve access to regular and uninterrupted electricity supply across Nigeria.
No date has yet been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
— SUNTV Global Channel
