An anti-corruption group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, says it has sent a Freedom of Information requests to the President, Major Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and the governors of the 36 states in the country, demanding details of proposed security votes spending in their 2021 appropriation bills.

SERAP, in a statement on Sunday, by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said disclosing the details of the security votes spending for 2021 would serve as engaging the citizens in an honest conversation about the security challenges confronting the country, and what the federal and state governments are doing to respond to them.

In the FoI requests dated December 26, 2020, SERAP said, “Nigerians have the right to know what the government is doing in their name. The framers of the Nigerian Constitution never contemplated opaque spending of public funds as security votes. Transparency and accountability would ensure that the policies and action that the government will pursue to guarantee the security of Nigerians are truly relevant and effective in keeping them safe.

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“We would be grateful if the requested information is provided to us within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal action under the Nigerian Constitution, the Freedom of Information Act, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to compel you to comply with our request.”