A renewed call on accountability for fuel subsidy savings once again places a spotlight on one of Nigeria’s most persistent governance issues.
Development Diaries reports that SERAP has urged Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike to ‘urgently disclose the spending details of the estimated N14 trillion fuel subsidy savings they collected from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations’.
The organisation also demanded that they include details and locations of projects executed with the money, and the implementation status and completion reports, if any, on the projects.
SERAP also demanded that they ‘provide details of the plans on how subsequent fuel subsidy savings they expect to collect from FAAC allocations, including details of any planned projects on which the money would be spent’.
Now, the people have every right to demand a clear and verifiable account of how these funds have been used, because Section 16(2) of the Nigerian constitution provides that ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good’.
The removal of the fuel subsidy in mid-2023 was justified as a necessary sacrifice to free up resources for development.
However, over a year later, Nigerians are yet to see visible improvements in essential sectors such as healthcare, education, transportation, or infrastructure, despite the significant increase in allocations from FAAC.
According to official FAAC records, N28.78 trillion was distributed among the three tiers of government in 2024, a 79 percent increase from 2023, with state governments alone receiving N5.22 trillion.
Yet, there continues to be a glaring disparity between rising government revenue and worsening living conditions, emphasising a disturbing governance pattern, where states enjoy fiscal windfalls but fail to translate them into measurable public good.
Reports that some states are using the fuel subsidy savings to buy luxury cars, fund foreign trips, and reward political allies suggest that the money may be going the same way as past national funds, wasted through lack of transparency and poor management.
Transparency is not a favour from the governors; it is a constitutional obligation and a cornerstone of democracy.
Nigerians should therefore invoke the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act to demand state-level spending reports, join advocacy campaigns led by civil society organisations, and use social media to amplify accountability calls.
If leaders continue to hide behind bureaucratic walls, the people must be ready to use every legal and civic tool available to ensure that N14 trillion in fuel subsidy savings does not vanish into yet another national mystery.
