The Deputy Director of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Kolawole Oluwadare, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of failing to uphold transparency and accountability needed to effectively combat corruption.
In an interview with THE WHISTLER monitored by The News Chronicle on Wednesday, Oluwadare argued that the government’s reluctance to disclose public information, frequent legal opposition to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and alleged misuse of state institutions have weakened its anti-corruption credentials.
He said SERAP has consistently used public-interest litigation to compel government agencies to release information and enforce accountability, insisting that court judgments have strengthened democratic governance even when compliance has been delayed.
According to him, one notable victory involved a court order compelling the Ministry of Finance to release details of a Chinese-funded CCTV project after the ministry initially failed to respond to an FOI request. He said the disclosed documents revealed procurement details and highlighted accountability concerns surrounding the project.
Oluwadare maintained that SERAP’s legal actions have also influenced governance reforms, citing a 2019 judgment challenging pension laws for former governors, which prompted several states to amend or repeal the controversial laws.
Assessing the Tinubu administration, he said it had performed poorly on anti-corruption, arguing that transparency remains central to preventing corruption. He criticised the government for allegedly resisting public access to information and spending public funds to contest disclosure requests in court instead of proactively releasing records.
He also raised concerns over reports of an alleged fake government agency appearing in the 2026 federal budget, describing the incident as evidence of institutional failure rather than the actions of a single individual.
According to him, the budget process involves multiple layers of scrutiny, making it difficult to believe that an agency could allegedly secure a N1.3bn allocation without the knowledge or negligence of several officials. He called for a comprehensive investigation to identify all those responsible.
On civic freedoms, Oluwadare said Nigeria’s civic space is both shrinking and evolving, alleging that government agencies and influential individuals increasingly use the Cybercrimes Act and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) to intimidate critics, journalists, and civil society organisations.
He cited ongoing legal cases involving SERAP, activist Omoyele Sowore, and Pat Utomi as examples of what he described as attempts to discourage public-interest advocacy.
Oluwadare expressed confidence that SERAP would succeed in its appeal against a N100 million defamation judgment obtained by two Department of State Services (DSS) officials, insisting the lawsuit was intended to discourage criticism rather than protect reputations.
He added that SERAP would continue to pursue advocacy and public-interest litigation whenever it believes government actions violate the Constitution or existing laws, describing the courts as a vital mechanism for enforcing accountability and protecting citizens’ rights.
