The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has hit out at the N21 billion spent on building official residence for Vice-President Kashim Shettima amid economic hardship in the country.
Arising from the project, the federal government came under fire with insensitivity and dissipation levelled at the government.
SERAP followed suit via a statement its Deputy Director, Mr. Kolawale Oluwadare issued.
It reads in part, “In the face of growing poverty, surging national debt and inability to pay a working minimum wage, the wasteful spending is a violation of the constitutional oath of office, the Code of conduct for public officers and international treaties and conventions to which Nigeria is a state party, particularly, the UN Convention against Corruption; and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“Section 14(2)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended] provides that, ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
“The spending is a grave violation of public trust aimed to simply satisfy the personal lifestyles of high-ranking public officials at the expense of more than 130 million poor Nigerians.”
Continued: “The money spent on the VP’s residence funds could be better spent on providing the much-needed infrastructure to stimulate economic growth, addressing the challenges of over 20 million out-of-school children and the menace of insecurity in nearly all parts of the country.”
