Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the World Bank President Mr David Malpass to use his “good offices to suspend any disbursement of the $800m loan to the Federal Government and to request the incoming administration to provide satisfactory explanations for the loan.”

SERAP urged Mr Malpass and the World Bank “to reopen discussion on the reportedly approved $800m loan with the incoming administration to clarify the details on the rationale and use of the loan because the term of office of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari ends in May 2023.”

The Federal Government in April announced its plan to spend the $800 million loan as ‘part of its subsidy palliatives measures’. Also, last week, President Buhari requested the Senate’s approval for the World Bank loan. It is unclear whether the request to the Senate is for a fresh loan or the one announced in April.

In the letter dated 13 May 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “The World Bank should comply with its own Articles of Agreement in disbursing any loans. The Bank should not sacrifice international standards in the rush to disburse the $800m loan to the government.”

SERAP said, “Suspending any disbursement of the loan to the government would reduce the risks and vulnerability to corruption and mismanagement.”

The letter, read in part: “SERAP is concerned that the government is seeking to spend the loan when it has barely two weeks to leave office and when the project objectives and intended purposes for which the loan is reportedly approved and will be disbursed remain unclear.

“According to our information, the Federal Government of Nigeria recently secured a $800 million loan from the World Bank.”