Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an urgent appeal to three UN special rapporteurs urging them to use their "mandates to urgently request the Nigerian government and the leadership of the National Assembly to immediately reverse the unlawful, disproportionate and discriminatory budget cuts to education and healthcare, and to stop the authorities from spending N27bn to renovate the National Assembly complex."

The urgent appeal, read in part: "Nigerian authorities also ought to show that the budget cuts to healthcare and education are necessary and proportionate, in that they must be justifiable after the most careful consideration of all other less restrictive alternatives, for example excessive allowances for Nigerian lawmakers, and excessive costs of governance, in general."

"Without your urgent intervention, the Nigerian government and National Assembly would continue to spend the country's maximum available resources to satisfy the opulent lifestyles of politicians rather than complying with Nigeria's international human rights obligations to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights to healthcare and education the poor and marginalized groups."

"SERAP believes that the budget cuts undermine the minimum core content of the rights to healthcare and education, and are discriminatory, in so far as they would increase socio-economic inequalities and undermine the rights of disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups, who will be disproportionately affected by the cuts."

SERAP therefore urged the special rapporteurs to put pressure on the Nigerian government and the National Assembly to:

Take immediate action to reverse the budget cuts to healthcare and education and to redirect the N27bn for the renovation of the National Assembly complex to increase healthcare and education budgets;

Provide information and details of impact assessments undertaken prior to cutting the budgets for healthcare and education;

Provide details of initiatives to cut the costs of governance;

Provide information about the government and National Assembly's plans to ensure that people will enjoy access to healthcare and quality education; and the authorities' plans to maintain progress towards the achievement of the SDGs, including to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all;

Provide details on specific steps taken to protect the rights of vulnerable and disenfranchised groups to access quality education; and to achieve the right to health of women and core-obligations which encompass maternal health care

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