Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has urged the Federal Government to reconsider the fuel subsidy removal policy, citing reports that Nigeria is still paying for it.
President Bola Tinubu declared the end of the subsidy era during his inauguration, resulting in an increase in fuel prices across the country. However, the World Bank and Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited’s CEO and Managing Director, Robert Dickerman, have recently asserted that the Federal Government continues to pay a subsidy for the product.
Falana cited these claims in a statement today, calling on the government to respond and examine the policy.
“Curiously, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited has not deemed it fit to deny the serious allegation that fuel subsidy has been restored. Since there is no provision for fuel subsidy in the 2023 and 2024 Appropriation Acts the federal government should, without any further delay, confirm or deny the serious allegation and end the opacity surrounding the importation of fuel from foreign countries,” Falana said.
“It would be recalled that after the Muhammadu Buhari administration announced that it had removed subsidy on petrol, it turned around to spend N11 trillion on the so-called “under-recovery” within a period of 8 years.
“Therefore, instead of urging Nigerians to continue to endure the hardship caused by the removal of subsidies on petrol, the Bola Tinubu administration. If the federal government is spending as much as N1 trillion on fuel subsidy per month, it is high time the policy was reviewed in the interest of the Nigerian people.”
