Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged the federal government to end petrol importation and ensure that the 450,000 barrels of crude oil reportedly allocated daily for domestic consumption are supplied to local refineries.
Mr Falana said that making crude available to domestic refiners would reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products and help ease the hardship caused by the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The lawyer spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics on Sunday amid renewed debate over the economic impact of President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove petrol subsidy in May 2023.
Mr Falana argued that although the subsidy regime was unsustainable and was plagued by alleged fraud, Nigerians have yet to see sufficient benefits from the additional revenue accruing to the three tiers of government since its removal.
“State governors are getting more allocations. The federal government is getting more money. Local governments are getting more funds on paper. It is the duty of the Nigerian people now to demand accountability,” he said.
