Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, has urged for a speedy inquiry into the Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) fraud.
Falana made the submission during Channels Television’s Sunday Politics broadcast, stating there is no better time to investigate the petrol fraud than now.
He said:
“It is high time the importation scam was investigated. I am not talking of the joke that is going on in the National Assembly. The media must help civil society organisations to expose the fraud.”
According to estimates, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) owes fuel suppliers $6 billion, which has exacerbated petrol scarcity in Nigeria.
NNPCL finally revealed to its massive debt to petrol suppliers on Sunday, claiming it threatened fuel supply sustainability.
“Once the government begins to speak about affordability and sustainability in response to growing queues at filling stations, there are problems,” Falana stated.
According to Nigeria’s Senior Advocate, the government has not fully disclosed its petrol subsidy policy, and Nigeria cannot invest “$2.9 billion to fix the refineries” when the deadlines for resuming production at the refineries have been repeatedly moved.
The legal luminary vowed to sue officials in charge of mending state-owned refineries if they announced another postponement.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) stated that the landing cost per liter of petrol has made it difficult for petrol marketers to import the crucial product, as the NNPCL did.
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cc: Daily Post Ng