Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, has expressed concern about President Muhammadu Buhari’s government’s alleged plans to sell a litre of fuel for N500 before the end of the year.
Falana delivered the keynote address at the People’s Alternative Political Parties Summit in Abuja over the weekend, titled “A New Nigeria Is Possible.”
The keynote speaker at the summit, a legal lawyer, referred to the President’s previous comparison of fuel prices in Nigeria and neighboring countries.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria accused the government of being economical with the truth on subsidy removal.
After the announcement of complete deregulation of fuel in 2020, which resulted in the selling of fuel at N168 per liter, he said the government can no longer be trusted.
“Last September, this same government declared that after complete deregulation, fuel will be sold at N168 per liter,” Falana said. Today, we’re told that complete deregulation will be reinstated, raising the price to N230 per litre.
“However, if caution is not exercised, the government plans to sell petrol at N500 per liter by the end of the year.”
He accused the government of destroying the economy and devaluing the naira through the dollar-based economic system being run by Buhari’s regime.
According to him, the summit is aimed at challenging the worsening security situation, devaluation of national currencies, mass unemployment, and increasing lack of good governance.
He went on to say that a new Nigeria must be built on a foundation of social justice and that there is a need to work with like-minded democratic movements and reposition Nigerians to reclaim power.
He said, “We want to take Nigeria back from the soiled hands of political buccaneers and that is the essence of the meeting.
“That is why we believe that a new Nigeria is possible that will be run and managed by the Nigerian people and not by alien forces of destruction.”
Falana said Nigeria can be run based on people-oriented programmes and policies instead of neoliberal policies of the Buhari government dictated by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He added that the mismanagement of the economy by imperialist forces and their local collaborators has continued to increase poverty in the country despite the nation’s enormous resources.
Falana also condemned the $1.5 billion budget for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt purportedly approved by the Federal Executive Council. He said, “It is illegal in that it has not been appropriated by the National Assembly pursuant to sections 59 and 81 of the Constitution”.
He asked the National Assembly to request the President to propose a money bill for the said sum of $1.5 billion.
He said, “Before passing the bill, the National Assembly should conduct a public hearing where all options will be considered in the national interest.
For instance, at the public hearing, ASCAB (Alliance for Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond) will show that the Federal Government can buy a new refinery with greater capacity than the Port Harcourt for the same sum of $1.5 billion.”
