simplyolat Human rights lawyer and activist, Mr Femi Falana,
SAN, has declared that the new fuel price regime
from the Federal Government is illegal and lacks
statutory power because the body, empowers to
take such decision is yet to be constituted by the
government.


According to him, the decision by the government
was “immoral and insensitivity of the effect of fuel
price increase on the people of Nigeria.”
He therefore urged the government to revert to the
old pump price.
In a statement made available to Vanguard in
Lagos, Falana argued that the increment was
contrary to the interest and yearning of Nigerians
for the further reduction of the fuel price.
Falana
He noted that the present administration acted
contrary to its promises not to remove subsidy in
order to inflict undue pains on Nigerians.
Beside, he said, the decision was wrong since the
sole body statutorily responsible for fixing fuel
price is not yet constituted, adding, the “unilateral
decision of the Executive Secretary of the body to
fix the pump price at N145 per litre is ultra vires
and illegal in every material particular.”


He argued that since the Petroleum Products
Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) empowered to
recommend the price of petroleum products has
not been reconstituted, such decision was wrong.
He added that: “In view of the illegality,
insensitivity and immorality of the price increase
the federal government should cancel it, revert to
the status quo and consult widely with all relevant
stakeholders in the society.”


Falana wondered why the increment when after the
Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) recently
invited fresh bids for the setting up modular
refineries, which resulted to licensing of 22
modular refineries “with combined capacities to
refine 1.429 million barrels of crude oil per day. If
the policy is genuinely pursued the construction of
the refineries ought to be completed within the
9-12 months.
“If such refineries are established in the country
the importation of fuel and the fraud associated
with it will stop. In the interim, instead of importing
oil from Europe and the United States the NNPC
should refine crude oil for domestic consumption
in neighbouring countries which have functional
refineries. After all, Nigeria refines 60,000 barrels of
crude oil per day in Cote d’ivoire which is not an
oil producing nation.” He said.
He further argued that “If subsidy had been
removed over a month ago and the country has
been saving $2 billion (from fuel importation and
subsidy removal) while the refineries are now
working at full capacity Dr. Kachukwu should tell
Nigerians the justification for the new removal of
fuel subsidy announced by him yesterday.


“The cost elements that make up the N145 are
provocative. If the total landing cost of a litre and
other charges are fixed at N138 what is the basis
of fixing the price at N145? For goodness sake,
why should motorists be made to pay NPA/
NIMASA charges, within and without storage/
bridging charges etc?”
He therefore submitted that the decision will have
virile effect on the people and the economic.
He noted that increasing the price without any
public debate or consultation with relevant
stakeholders whatsoever the federal government
took the Nigerian people by surprise.