Falana: Monumental fraud in petrol importation must be investigated

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says the “monumental fraud” in Nigeria’s downstream sector has to be investigated.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, Falana said “there is no full disclosure on the part of the government” on the importation of petrol and subsidy.

On Sunday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited admitted to owing suppliers of petrol, following media reports that the firm is indebted to the tune of $6 billion.

Since May, Nigerians have been grappling with scarcity of the product.

Speaking on the development, Falana said the public should interrogate NNPC’s latest statement.

The human rights lawyer said the media and civil society organisations should collaborate to investigate “monumental fraud” in petrol importation “once the government begins to speak about affordability and sustainability in response to growing queues in filling stations”.

“With the statement coming out of NNPC, it is high time questions are asked by Nigerians. It is high time importation scam was investigated,” Falana added.

“I am not talking about the joke that is going on in the national assembly. The media and civil society organisations must help to expose the fraud.

“I’m not sure you know how many people have bought a car in the last one and a half years, even second-hand cars (in Nigeria).

“The point I am making is that the number of vehicles on the road has been reduced. Yet, we were told that during the days of boom, the NNPCL was subsidising 68 million litres of fuel per day.

“Now that there are problems, scarcity, and poverty everywhere, no new vehicles on the road, we are still paying for 68 million litres of fuel.

“Whereas before this regime came on board, the comptroller-general of customs challenged the NNPC during a senate public hearing that it is not possible for the amount of fuel being said to be smuggled out of the country.

“Because you will need about 2,000 tankers of fuel to smuggle out the amount of fuel NNPC claimed is being smuggled out. So what has changed?

“This is time to expose the monumental fraud in importation of fuel in Nigeria.”m