Fuel price Increment : How Buhari betrayed Nigerians – Falana
– Femi Falana has described the new fuel price regime from the federal government as illegal and immoral
– Says since the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) empowered to recommend the price of petroleum products has not been reconstituted, the increment was wrong
– Queries why the increment came 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
Human rights lawyer and activist, Femi Falana has described the new fuel price regime from the federal government as running contrary to the promises made by the present administration not to remove subsidy and avoid inflicting undue pains on Nigerians.
Femi Falana says the hike in petrol price will have adverse effect on the people and the economy.
The renowned lawyer in a statement on Thursday, May 12, in Lagos, described the new fuel price as illegal, immoral and insensitive to the plight of Nigerians, Vanguard reports.
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Falana who faulted the price hike said the government lacks statutory power to set a new fuel price regime because the body empowered to take such decision is yet to be constituted by the government, adding that 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”.
According to him, 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 said “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 said the increment which was coming 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 was needless, adding that 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.”
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?”
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He said the hike in petrol price will have adverse effect on the people and the economy.
Meanwhile, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s minister of Petroleum Resources, has urged Nigerians to be patient as the increased fuel prices will soon reduce.
The minister, who made the statement during an interview with Channels television on Thursday, May 12, assured that Nigerians would be amazed at how the prices of petrol will drop in six months.
This statement was necessary following the new pump price of petrol (between N135 and N145 per litre) from N86 and N86.50.
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