Lagos human rights activist and lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, (SAN) has accused Minister of Petroleum, Mr Ibe Kachikwu and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Maikanti Baru of allegedly deceiving Nigerians that the country have enough fuel to cater for all consumers.
In a statement yesterday, Falana said: “Since the assurance was given over three weeks ago, the fuel crisis has been compounded without any solution in sight.
“In view of the shortage of petrol throughout the country it is indubitably clear that Kachikwu and Baru deliberately set out to deceive the Nigerian people when they gave the misleading impression that there was enough fuel to cater for all consumers.
“Up till now, both highly placed officials have not tendered a public apology for engaging in public deceit. Neither has the substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources, President Muhammadu Buhari explained the cause of the ongoing fuel crisis which has subjected the Nigerian people to untold misery and agony.”
The human right activist, however, called on the Federal Government to direct the police to monitor the supply of petroleum products and ensure that all saboteurs were arrested and prosecuted.
“Although the federal government has continued to assure the nation that there is no plan to increase the price of petrol, the independent marketers have said that they can no longer import refined fuel and sell at N145 per litre.
“Since the federal government claims that there is enough fuel to cater for all consumers the police should be mobilized to monitor the supply of the product throughout the country and ensure that all saboteurs are arrested and prosecuted forthwith,” Falana said.
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