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By Lawrence Agbo
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised Nigeria’s growing reliance on the Dangote Refinery for its fuel supply, raising concerns over the management of the country’s state-owned refineries.
Falana made the remarks during an interview on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television on Thursday.
The senior lawyer questioned why Nigeria’s four government-owned refineries have remained largely inactive despite billions of dollars reportedly spent on their rehabilitation over the years.
According to him, the country appears to have shifted its dependence to the privately owned Dangote Refinery while the state-owned facilities remain dormant.
“If we say we have four refineries, nobody is talking about them any longer. The NNPC now solely relies on the Dangote Refinery. Is that how to run a country?” Falana asked.
He noted that about $2.9 billion had reportedly been spent on the maintenance and rehabilitation of the country’s refineries, yet they have failed to deliver results.
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Falana argued that such spending raises serious questions about accountability and governance in the country’s oil sector, urging the Federal Government to review the management of the nation’s refining capacity and ensure the public refineries become operational.
The senior advocate also used the opportunity to call for stronger internal institutions in Nigeria, particularly the security sector, warning that the country must reduce its reliance on external powers for stability.
Speaking on the ongoing tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, Falana criticised the actions of Donald Trump, accusing the U.S. president of disregarding international law and United Nations resolutions.
“President Trump has no regard and shows contempt for international law. Hence, he has pulled the United States out of about 66 resolutions of the United Nations. To him, the resolutions of the United Nations mean nothing,” he said.
Falana urged Nigeria to collaborate with other nations to mount diplomatic pressure on the United States and encourage major global powers such as Russia and China to intervene diplomatically in the escalating crisis, noting that Iran is more likely to listen to those countries.
He stressed that Nigeria should revive its tradition of multilateral diplomacy, similar to its role during the era of the Non-Aligned Movement, in order to promote restraint and adherence to international law in resolving global conflicts.
