‘People are dying’ – Falana questions benefits of Fuel subsidy removal

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has questioned the tangible benefits of President Bola Tinubu’s fuel subsidy removal policy, asserting that Nigerians are yet to see or feel the impact of savings accrued from the move.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Falana raised concerns over rising public revenues across all tiers of government and urged citizens to demand full accountability from local, state, and federal administrations.

He questioned why increased revenues have not translated into basic infrastructure repairs, citing a dilapidated road near Afe Babalola University in Ekiti State as an example. He noted that while the local government in the area received over ₦5.4 billion between January and May, community members were still looking to Abuja for road repairs that would cost under ₦500 million.

“State governments were fixing roads, and they would then go to Abuja to ask for a refund,” Falana said.

“So, we must begin to ask questions of the local government, the state government, and the Federal Government. If you say we are making more money, we don’t want to go back to the era of the fuel subsidy scam. Where are the benefits? It’s a fallacy being told to wait and wait and wait. People are dying.”

The senior advocate noted that while an estimated $10 billion annually was supposed to be saved from petrol import subsidies, a significant portion of government earnings continues to go toward debt servicing rather than direct public benefits.

Falana reiterated that with higher allocations reaching state and local government accounts on paper, the responsibility falls on the public to hold elected leadership accountable for how funds are deployed.