Tinubu sued over failure to reverse petrol value hike

Socio-Financial Rights and Accountability Challenge (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit towards President Bola Tinubu over his failure to direct a probe of the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted (NNPCL) and reverse the latest enhance within the pump value of petrol.

Joined within the swimsuit as respondents are the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the NNPCL.

Within the swimsuit quantity FHC/ABJ/CS/1361/2024 filed final Friday on the Federal Excessive Court docket, Abuja, SERAP is asking the courtroom “to compel President Tinubu to direct the NNPCL to reverse the unjust, unlawful, unconstitutional and unreasonable enhance within the value of petrol from N845 per litre to N600 per litre.”

SERAP can be asking the courtroom “to compel President Tinubu to direct Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and applicable anti-corruption businesses to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement within the NNPC, together with the spending of the reported $300 million ‘bailout funds’ collected from the Federal Authorities in August 2024, and the $6 billion debt it owes suppliers, regardless of allegedly failing to remit oil revenues to the treasury.

“to compel President Tinubu to direct Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and applicable anticorruption businesses to prosecute anybody suspected to be accountable for the alleged corruption and mismanagement within the NNPCL, if there’s adequate admissible proof, and to recuperate any proceeds of corruption.”

Within the swimsuit, SERAP is arguing that: “The rise in petrol value is inflicting immense hardship to these much less well-off. Because the financial state of affairs in Nigeria deteriorates, the rise is pushing folks additional into poverty.

“Holding the NNPC to account for alleged corruption and mismanagement within the oil sector would serve legit public pursuits.”

The swimsuit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, learn partly: “The rise in petrol value constitutes a basic breach of constitutional ensures and the nation’s worldwide human rights obligations.

“Corruption within the oil sector and the dearth of transparency and accountability in the usage of public funds to assist the operations of the NNPC have resulted in persistent and illegal hike in petrol costs.”

“Growing petrol costs at a time when tens of millions of Nigerians proceed to face worsening financial situations is totally inconsistent with constitutional and worldwide obligations to make sure the minimal residing situations suitable with human dignity.

“The arbitrary enhance has positioned a disproportionate burden on the marginalized and most weak sectors of society, notably these deprived by poverty.

“Persistent will increase in petrol costs hold folks in poverty which in flip perpetuates discriminatory attitudes and practices towards them.

“Part 13 of the Nigerian Structure imposes clear duty on the federal government to evolve to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the structure. Part 15(5) imposes the duty on the federal government to ‘abolish all corrupt practices’ together with within the NNPC.”

“Below Part 16(1) of the Structure, the federal government has a duty to ‘safe the utmost welfare, freedom and happiness of each citizen on the idea of social justice and equality of standing and alternative.’

“Part 16(2) additional supplies that, ‘the fabric assets of the nation are harnessed and distributed as finest as attainable to serve the widespread good.’

“Based on our data, the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm (NNPC) Restricted just lately elevated the value of premium motor spirit (PMS), also called petrol, throughout its shops.

“The worth of the product elevated to N855 per litre, from about N600, and in some situations above N900 per litre. The apparently illegal enhance in petrol value adopted a shortage attributable to the reported refusal by suppliers to import petroleum merchandise for the NNPCL over a $6 billion debt.

“The NNPC allegedly didn’t remit USD$2.04 billion and N164 billion of oil revenues into the general public treasury, as documented within the just lately printed 2020 annual report by the Auditor-Basic of the Federation.”

No date has been mounted for the listening to of the swimsuit.