Falana Threatens Legal Action Against Foreign Contractors Over Delayed Refinery Repairs
Prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has announced plans to take legal action against foreign contractors responsible for repairing Nigeria’s non-operational oil refineries. Speaking on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, Falana criticized the ongoing delays and questioned the contractors’ performance.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has been grappling with energy challenges, relying heavily on imported refined petroleum products due to the dysfunction of its state-owned refineries. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) recently acknowledged the crisis in the energy sector, warning of potential difficulties in maintaining the supply of essential commodities.
Falana, however, dismissed the NNPCL’s claims, suggesting that the government might be using the situation as a pretext to hike the pump price of petrol. He urged Nigerians, particularly the media and civil society organizations, to expose the alleged corruption within the petroleum sector.
The contracts for repairing the refineries, awarded during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, have faced multiple delays, with operational start dates repeatedly pushed back. Falana revealed that his organization has enlisted engineers to assess the state of the repair contracts at the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna.
“The Buhari administration awarded billion for the two refineries in Port Harcourt and billion for Warri and Kaduna. We cannot allow foreign contractors to fail the country,” Falana stated. He added that if there is another delay in the commencement of refining operations, his organization will pursue legal action against the contractors.
Falana also questioned the NNPCL’s involvement in the refinery repairs, suggesting that their role in delaying the project raises further concerns. “It’s not the NNPCL’s job to fix the refineries. Why are they changing the dates?” he questioned.
