Human rights lawyer Femi Falana says the “importation scam” around petrol must be investigated.

“It is high time the importation scam was investigated,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.

“I am not talking of the joke that is going on in the National Assembly. The media must help, civil society organisations must help to expose the fraud.”

There have been reports that a $6 billion debt the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) owes petrol suppliers has worsened petrol scarcity in Nigeria.

The NNPCL on Sunday finally admitted the company’s “significant debt to petrol suppliers”, saying it poses a threat to the sustainability of fuel supply.

The Human Lawyer who spoke on Channel Television stated: “Once the government begins to speak about affordability and sustainanbility in response to growing queues at filling stations, there are problems.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said “there is no full disclosure on the part of the government” on subsidy on petrol.

He said Nigeria can’t spend “$2.9bn to fix the refineries” yet the dates for the resumption of production at the refineries have been constantly being shifted.

Falana threatened to sue those responsible for the fixing of state-owned refineries should they announce another postponement.

Recently, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) said the landing cost per litre of petrol has made it impossible for petrol marketers to import the essential commodity just as being done by the NNPCL.

“Right now, the landing cost of PMS is over ₦1,200, without the margin of the marketers, transportation and other logistics,” said IPMAN National Operations Controller, Zarama Mustapha.

“NNPC sells to marketers at ₦565 or so. That means there is a subsidy of almost ₦600 to ₦700 as of now.

“Whether they (government officials) say there is subsidy or there is not subsidy, the fact on the ground clearly states that there is something they are under-recovering.”