Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called on the Attorney-General to urgently take legal steps to recover over $120.5 billion and N66.4 billion owed to the federal government by NNPC and international oil companies.
In a formal letter, Falana argued that these funds, which include unpaid taxes, royalties, and under-remitted revenues, have been illegally withheld for years, starving the nation of resources needed for development.
He cited various audit reports and legal precedents to back his claim. Falana’s demand comes at a time when Nigerians are grappling with severe economic hardship, inflation, and a weakened naira.
The government’s inability to hold oil firms accountable has long been a sore point. While the administration talks about economic diversification, critics say the failure to recover these funds exposes a lack of political will.
If pursued, the recovery could provide a massive fiscal buffer to alleviate poverty and fund critical infrastructure.
