Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has questioned the benefits Nigerians have derived from the removal of fuel subsidy by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Falana raised the concerns while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he called on Nigerians to demand greater accountability from the Federal, state and local governments over the management of increased public revenues following the subsidy removal.
The senior lawyer argued that if government revenues had increased as a result of the policy, Nigerians should be able to see tangible improvements in infrastructure and other essential services.
He questioned why the additional funds could not be channelled into addressing the country’s infrastructure deficit, particularly the poor condition of roads across the country.
According to Falana, state governments had in the past undertaken road repairs and subsequently approached the Federal Government for refunds.
He said the current situation required citizens to demand explanations from all levels of government on how the increased revenue was being utilised.
“Where are they? We must begin to ask questions of the local government, the state government and the Nigerian government,” Falana said.
The lawyer warned against a return to what he described as the “era of the fuel subsidy scam,” insisting that Nigerians deserved transparency on the financial benefits supposedly accruing from the removal of the subsidy.
Falana argued that the government should provide clear information on the savings generated by the policy and demonstrate how such funds were being deployed to improve the lives of citizens.
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“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?” he asked.
He criticised calls for Nigerians to remain patient and wait for the benefits of the policy to materialise, stressing that many citizens were already struggling with the economic consequences of rising living costs.
“It’s a fallacy being told to wait and wait and wait. People are dying,” he said.
The comments come amid continued public debate over the impact of the fuel subsidy removal, which has significantly altered government revenues and increased the cost of petrol and transportation.
Since the policy was announced by Tinubu in May 2023, successive governments have defended it as necessary to reduce the financial burden of subsidising petrol and free up resources for development.
However, critics have continued to demand greater accountability over the increased revenues available to the government, particularly as Nigerians contend with rising living costs, transportation expenses and other economic pressures.
Falana’s comments therefore add to growing calls for governments at all levels to provide clearer accounts of public funds and demonstrate measurable improvements in infrastructure and social services.