Mr Femi Falana

By Uzair Adam

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have issued warnings that the recent increase in petrol prices by the Federal Government is pushing many Nigerians to a breaking point.

This comes as prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, calls on the government to complete the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries by September 2024 or take legal action against contractors for failing to meet project deadlines.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) also urged President Bola Tinubu to order the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to reverse the price hike, labeling it as “illegal and unconstitutional.”

While the NLC advocated for public resistance to the fuel price increase, Atiku highlighted that the government’s plans to raise Value Added Tax (VAT) would further worsen the economic strain on citizens.

NLC President Joel Ajaero, represented by Prince Adewale Adeyanju at a Labour Writers Association of Nigeria workshop, decried the combination of fuel price hikes, naira devaluation, and rising electricity tariffs as policies that have deepened the struggles of ordinary Nigerians.

Atiku also voiced concerns that the VAT increase, following the petrol price surge, would severely impact the country’s already fragile economy and the livelihoods of Nigerians, compounding the existing cost-of-living crisis.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

President Muhammadu Buhari has been chastised for pardoning two former governors who were imprisoned for corruption.

Recall that on Thursday, the Council of State granted 159 convicts presidential pardons, according to reports.

Former governors of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, and Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, imprisoned for stealing N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion, respectively, were among the released convicts.

However, speaking at the 1st anniversary of late Afenifere’s spokesman, Yinka Odumakin’s Lecture and Book Presentation, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), a human rights campaigner, encouraged the Federal Government to extend the presidential pardon to individuals serving sentences for minor offences. Falana argued that this would reflect fairness and equity for all.

“All petty thieves in our prisons should be released. Under Section 17 of the 1999 Constitution, there shall be equality and equal rights for all citizens.

“Section 42 of the Constitution says there shall be no discrimination on the basis of class and gender, so you cannot take out a few people on the basis that they belong to a category or section of the society.

“I can assure you that if the government did not release others, I am going to call on lawyers whose clients are left in custody to come to court and challenge the discriminatory treatment of their clients,” Mr Falana was partly quoted as saying.