Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has faulted the 48-hour ultimatum by the Department of State Services (DSS) to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil marketers to end the lingering fuel scarcity in the country over security threats.
DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunanya, on Thursday, at a press briefing stated that failure to make Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) available to Nigerians would prompt the services to activate its operations across the country.
The DSS said the challenge of fuel scarcity has assumed a dimension that is detrimental to the security of the country.
However, Falana who made a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday described the ultimatum as an empty threat.
He stressed that the NNPC has the responsibility of supplying petroleum products to all parts of Nigeria, adding that if the organisation failed to carry out its duty, the Federal Government was obliged to call the officials to order and possibly relieve them of their responsibilities.
He said the ultimatum will not work because there is no sanction for impunity in Nigeria.
Falana acknowledged the security concerns of the secret service, attributing the threat to economic sabotage.
According to him, the continued presence of long queues at filling stations could lead to “serious security problems.”
For weeks, vehicle owners especially in Lagos and Abuja have had a tough time getting petrol from filling stations.
Whilst many outlets are closed, the few ones that are open sell the indispensable commodity for as high as N250 per litre from the uniform price of N169/litre.
The situation has also worsened traffic on major roads as vehicle owners block at least one lane to join queues at filling stations.