The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the recent hike in petrol prices, calling on him to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to reverse the increase.
SERAP insists that the reversal should remain in place until the Federal High Court in Abuja rules on the ongoing case challenging the NNPCL’s authority to raise fuel prices.
The organization criticized the price increase from N845 to approximately N1,100 per liter, describing it as “unjust, illegal, unconstitutional, and unreasonable.”
SERAP’s goal is for President Tinubu to halt the second petrol price hike within a month, pending the court’s decision, in order to protect the rights of Nigerians and ensure that any price adjustments are made in accordance with the law.
The group urged Tinubu to “direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to immediately reverse the second increase in petrol prices in one month, pending the hearing and determination of the suit before the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging the legality of the powers of the NNPCL to increase petrol prices.”
Last month, SERAP filed a lawsuit against the president and NNPCL, “over the failure to reverse the apparently unlawful increase in the pump price of petrol, and to probe allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the NNPCL.”
In an open letter dated October 12, 2024, signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization stated: “The latest increase in petrol prices makes a mockery of the case pending before the Federal High Court and creates a risk that the course of justice will be seriously impeded or prejudiced in this case.
“One of the fundamental principles of the rule of law is that it applies to everyone, including presidents and CEOs of public institutions.
“It is in the public interest to keep the streams of justice clear and pure, and to maintain the authority and integrity of the court in the case.
“Allowing the Federal High Court to hear and determine the case would be entirely consistent with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], your oath of office, and oft-repeated promises to uphold the rule of law.”
SERAP also emphasized that reversing the price increase would allow the court to make an impartial decision on the central issues and protect the rights of Nigerians.
