REQUEST TO STOP ALLOCATING OIL BLOCKS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATE BODIES

Our attention has been drawn to the decision of the Federal Government to revoke a number of oil blocks and marginal fields hitherto allocated to a few individuals as well as local and foreign corporate bodies by former military and civilian regimes in Nigeria.

While commending Your Excellency for the courageous decision we urge the Federal government to desist from renewing the remaining licenses of other oil block owners in the country. Having acquired the “entire property in and control or all minerals, mineral oils and natural gas in, under or upon any land in Nigeria or in, under or upon the territorial waters” and vested same in the Federal Government on behalf of the people of Nigeria pursuant to section 44(3) of the Constitution it is inequitable, illegal and unconstitutional to allocate the nation’s oil blocks to a few individuals and corporate bodies including multinational corporations.

Your Excellency may no doubt be aware that majority of the owners of the oil blocks belonging to the Nigerian people usually sub-lease them to offshore companies as they lack the fund and the technical expertise to develop the oil and gas industry. By merely collecting huge rents the oil block owners become stupendously rich while the federal, state and local governments depend on loans and bailout to pay salaries and carry out basic infrastructural development of the country. Thus, by allocating oil blocks to a few individuals and corporate bodies the Federal Government has violated Section 16(2) (c) of the Constitution which provides that “the economic system is not operated in such a manner as to permit the concentration of wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of few individuals or of a group.”

Furthermore, the allocation of oil blocks to a few individuals and corporate bodies by the Federal Government constitutes a gross violation of the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people to freedom from discrimination, equal right of access to public property and in the equal enjoyment of the common heritage of mankind as well as the right to social, economic and cultural development guaranteed by articles 2, 13, 22 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act. Therefore, pursuant to article 22 thereof which has imposed a duty on the Federal Government to freely dispose of the wealth and national resources of the nation in the exclusive interests of the Nigerian people we urge Your Excellency to desist from allocating oil and blocks to a select group of Nigerians and foreigners.

In view of the foregoing, we urge Your Excellency to restrict the allocation of oil blocks including marginal fields to the Federal Government and the governments of the 36 states of the Federation. This request is in line with section 16 (1) (b) of the Constitution which has mandated the Nigerian State to “control the national economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.”

TAKE NOTICE: that if the Federal Government refuses to accede to our request we shall be compelled to challenge the constitutional validity of allocating the oil blocks and other natural resources collectively owned by the Nigerian people but vested in the Federal Government to a few private individuals and corporate bodies.

Please accept the assurances of our highest esteem.

Yours sincerely,

FEMI FALANA, SAN, FCI Arb.

Him too get oil well? Nawao

pls do that sir...

So why has the country been mute while pdp led administration held sway in oil block sharing

This is so on point.

galadima77:
So why has the country been mute while pdp led administration held sway in oil block sharing

That was why we changed the government. Must we continue to do the same thing in the same old way and expect a different result?

Galadima, please be guided o

Later they say Nigeria is one. Check the list of oil blocks owners u will notice just 1 or 2% comes from the said area where the wells are located. Still this said area only constitute of same percentage of federal allocation and appointees and u want this ppl to vote u? How? They won't even like ur party

This Falana na better person sha.

Which one is APC's Falana again He is on point.

PDP just share all our oil blocks to their friends and family




God will punish those people sha

I honestly don't trust Falana again. He may be doing this with the ulterior motive of striking a deal with the oil well owners.

Alezy:
Later they say Nigeria is one. Check the list of oil blocks owners u will notice just 1 or 2% comes from the said area where the wells are located. Still this said area only constitute of same percentage of federal allocation and appointees and u want this ppl to vote u? How? They won't even like ur party

PDP Govt allocated oil blocks; yet the States voted for the Party. What are you on about?

Falana is only looking for bribes from the so called oil owners , the will soon contribute 50 million dollars for him to withdraw the case and we will all watch how this professional extortionist called Falana will quietly make a Volte face as usual...

truthfulparrot:
I honestly don't trust Falana again. He may be doing this with the ulterior motive of striking a deal with the oil well owners.

ofcourse that has been his modus operandi from day one , just like Keyamo, charly boy, Omojuwa , these people are career extortionist, how do you think Dino made all his money? Oil well owners will soon jointly contribute 50 million dollars to this clown and watch him change mouth

I support falana on this 100%

Dumb headline.
What does Falana has to do with APC?