Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has called on the Federal Government to stop issuing oil bloc licences to individuals, urging instead that such assets be allocated to state and local governments to enhance governance and economic stability.
Falana made the call on Thursday while delivering a lecture at the fifth Comrade Yinka Odumakin Memorial event held in Ikeja, Lagos, where he spoke on the theme, “Can Nigeria’s Democracy Work Without Restructuring?”
He criticised the current system of oil bloc allocation, alleging that it has contributed to the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few individuals rather than promoting broader national development.
According to him, many beneficiaries of oil blocs have amassed significant wealth not necessarily through productivity, but through privileged access to national resources.
Falana argued that transferring ownership of such licences to sub-national governments would enable them to better meet their obligations, particularly the payment of workers’ salaries and the provision of basic services.
He further expressed concern that some licence holders merely trade oil bloc rights to foreign investors without making tangible contributions to the sector, thereby reaping enormous profits with minimal input.
The senior advocate also faulted state governments for what he described as a lack of commitment to resource control, accusing them of preferring to privatise public assets instead of managing them for collective benefit.
He recalled raising similar concerns in the past when several states struggled to meet salary obligations, questioning the rationale behind allocating oil blocs to private individuals instead of government tiers.
Falana also warned against the extension of such practices to the solid minerals sector, noting that individuals already holding oil blocs are being granted mining licences, a development he said is worsening environmental degradation in many communities.
He maintained that a restructuring of resource control and allocation remains critical to ensuring equitable development and strengthening Nigeria’s democratic framework.
