Human rights activist, Femi Falana has advised the Federal Government to compel the Nigerian National Corporation (NNPC) to return unremitted money between 2010 and 2014 and another N94 trillion oil money held by oil operators.

The Lagos-based Lawyer disclosed that submission by the NNPC that there was no money to remit into the federation account next month amounted to blackmailing government into accepting deregulation of the downstream sector.

He made this known yesterday in Abuja at a lecture in honour of Prof Omotoye Olorode, said his firm has written to President Muhammadu Buhari about how government can recover the N94 trillion.

According to him, “recovering this money is the way to go.”

Falana said: “The Auditor-General of the Federation has revealed that between 2010 and 2014, $16 billion worth of crude oil was not accounted for by the NNPC. Also, the Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation Commission and NEITI have come out to say that the NNPC has failed to remit to the federation account, about $22 billion dividends paid by the NLNG.

“The NNPC has not, up to this moment, denied any of these serious allegations. So, if they say there is no money now, it is meant to blackmail Nigerians that the Corporation won’t remit money because it is paying for subsidy.

“Federal and state governments would then move to stop subsidy so they can have money to pay salaries, allowances and pension etc. But Nigerians must tell the government that there are alternative sources. We have written to the President about how government can recover N94 trillion. We are going to insist now that recovering this money is the way to go.”

In his presentation titled: ‘Labour and the quest for Nigeria’s development: Reflections and prognosis on the way forward’, Falana took a swipe at the President for dividing the country through his body language and lopsided appointments.

He also lambasted the labour movement for abandoning the traditions of the founding fathers such as Michael Imoudu, Nduka Eze, Wahab Goodluck, Hassan Sunmonu and Ali Chiroma generations.

Falana noted that the decline in Labour tradition started under Pascal Bafyau era, saying the movement had continually suffered a lack of clear-headed, unambiguous and principled stand on national development from Bafyau to Adam Oshiomhole down to Abdulwahed Omar and under Ayuba Wabba – President of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega, who chaired the lecture, said the labour movement had a crucial role to play in ensuring the emergence of a government that is built on social justice.

He said: “Labour had played that role in the de-colonisation process in this country. But since the era of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) Labour has been declining in opposing unfriendly policies that are affecting the Nigerian people.

“A new Nigeria is still possible and there is the need to find ways and means of energising the labour movement and ensure it is positioned to play its role within nation-building excellently.”