A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited for what he described as its growing dependence on the Dangote Refinery.

Speaking during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television on Thursday, Falana questioned how funds previously spent on the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s public refineries were utilised.

The human rights lawyer made the remarks while discussing the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and its possible impact on Nigeria’s economy.

Falana expressed concern that the national oil company now appears to rely largely on the Dangote Refinery for fuel supply.

“The NNPC now solely relies on Dangote Refinery. Is this how to run a country? After pouring money down the drain, about $2.9bn was spent on maintaining our four refineries,” he said.

He added that there had been little public discussion about the outcome of the huge investment made in the government-owned refineries.

“Nobody is talking about that. Now it’s all about Dangote. How much crude oil are we giving to Dangote?” Falana asked.

The remarks come amid growing tension in the Middle East, a region that plays a major role in global fuel supply, raising concerns about potential effects on energy markets worldwide.