By Peace Erewunmi

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has expressed concern over Nigeria’s increasing reliance on foreign partners to revive and manage the country’s refinery sector.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Falana reflected on ongoing efforts to restore functionality to Nigeria’s state-owned refineries and questioned why local expertise is not being utilized more extensively.

According to him, Nigeria possesses a large number of trained engineers and technical professionals capable of contributing to the rehabilitation and management of critical national infrastructure.

Falana argued that excessive dependence on foreign firms for strategic projects raises important questions about the country’s commitment to developing local capacity and technological expertise.

He noted that recent efforts to revive the nation’s refineries have involved partnerships with foreign investors and technical contractors, including companies from China and other countries.

The senior lawyer emphasized the need for policies that encourage knowledge transfer, local participation, and the strengthening of indigenous technical capabilities.

His comments have sparked renewed debate about Nigeria’s industrial development strategy and the role of local professionals in managing key sectors of the economy.

Supporters of greater local participation argue that empowering Nigerian engineers and institutions could help build long-term technical capacity, while others maintain that foreign partnerships may be necessary to accelerate complex rehabilitation projects.

As of the time of filing this report, government authorities continue efforts to restore refinery operations and improve domestic refining capacity as part of broader energy sector reforms.