Tinubu had recently approved a 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel imported into Nigeria.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of a 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel, describing the decision as insensitive and economically damaging to millions of Nigerians already grappling with rising living costs.
In a statement issued on Friday by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said while it supports private investment in the energy sector, government policies must prioritise citizens’ welfare rather than inflict additional hardship.
Tinubu had recently approved a 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel imported into Nigeria.
The policy, according to government sources, aims to protect local refineries and stabilise the downstream oil sector.
However, the ADC warned that it would inevitably push pump prices higher.
The party questioned the justification for the new levy, noting that the Port Harcourt refinery — central to the government’s refining plan — collapsed barely five months after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation, resulting in a ₦366.2 billion loss.
Abdullahi described the fuel tax as “insensitive and misguided,” warning that it could drive the pump price of petrol beyond ₦1000 per litre.
“The African Democratic Congress is deeply concerned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent approval of a 15% import duty on petrol and diesel. Coming at a time when Nigerians are already suffocating under the weight of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, this fuel tax is both insensitive and misguided. It raises the question of whether the APC government ever considers the pain its policies continue to inflict on the people.”
He said such an increase would make life unbearable for families, commuters, farmers, and small businesses still struggling under the effects of subsidy removal and currency devaluation.
“From all indications, this new levy is likely to push the pump price of petrol beyond ₦1,000 per litre. If this happens, life will become even more unbearable for families, commuters, transporters, farmers, and small businesses already struggling under the burden of fuel subsidy removal without social protection and currency devaluation without safeguards.”
“What has become clear is that the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda is, at best, a trial-and-error system and, at worst, a cynical, self-serving agenda that disregards the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
“What has become clear is that the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda is, at best, a trial-and-error system and, at worst, a cynical, self-serving agenda that disregards the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.”
The ADC rejected the import duty and called for its immediate withdrawal, arguing that the government’s narrative of economic progress contrasts sharply with the realities of rising food, transport, rent, and education costs.
“The ADC, therefore, firmly opposes this ill-conceived import duty and warns the government not to push Nigerians to the wall. We demand its immediate reversal. Nigerians deserve a government that plans, not one that panics. A government that cannot run its own refineries has no moral right to tax those who keep the country running through their sweat and toil.
The party urged the Tinubu administration to invest transparently in local refining capacity before imposing any tax measures designed to discourage fuel imports.
It added that with imported products still accounting for about 60 per cent of national fuel supply, such policies would only burden citizens further.
“President Tinubu must understand that economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain. While the ADC supports private investment in the energy sector, it rejects any policy that inflicts additional hardship on citizens.
“If the goal is energy security and domestic refining, there must first be transparent investment in local capacity. Until then, any tax imposed to discourage imports will only force Nigerians to pay more for imported fuel, which still accounts for about 60% of the national supply, a gap that cannot be bridged overnight,” Abdullahi added.
