By Abiola Olawale
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has slammed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, condemning the recently approved 15% import duty on petrol and diesel.
This is as ADC warned that the new fuel tax is a cruel and insensitive policy that will “push Nigerians to the wall.”
The opposition party, in a strongly worded statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, cautioned the government against policies that prioritize revenue generation and investor protection at the expense of the already impoverished masses.
Abdullahi stated that the introduction of the 15% import duty is a step backward, coming at a time when citizens are still struggling to cope with the economic fallout from the earlier removal of the fuel subsidy
ADC noted that the Tinubu administration’s approach to economic reform has remained insensitive to the suffering of the ordinary people, warning that economic growth that condemns the majority to a life of hardship and misery is ultimately destructive
The party said: “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, and makes one wonder if the APC government ever considers the pains that its policies have continued to inflict on the people.
“From all indications, this new levy is likely to push the pump price of petrol beyond N1,000 per litre. If this happens, life would become even more unbearable for families, commuters, transporters, farmers, and small businesses already struggling under the weight 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 has no consideration for the ordinary people of Nigeria.
“While the government continues to push the narrative of economic progress, food, rent, and transport—not to talk of school fees—continue to be priced out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians. If the government continues with this latest tax attack, it would further compound the people’s suffering.
“The ADC therefore firmly opposes this ill-conceived import duty and warns the government not to push the people to the wall. We demand that it be reversed immediately. Nigerians deserve a government that plans, not one that panics. A government that cannot run its own refineries has no business taxing those who keep the country running with their sweat and blood.”
“President Tinubu must understand that economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain. While we support private investments in the energy sector, we oppose any policy that could inflict more pain on Nigerians. If the goal is energy security and domestic refining, let there first be transparent investment in local capacity. Until then, any tax imposed to discourage import will only lead to people paying more for imported fuel, which still stands at 60% of supply—a gap that cannot be substituted overnight,” the opposition party added.
