The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of a 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel, describing the move as “insensitive” and capable of worsening the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
The opposition party warned that the policy could push the pump price of petrol beyond ₦1,000 per litre, thereby deepening the struggles of families, transporters, farmers, and small business owners already reeling from subsidy removal and currency devaluation.
In a statement on Thursday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the decision reflected the Tinubu administration’s “trial-and-error” approach to governance, accusing it of being disconnected from the realities of ordinary Nigerians.
“This fuel tax is both insensitive and misguided and makes one wonder if the APC government ever considers the pains that its policies continue to inflict on the people,” the statement read.
While acknowledging the need to encourage private investment in the energy sector, the party said such measures must not come at the expense of citizens’ welfare.
It also faulted the government’s justification of the levy as a step to protect local production, citing the collapse of the Port Harcourt refinery barely five months after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation effort, which it said resulted in a ₦366.2 billion loss.
“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,” the ADC added.
The party urged the President to reverse the tax immediately, warning that continued economic pressure could push citizens “to the wall.”
According to the ADC, if the administration’s goal is energy security and local refining, it should first invest transparently in domestic capacity rather than impose levies that increase the burden on the people.
“Economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain,” the statement concluded.
Ends
