HURIWA argues that Nigerians are politically hypnotised by Tinubu’s administration
Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has challenged Nigerians to wean off the wool of political hypnosis tied around their eyes by the president Bola Ahmed Tinubu government and speak out in clear condemnation of the government and the National Assembly made up of stooges of the executive for passing the anti-people petrol tax law which the government has postponed its enforcement pending the outcome of the January 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The Rights group averred that the reason for postponing the enforcement of the petrol tax law is to deceive Nigerians to cast their votes for the incumbent president after which Nigerians wouldn’t be able to retrieve their mandate once the hitherto hidden petrol tax law is enforced.
This government does not mean well for Nigerians. How can the minister of Finance now wants Nigerians to believe that the petrol tax can only be implemented when the economy stabilises? Nigerians should know that the petrol tax was sold to the Tinubu’s administration by the World Bank and IMF that make up the Brettonwood institutions and these are the same global financial institutions that would then roll out falsified reports to show that the economy of Nigeria has stabilised thereby offering the current administration the leeway to begin the enforcement of the petrol tax law which would further impoverished millions of poorest of the poor in Nigeria. This is government magic and a political hypnosis that are being manipulated to confuse Nigerians.
HURIWA recalled that news report stated that the Senator representing the FCT in the Senate, Senator Ireti Kingibe made the revelation when she was quoted as stating that “Nigerians Are Not Aware That A Tax Law Has Been Passed, Which Requires Everyone To Pay 25% Of All Their Earnings As Tax. The National Assembly Has Already Passed This Law But It’s Scared To Implement It Now; It Will Swing Into Action Immediately After The Election If Tinubu Wins”.
The Rights group claimed that as soon as the revelation of the secret petrol tax law was made by the opposition Senator, the Tinunu’s regime through the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, confirmed the revelation and asserted that the Federal Government will introduce fuel taxes when the economy stabilises and citizens’ incomes can accommodate the extra costs.
He disclosed this in an interview with ARISE News on the sidelines of the 2026 IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, explaining that the government would first consolidate its economic reforms, restore growth and improve household earnings.
Oyedele said imposing additional levies immediately after petrol subsidy removal would have worsened Nigerians’ hardship.
“You remove subsidy, you can’t immediately impose taxes. That would be insensitive. You push the people to the wall,” he said.
The minister noted that fuel taxes account for between 20 and 80 per cent of petroleum prices in some countries, while several African nations impose multiple levies on fuel products.
He said the proposed revenue would support infrastructure and help the country prepare for future disruptions in fuel supply.
“Not because we want to impose taxes, it will be because those amounts of taxes will be dedicated into road infrastructure, they’ll be dedicated into building our fuel reserve, that can help us moderate prices of fuel products, if anything happens,” he explained.
According to Oyedele, the arrangement could also allow the government to suspend the levies temporarily when necessary to cushion the effects of market shocks.
“This is what more than 50 countries around the world, they were reducing the taxes, but we had no taxes, there was nothing to reduce,” he added.
He assured Nigerians that the proposed taxes would not be introduced secretly, noting that the law requires an official order published in the Federal Government Gazette before they can take effect.
“There has to be an order published in the gazette by the finance minister, which means we can’t do it in secret,” he said.
Oyedele maintained that the taxes would only be introduced when economic conditions improved sufficiently and Nigerians could understand the reasons for the policy and its expected benefits.
Rejecting what it called political hypnosis of the current administration, the Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group HURIWA condemned the secret petrol tax law as another punishment from the same administration that distabilised the economy of over 130 million multidimensionally impoverished Nigerian households when it introduced the arbitrary and unilateral withdrawal of subsidy on petroleum products which unleashed multiplier effects on a massive scale just as the Rights group accused government of creating a spectacular costs of living crisus through the floating of the Naira thereby making the national currency the most worthless currwncy in the world and allowed shylock capitalists and monopolists to incessantly hike the pump price of fuel. Debunking the claim by President Tinubu that subsidy on petrol wouldn’t be restored so Nigeria does not return to ‘Egypt’, HURIWA reminded the federal government that the consequences of the mismanagement of the national economy by the administration shows that the situations of Nigerians are much more precarious than those of the pre-New Testament Israelis who left the oppressive tyranny of Pharaoh just as the Rights group stated that the policies of Pharaoh of the Biblical era were much humane than the heartless, reckless and unmitigated poor economic policies churned out by the President Tinubu’s administration since May 29th, 2023. “Mr. President, going back to the era of Pharaoh in Egypt is much better than our contemporary situations under your maladministration in 2026.”
The Rights group through the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko expressesed consternation that Nigerians have accepted to be hypnotised by the president Tinubu’s administration and have failed to fight to liberate themselves from the chains of economic enslavement.
HURIWA said it is the time now for Nigerians to condemn and reject any additional taxation by this administration which would inevitably ruin the lives of over 130 million multidimensionally impoverished Nigerian households.
“Nigerians should and must peacefully carry out streets protests to denounce the new tax law which has hastely been passed without any inputs by Nigerians by the Kangaroo National Assembly populated by puppets, bootlickers and stooges of the All progressives congress and president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We believe that only a population under political hypnosis wouldn’t make any rational efforts to fight for their precious lives that are threatened and endangered by the noxious economic maladministration by President Tinubu. Nigerians must detoxify themselves of this doldrums of political hypnosis hovering over our minds and destroying our capacity to reject bad governance of president Tinubu.”
Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,
National Coordinator,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) TUESDAY, 20TH, OCTOBER 2026.
