African Democratic Congress (ADC) has kicked against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of a 15-percent import duty on petrol and diesel, saying that Tinubu administration’s approach to economic reform has remained insensitive to the suffering of the ordinary people.
The party, in a statement made available by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said increasing import duty on petrol, may further deepen the economic hardship for Nigerians already burdened by the astronomically high cost of living.
The party urged the President not to push the people to the wall, adding that while it supports private investments in the energy sector, policies meant to protect such investments must also protect the people and put their interests first.
The party also questioned the rationale behind imposing the levy under the guise of protecting domestic production, pointing out that the Port Harcourt refinery, cited as a key component of the government’s local refining strategy, collapsed just five months after a 1.5 billion dollar rehabilitation, resulting in a 366.2 billion naira loss.
ADC, which further warned that economic growth that condemns the majority to a life of hardship and misery is ultimately destructive, added that it’s “deeply concerned by the recent decision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to approve 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, 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.”
The party added that “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 has, therefore, firmly opposed “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.”
