ADC Lambasts Tinubu Over 15% Fuel Import Duty, Warns Policy Will Deepen Hardship

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's approval of a 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel, describing it as 'insensitive and economically damaging to millions of Nigerians.'

Party's Opposition to the Policy

In a statement issued on Friday by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abubakar, the party said while it supports private investment in the energy sector, government policies must prioritise citizens' welfare rather than inflict additional hardship.

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  Tinubu had recently approved a 15 per cent ad valorem import duty on petrol and diesel imported from Nigeria.

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  The policy, according to government sources, aims to protect local refineries and stabilise the downstream oil sector.

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  However, the ADC warned that it would inevitably push up fuel prices, making life harder.

Concerns About Economic Impact

The party questioned the justification for the new levy, noting that the Port Harcourt refinery — central to the government's refining plan — collapsed into dysfunction after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation contract.

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  Abubakar described the fuel tax as 'insensitive and misguided,' warning that it could drive the pump price of petrol beyond ₦1,000 per litre.

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  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 is not just insensitive and misguided. It raises the question of whether the APC government ever considers the pain its policies continue to inflict on the people.

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  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 a failing Naira.

Call for Policy Reversal

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 adequate palliatives or a functioning local refinery.

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  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 in disregards the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.

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  The ADC rejected the import duty and called for its immediate withdrawal, arguing that the government's narrative of economic progress contrasted sharply with lived realities on the ground.

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  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 can run its own refineries has no moral authority to tax citizens for importing fuel the country cannot produce.

Investment in Local Refining Capacity

The party urged the Tinubu administration to invest transparently in local refining capacity before imposing any tax measures designed to discourage imports.

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  It added that with imported products still accounting for about 60 per cent of national fuel supply, such policies would only burden citizens further.

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  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.

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  If the goal is energy security through local 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.