The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against imposing further economic hardship on Nigerians following his approval of a 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel.
The opposition party said the new levy would worsen the already unbearable cost-of-living crisis and could push Nigerians to the brink of revolt.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC acknowledged the need to promote local refining but insisted that such economic policies must not come at the expense of citizens’ welfare.
“Introducing a fresh levy on imported fuel at a time when Nigerians are suffocating under the weight of the government’s economic reforms reflects insensitivity and poor judgment,” Abdullahi stated.
The party warned that the policy could push petrol prices above ₦1,000 per litre, with dire consequences for families, transporters, farmers, and small business owners struggling under subsidy removal, currency devaluation, and stagnant wages.
“If this happens, life would become even more unbearable for families, commuters, transporters, farmers, and small businesses already struggling under the weight of subsidy removal without social protection and devaluation without safeguards,” he added.
The ADC dismissed the federal government’s justification that the tax would protect local production as “flawed and deceptive,” citing the recent collapse of the Port Harcourt Refinery barely five months after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation that led to a ₦366.2 billion loss.
“What has become clear to us 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 ordinary Nigerians,” the statement read.
According to the ADC, the administration is deepening poverty through poorly timed policies that prioritize fiscal experiments over citizens’ wellbeing.
“While government officials continue to boast of economic progress, food, rent, transport, and even school fees have gone beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians,” Abdullahi lamented.
The party described the new duty as “ill-conceived and anti-people” and demanded its immediate reversal, insisting that economic growth built on citizens’ suffering is “neither sustainable nor moral.”
“A government that cannot run its own refineries has no business taxing those who keep the country running with their sweat and blood,” Abdullahi said. “President Tinubu must understand that economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain.”
While reiterating support for private investment in the oil and gas sector, the ADC urged that energy reforms be implemented gradually and transparently, with real investment in local refining and social protection for vulnerable groups.
“If the goal is energy security, let there first be transparent investment in local capacity,” the statement added. “Until then, any tax imposed to discourage imports will only make people pay more for imported fuel, which still accounts for 60% of national supply.”
The ADC concluded by urging the Tinubu administration to govern with empathy, not experiments, warning that Nigerians are “tired of paying for the government’s inefficiency.”
“It is time to govern with compassion and competence, not panic-driven policies that turn citizens into casualties,” the party declared.
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