AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS CONDEMNS TINUBU’S 15 PER CENT IMPORT DUTY ON FUEL, WARNS OF ECONOMIC WOES

The African Democratic Congress has strongly condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of a 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel, labeling the move as insensitive and a potential catalyst for worsening the economic hardship faced by Nigerians. In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party warned that the policy could drive the pump price of petrol beyond ₦1,000 per litre, exacerbating the struggles of families, transporters, farmers, and small business owners already burdened by subsidy removal and currency devaluation.

The ADC described the decision as reflective of the Tinubu administration’s trial-and-error approach to governance, accusing it of being out of touch with the realities of ordinary citizens. “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 emphasized that such measures should not come at the expense of citizens’ welfare.

The party also rejected the government’s justification that the levy aims to protect local production, pointing to the collapse of the Port Harcourt refinery just 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.

Urging an immediate reversal of the tax, the party cautioned that continued economic pressure could push citizens to the wall. It argued that 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. The statement concluded, “Economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain.”