The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against imposing further economic hardship on citizens following the approval of a 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel.
The opposition party said the new levy would deepen Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis and could push citizens to the brink of revolt.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC acknowledged the need to promote local refining but cautioned that such policies must not come at the expense of public welfare.
According to the party, introducing an additional fuel tax when Nigerians are already “suffocating” under economic reforms shows “insensitivity and poor judgment.”
Abdullahi warned that the policy could push petrol prices above ₦1,000 per litre, worsening conditions for families, transporters, farmers, and small businesses already struggling under the removal of fuel subsidies and the impact of currency devaluation.
“From all indications, this new levy is likely to push petrol prices beyond ₦1,000 per litre. If this happens, life will become unbearable for ordinary Nigerians,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC dismissed the government’s claim that the measure would protect local refining as “flawed,” noting that the Port Harcourt refinery’s collapse came barely five months after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation effort that still produced a ₦366.2 billion loss.
“The Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda appears to be a trial-and-error system at best, and a self-serving agenda at worst, with little regard for the ordinary people of Nigeria,” the party stated.
The ADC accused the government of worsening poverty through ill-timed fiscal decisions that prioritise experimental policies over citizens’ wellbeing. It noted that despite official claims of economic progress, food, rent, and transportation costs continue to soar.
“If the government proceeds with this tax attack, it will further deepen the suffering of Nigerians,” Abdullahi warned, calling for an immediate reversal of the decision.
The party described the policy as “ill-conceived and anti-people,” insisting that genuine economic growth must uplift, not punish, the populace.
“A government that cannot operate its refineries has no moral basis to tax those who sustain the energy market with their own effort,” the ADC added. “President Tinubu must realise that economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain.”
While reaffirming support for private-sector investment in oil and gas, the party urged that reforms be implemented gradually and backed by transparent investment in local refining and social welfare for vulnerable groups.
“If the goal is energy security, there must first be credible investment in refining capacity. Until then, taxing fuel imports — which still account for over 60 percent of supply — will only increase the burden on Nigerians,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC called on the Tinubu administration to adopt policies driven by empathy and foresight, not panic or pressure.
“Nigerians are tired of paying for government inefficiency,” the statement concluded. “It is time to lead with compassion and competence, not experiments that turn citizens into casualties.”
