The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of a 15 percent import duty on petrol and diesel, describing the policy as “insensitive, misguided, and damaging to the people’s welfare.”
In a statement on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the move would worsen the economic hardship already faced by millions of Nigerians.
> “This fuel tax is both insensitive and misguided. One begins to wonder if the APC government ever considers the pain its policies continue to inflict on citizens,” the statement read.
The ADC said while it supports private sector participation in the energy industry, such policies must prioritize public welfare, not just investor protection.
The party questioned the government’s rationale for the levy, pointing out that the Port Harcourt Refinery, which was rehabilitated at a cost of $1.5 billion, collapsed just five months after completion — resulting in a ₦366.2 billion loss.
According to the ADC, the new duty could push petrol prices beyond ₦1,000 per litre, further worsening inflation and crippling small businesses, transporters, and farmers already struggling from subsidy removal and naira depreciation
“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 project with no concern for ordinary Nigerians,” the statement added.
The party warned that the government’s economic policies were “condemning the majority to a life of hardship and misery,” urging Tinubu to immediately reverse the tax.
“A government that cannot run its own refineries has no business taxing those who keep the nation running with their sweat and blood. Economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain,” the ADC stated.
The party further called on the federal government to focus on reviving local refineries and ensuring energy security before introducing new levies that make imported fuel unaffordable for citizens.
“Nigerians deserve a government that plans — not one that panics,” the ADC concluded.
