The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a 15 percent import duty on petrol and diesel, saying the move is ill-timed, insensitive, and likely to worsen the economic hardship already faced by Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Friday, October 31, by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said while it supports private investment in Nigeria’s energy sector, such policies must place citizens’ welfare above fiscal experiments.
The 15 percent ad-valorem import duty, approved by Tinubu through a directive dated October 21 and made public on October 30, was addressed to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The letter, signed by the President’s Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, followed a proposal from FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji.
Government officials said the tariff was part of a “market-responsive import framework” designed to protect local refineries and stabilise the downstream sector.
However, analysts have warned it will lead to higher pump prices for petrol and diesel.
Reacting, the ADC condemned the policy, noting that it defied economic logic, especially since the Port Harcourt refinery, which the government cited as a key pillar of its refining plan, had failed barely five months after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation that resulted in a ₦366.2 billion loss.
The statement read, “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 fuel tax is both insensitive and misguided.
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“It raises the question of whether the APC government ever considers the pain its policies continue to inflict on the people.”
The party warned that the levy could drive petrol prices beyond ₦1,000 per litre, worsening living conditions for households, traders, and small businesses already reeling from fuel subsidy removal, currency devaluation, and rising inflation.
“The party notes that the Tinubu administration’s approach to economic reform has remained insensitive to the suffering of ordinary Nigerians, warning that any economic growth that condemns the majority to hardship and misery is ultimately destructive,” the statement added.
“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 cannot run its own refineries has no moral right to tax those who keep the country running through their sweat and toil.”
The ADC further stressed that economic patriotism could not be achieved through policies that impose more pain on citizens.
“While reaffirming its support for private investment in energy, it insisted that the government must first ensure transparency and adequate local refining capacity before introducing any measures to curb fuel imports.
The statement concluded, “If the goal is energy security and domestic 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.”