Ismaeel Aleem
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has fiercely condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of a 15% import duty on petrol and diesel, warning it will exacerbate economic hardship and “push Nigerians to the wall.”
In a press statement released on Friday, 31 October 2025, National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi branded the levy misguided, especially amid soaring living costs under the “Renewed Hope Agenda.”
He noted that the ADC supports private energy investments but insists policies must prioritise citizens.
Abdullahi questioned the duty’s rationale as protection for domestic refining, citing the Port Harcourt refinery’s collapse just five months after a $1.5 billion overhaul, incurring a ₦366.2 billion loss.
“A government that cannot run its own refineries has no business taxing those who keep the country running with their sweat and blood,” he declared.
The party warned the tax could drive petrol prices beyond ₦1,000 per litre, crippling families, farmers, transporters, and small businesses already reeling from subsidy removal and naira devaluation without safeguards.
“Tinubu’s approach is trial-and-error at best, cynical and self-serving at worst,” Abdullahi charged, decrying policies that price essentials like food, rent, and school fees out of reach.
The ADC demanded immediate reversal, urging transparent investment in local refining capacity—currently filling only 40% of demand—before penalising imports.
“Economic patriotism cannot be enforced through pain,” the statement read, calling for planning over panic.
As Nigerians grapple with inflation and fuel queues, the opposition’s rebuke highlights growing frustration with reforms perceived as elite-focused amid mass suffering.
