𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝟏𝟓% 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐮𝐭𝐲, 𝐀𝐃𝐂 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐮

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to reverse the recently approved 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel, describing the policy as harsh and insensitive to the current economic realities faced by Nigerians.

In a statement released on Friday by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party condemned the decision, arguing that it would worsen the hardship of millions of citizens already struggling with the rising cost of living. The ADC maintained that any economic policy that inflicts pain on the populace under the guise of reform was counterproductive and unsustainable.

President Tinubu had earlier approved a 15 per cent ad valorem import duty on petroleum products as part of a “market-responsive tariff framework” designed to protect local refineries and stabilise the downstream sector. However, the policy has sparked backlash, with experts and marketers warning that it could push petrol prices above ₦1,000 per litre.

The ADC criticised the government’s justification for the levy, pointing to the failure of the Port Harcourt refinery just months after a $1.5 billion rehabilitation project. “A government that cannot run its own refineries has no moral right to tax those keeping the country running,” the statement read.

The party demanded the immediate withdrawal of the policy, urging the administration to focus instead on transparent investments that would boost domestic refining capacity. It warned that persisting with the fuel import duty would only deepen economic misery and further erode public confidence in the government’s reform agenda.