Prince Adewole Adebayo has condemned the federal government’s plan to impose a 15% import duty on refined fuel.
He said the policy is insensitive and will worsen Nigerians’ economic hardship.
Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has criticized the federal government’s plan to introduce a 15% import duty on refined petroleum products. He described the move as insensitive and harmful to Nigerians already struggling under harsh economic conditions.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Adebayo said President Bola Tinubu’s administration appears more focused on revenue generation than the welfare of citizens. He noted that such policies only worsen the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians rather than provide relief.
According to him, the government’s decision to tax refined petroleum products will directly affect fuel prices, as importers will pass the additional cost on to consumers. He explained that Nigerians are already paying high prices for fuel, transportation, and food, and that introducing another charge will make life even harder.
Adebayo, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the SDP, argued that the new economic direction contradicts the values President Tinubu once stood for during the Hope ’93 movement led by the late Chief MKO Abiola. He said Tinubu, who was once associated with policies centered on hope and empowerment, now seems more interested in collecting taxes than improving public welfare.
He also accused the government of viewing citizens as customers instead of partners in development. Adebayo said the increasing wave of taxes and levies reflects a disconnect between leadership and the realities faced by ordinary people.
The politician urged the federal government to reconsider the policy and focus on measures that would stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and support local production. He advised that instead of overburdening the population with taxes, the administration should cut wasteful spending and improve accountability in public finance management.
Adebayo maintained that true leadership should ease the people’s suffering, not multiply it through policies that make survival more difficult.
