-
ADC faults Federal Government for withdrawing proposed 15% fuel import duty after public backlash.
-
Party accuses Tinubu administration of policy confusion, citing repeated reversals in two years.
-
Warns tariff could have pushed petrol price above ₦1,000, worsening hardship for households and businesses.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Federal Government’s decision to scrap the proposed 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel, saying the reversal reflects a lack of critical thinking and proper policy analysis within President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the backtrack on the tariff was yet another example of a government “unsure, confused, and merely experimenting with governance.”
ATTENTION: Click “HERE” to join our WhatsApp group and receive News updates directly on your WhatsApp!
Abdullahi recalled that the ADC had, on October 31, warned that the tariff would worsen the suffering of Nigerians already battling rising living costs, a weakened currency, and the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
“While we welcome the decision of the government to reverse itself on the wrong-headed policy, we are concerned that this reversal is about the seventh occasion in two years where this government would announce a policy or decision and immediately reverse itself,” the statement said.
The party noted that the new levy would likely have pushed the pump price of petrol beyond ₦1,000 per litre, further deepening hardship for families, commuters, transporters, farmers, and small businesses “already struggling under the weight of subsidy removal without social protection and currency devaluation without safeguards.”
The ADC also questioned why the government considered taxing imported fuel when the country’s local refining capacity remains unsecured, stressing that the same concerns it raised were later cited by the government as reasons for its reversal.
According to the party, the administration’s repeated policy U-turns suggest a governance style driven by trial and error, instead of clear and strategic direction.
READ ALSO: ADC Accuses Tinubu of “Debt Addiction” After Fresh ₦1.15trn Borrowing Approval
The ADC further criticised what it described as conflicting explanations from various government agencies regarding the scrapped tariff. One agency reportedly claimed the tariff was suspended, while another insisted it had been abandoned outright — a situation the party said exposed a lack of coordination, clarity, and coherent leadership.
“This inconsistency portrays a government that is uncertain and working at cross purposes, to the detriment of citizens who deserve more coherent leadership,” Abdullahi said.
The party urged the Tinubu administration to adopt greater responsibility and careful judgment in policy formulation, and reaffirmed its commitment to defending Nigerians against decisions that could harm their welfare.
