The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a 15 per cent import duty on refined petroleum products, describing it as an exploitative and anti-people policy.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Adebayo accused the president of overburdening Nigerians with taxes, saying his administration was more interested in revenue collection than public welfare.
“President Tinubu is a clever tax collector. He wants to collect taxes from you for everything, including the oxygen tax very soon. If you’re not careful, yes, the air we breathe. Just give him time; he’s going to get there,” Adebayo said.
He described the newly approved import duty as unjust and inconsistent with the ideals Tinubu once espoused.
“It is an anti-people decision and a trend in the new Tinubu,” he said.
“Tinubu that used to be in SDP, following Abiola everywhere doing Hope 93, has practically changed to the side of the money people. They see you as a customer, not a citizen.”
Adebayo argued that the policy would worsen the hardship of Nigerians already grappling with rising living costs.
“If you put 15 per cent tariffs on imported petrol, who is going to pay for it? It’s going to be paid by the person who buys the petrol at the filling station,” he said.
The SDP flagbearer faulted the federal government’s continued reliance on imported fuel, blaming it for failing to rehabilitate the nation’s refineries despite repeated investments.
“You are the reason why we cannot meet our domestic consumption. The president is the Minister of Petroleum. What kind of chaotic system is this?” he asked.
He urged President Tinubu to prioritise refinery repairs instead of introducing new taxes. “Call Heineken Lokpobiri and Bayo Ojulari and say, ‘I want those refineries to work in six months.’ Reduce importation to zero,” he advised.
Although the federal government has defended the new tariff, saying it is meant to protect local refineries and stabilise the downstream sector, Adebayo believes the president should focus on fixing refineries rather than imposing more taxes.
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