31/10/2025
Adewole Adebayo Slams Tinubu Over New 15% Fuel Import Duty |
Lagos, Nigeria — The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has fiercely condemned the federal government’s decision to introduce a 15% import duty on refined petroleum products.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Adebayo described the move as “an anti-people decision,” accusing President Bola Tinubu of prioritizing taxation over citizens’ 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 argued that Tinubu’s recent policies contradict the values he once upheld during his SDP days under the late MKO Abiola’s Hope 93 movement. “Tinubu has practically changed to the side of the money people. They see citizens as customers. If you have twins or triplets, Tinubu might soon introduce a ‘multiple childbirth tax,’” Adebayo quipped.
According to Adebayo, the new tariff will worsen the cost of living as it will eventually be paid by ordinary Nigerians at filling stations. “If you put 15 per cent tariffs on imported petrol, who is going to pay for it? The citizens,” he warned.
He urged the government to reconsider the policy, stressing that it would only deepen the suffering of Nigerians already battling inflation and high fuel prices.
