SDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has mocked President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of turning governance into a tax collection spree.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Adebayo fumed over Tinubu’s approval of a 15 per cent import duty on refined petroleum products, calling it “an anti-people decision.”
“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.
The former presidential hopeful slammed Tinubu for abandoning the ideals he once championed during his SDP days.
“It is an anti-people decision and a trend in the new Tinubu. 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. If you have twins and triplets in your house, Tinubu is going to think of twins tax or ‘multiple childbirth tax.’ He’s just thinking of how to collect more money. It’s wrong,” he stated.
Adebayo warned that the new tariff would worsen Nigeria’s economic woes and heap more suffering on ordinary citizens.
“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.
He accused Tinubu of mismanaging Nigeria’s oil sector while failing to revive the country’s refineries.
“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.
“For example, we gave you refineries to manage. You appointed yourself Minister of Petroleum. We spent billions on turnaround maintenance. You are not making the refineries work. You are the reason why we are importing now. Because you are importing, you went from ‘I’m not paying subsidy, we are net zero, nobody pays subsidy,’ you now want to surcharge me for your inefficiency. Am I the reason why refineries are not working?” he queried.
Adebayo urged Tinubu to focus on fixing Nigeria’s refineries rather than taxing citizens into submission.
“What he needs to do is to call Heineken Lokpobiri and Bayo Ojulari and say, ‘I want those refineries to work. I give you six months, and I want fuel importation reduced to zero,’” he said.
Tinubu recently approved a 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel, instructing the FIRS and the NMDPRA to begin implementation as part of a “market-responsive import framework.”
But experts warn the policy could send fuel prices soaring again, tightening the noose on Nigerians already gasping under the weight of inflation and rising costs.
