The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has condemned the federal government’s decision to impose a 15 per cent import duty on refined petroleum products.
Adebayo described the move as “an anti-people decision” and accused President Bola Tinubu of pushing excessive taxation policies.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Adebayo argued that the administration is prioritising revenue collection over citizens’ welfare.
According to him, “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,” he said.
Adebayo contended that the new import duty contradicts the principles Tinubu once promoted.
“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 said.
He warned that the tariff will ultimately fall on ordinary Nigerians, especially given current economic hardships.
“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,” Adebayo added.
