The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has criticized President Bola Tinubu for approving a 15 per cent import duty on refined petroleum products, describing the decision as anti-people.

Adebayo, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, accused the president of imposing excessive taxes on Nigerians.

“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 said the import duty was unfair and went against the ideals Tinubu once stood for.

“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.

Adebayo warned that the new tariff would increase the suffering of Nigerians already battling economic hardship.

“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 blamed the government for failing to fix Nigeria’s refineries and criticized the president for prioritizing taxes over production.

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 the president to focus on reviving local refineries instead of burdening Nigerians with more taxes.

“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.” (Nigerian Tribune)