Peter Obi condemned President Tinubu’s newly imposed 5 percent fuel tax as ill-timed and burdensome, especially for struggling Nigerians who “can hardly even afford the cost of transportation,” accusing the government of prioritising revenue over basic welfare.
Labour Party figure and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, has sharply criticised the Federal Government’s introduction of a new 5 percent tax on all refined fossil fuel sales, including petrol and diesel. He expressed his dismay via a post on his official X handle late Wednesday.
Obi argued that the tax should have been deferred until Nigerians began to see tangible improvements from President Bola Tinubu’s numerous promises. He questioned the timing of the levy, stating: “Nigerians will pay a 5% tax when buying their everyday fuel or diesel at a time when millions can hardly even afford the cost of transportation.”
Highlighting continued economic hardship, he pointed out that even compressed natural gas (CNG)—purported to be an alternative—has doubled in price, rising from about ₦230 to ₦450, with promised subsidies quietly disappearing.
Obi further challenged the government’s revenue focus, asking: “If our revenues are truly ‘excessive’ as claimed, should they not first be used to fund education, healthcare, and pulling Nigerians out of poverty? Why tax citizens who cannot even breathe anymore?” For him, leadership “is not about giving a burden but reducing suffering, and about care and compassion.”