The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to impose a 5% tax on all refined fuel sales, warning that the policy will further worsen the plight of struggling Nigerians.

In a statement released late Wednesday, Obi described the new levy as “insensitive,” noting that millions of citizens can hardly afford transportation costs under current economic realities.

 “When will Nigerians truly breathe? At a time when millions can barely survive, the government is imposing a 5% tax on petrol and diesel. This will only worsen hardship instead of easing it,” Obi wrote.

He argued that leadership should prioritise compassion and easing citizens’ suffering, not adding to their burdens. Obi also questioned why fresh taxes were necessary when the President had recently boasted that Nigeria had already met its revenue targets for the year.

The former Anambra governor further criticised the government’s failure to deliver on its promised alternative of compressed natural gas (CNG), pointing out that CNG prices had jumped from about ₦230 to ₦450, while subsidies on the product had “quietly vanished.”

 “If our revenues are truly excessive as claimed, they should be used to fund education, healthcare, and poverty reduction, not new taxes on citizens who can no longer breathe,” Obi added.

He urged the Federal Government to suspend the fuel tax until Nigerians begin to feel tangible improvements in their living conditions.