A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chille Igbawua, has faulted the Federal Government’s proposed 5% fuel surcharge, arguing that Nigerians are already grappling with the effects of subsidy removal.

Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme, on Thursday, Igbawua said the removal of fuel subsidy has placed enormous financial pressure on citizens, and introducing an extra surcharge would only worsen the hardship.

He stressed that instead of adding new levies, the government should be focused on easing the burden on ordinary Nigerians.

“So, an ADC government come 2027, as we believe, is going to introduce measures that will cushion the effect of the removal of the subsidy and then manage it,” he said.

Igbawua questioned the rationale behind taxing citizens further when the subsidy has already been removed.

“Countries that are taking this pump tax are taking it because they’re paying subsidies. Now, if you’re not paying subsidies, why do you go back and tax again? Because you’ve already removed the subsidy. So, what’s the benefit of being a citizen in an oil-producing economy?” he asked.

President Bola Tinubu had, during his inauguration in May 2023, scrapped fuel subsidies, insisting the country could no longer sustain them. He promised that funds saved from subsidy payments would be redirected into infrastructure and development projects.

However, the removal saw petrol prices soar from below N200 per litre to nearly N1,000 in some parts of the country. Two years later, Igbawua accused the government of failing to transparently account for the funds saved and mismanaging the transition.

According to him, introducing a new surcharge without providing visible relief measures only deepens citizens’ frustration in a country that should be benefitting more from its oil wealth.