Obidient Movement Rejects Proposed 5% Fuel Surcharge, Warns of Deeper Hardship for Nigerians

The Obidient Movement has cautioned the Federal Government against introducing a proposed five per cent fuel surcharge, warning that the policy would worsen the suffering of Nigerians already burdened by economic hardship.

The warning followed a disclosure by Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, who explained that the surcharge is part of President Bola Tinubu’s tax reform agenda, designed to boost road infrastructure and reduce logistics costs.

In a statement on Tuesday, signed by National Coordinator Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the group described the policy as “a noble idea destined to produce misery.”

Tanko argued that successive governments have made similar promises about new levies transforming infrastructure, yet Nigerians have little to show for them.

“For decades, Nigerians have been told that new levies would fix our roads, power our hospitals, and transform the economy. Instead, trillions have disappeared into the pockets of corrupt elites while our highways decay, transport costs rise, and ordinary citizens sink deeper into poverty,” the statement said.

The group stressed that fuel is an essential commodity in Nigeria, not a luxury, and that any additional tax would disproportionately hurt the poor.

Instead of imposing fresh levies, the Obidient Movement urged the government to broaden the tax base, enforce progressive taxes on luxury items, and cut wasteful spending.

“No new fuel tax should be introduced without credible accountability systems, anti-corruption safeguards, and real relief for suffering citizens,” the group declared, insisting that the proposed surcharge would only serve as another tool of oppression.

Fuel policy remains highly sensitive in Nigeria, where the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023 under Tinubu’s administration triggered sharp increases in pump prices, transportation costs, and food inflation.

Critics argue that adding a new surcharge would worsen the cost-of-living crisis, while the government maintains that its reforms—including subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and tax harmonisation—are essential to stabilising the economy.

The proposed surcharge comes at a time of mounting public frustration over inflation, unemployment, and insecurity.