Obidient Movement Warn FG Against 5% Fuel Surcharge, Say Policy Will Worsen Poverty
The Obidient Movement has strongly cautioned the Federal Government against introducing a proposed 5 percent surcharge on fuel, warning that the policy would deepen poverty among Nigerians already grappling with severe economic hardship.
PulseNets learnt that the concern followed an announcement by the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, who disclosed that the levy was part of President Bola Tinubu’s tax reform agenda aimed at improving road infrastructure and reducing logistics costs.
In a statement obtained by PulseNets on Monday and signed by its National Coordinator, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the group described the move as “a policy with noble intentions but destined to bring misery.”
Tanko, who spoke to PulseNets, recalled that successive governments have often promised that new levies would transform infrastructure but have consistently failed to deliver.
“For decades, Nigerians have been fed the same recycled promises that fresh levies will ‘fix our roads,’ ‘power our hospitals,’ and ‘transform our economy.’ What we see instead is trillions disappearing into the pockets of corrupt elites while highways crumble, transport costs soar, and citizens are driven deeper into poverty,” Tanko told PulseNets.
The movement emphasized that fuel is not a luxury in Nigeria but a daily necessity, warning that the surcharge would effectively punish the poor and vulnerable.
Tanko further urged the Federal Government to broaden the tax base, impose progressive taxation on luxury consumption, and drastically cut wasteful government expenditure rather than targeting ordinary Nigerians.
“No new fuel taxes should be imposed until there are credible and transparent mechanisms for accountability, anti-corruption safeguards, and genuine relief for suffering citizens. Nigerians want good roads, reliable infrastructure, and a strong economy, but these goals cannot and must not be pursued on the backs of already impoverished people,” the statement added.
According to PulseNets findings, the group categorically rejected the proposed levy, insisting that the 5 percent fuel surcharge amounts to “another instrument of oppression against the people” if transparency, equity, and fairness do not guide fiscal reforms.
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Fuel pricing has historically been a politically sensitive issue in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer but also one of the biggest importers of refined petroleum products. With fuel costs already straining households and businesses, the Obidient Movement maintains that the latest surcharge would only widen economic inequality.
