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15% fuel import tariff will worsen hardship – Tinubu told
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Delta State, Chief Ayiri Emami, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s approval of a 15 per cent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel, warning that the move will worsen the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
Emami raised the concerns at a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service, which initiated the proposal and secured the President’s approval, said the new tariff was designed to protect domestic refineries, stabilise the downstream oil sector, and strengthen local refining capacity.
FIRS Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, explained that the initiative was part of ongoing reforms to “operationalise crude transactions in local currency, strengthen local refining capacity, and ensure a stable, affordable supply of petroleum products across Nigeria.”
But Emami, who is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of A & E Group, an oil, construction and haulage company, disagreed.
Speaking with journalists, he lamented that the policy would “hurt the masses, not marketers.”
The APC stalwart also urged the President to suspend it until the government provides more relief to Nigerians.
“Anybody advising Mr President to impose a 15 per cent tax on petroleum right now is not doing him any good. This kind of policy will not hurt marketers — it will hurt ordinary Nigerians.
“Whatever tax you put on petroleum goes straight back to the people on the streets. Nigerians are already hungry and struggling,” he said.
Emami also warned that the cost of fuel has already crippled daily livelihoods, particularly among rural and riverine communities dependent on fishing and transport.
He said, When you buy fuel, it determines whether you can even go out to fish. It’s not that the fish are gone — it’s that we can’t afford to reach them anymore.
“For me, that 15 per cent should be kept aside until the government provides more relief to Nigerians. Even after removing the fuel subsidy, we haven’t seen much positive reflection. Things are still hard. So why add another burden?”
The oil mogul also expressed fear that certain persons must have been misleading the President.
“Some people don’t care about Mr President or what he’s going through — they just want to create more problems. Those are my honest opinions on the matter,” he added.
PUNCH Online reported that Tinubu’s approval of the new tariff was conveyed in an October 21, 2025, letter to the FIRS and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, directing immediate enforcement.
According to official projections, the 15 per cent import duty could increase the landing cost of petrol by about ₦99.72 per litre — nudging pump prices in Lagos to around ₦964.72 per litre, though still below regional averages.
The policy, government sources say, is part of efforts to encourage the Dangote Refinery and modular plants in Edo, Rivers, and Imo states to scale up production and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on fuel imports, which still account for roughly 67 per cent of national demand.
However, industry experts warn that without corresponding relief measures, the new duty could further squeeze households already battling the effects of fuel subsidy removal and inflation.
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Breaking: Nigerian Workers Demand N300,000 Minimum Wage, FG Faces Fresh Salary Pressure
The Federal Workers Forum, FWF, has demanded an immediate increase in the federal minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000, noting that the current salary structure can no longer sustain civil servants amid Nigeria’s rising cost of living.
The Forum made the demand in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly, with the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of Nigeria and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed among the recipients.
The workers also proposed a new salary structure that would place the highest-paid Level 17 officer on a monthly salary of N1.5 million, while Level 1 Step 1 workers would earn N300,000.
“We call for justice and immediate wage review now, adjust the federal minimum wage to N300,000 and a maximum wage of N1.5m for the Level 17 officers,” the Forum said.
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The FWF argued that the Federal Government had not fully implemented the 2024 minimum wage agreement, claiming that federal workers had yet to receive the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances.
“It will surprise you to hear that the Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage,” it said.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in August 2026, demanded an upward review of the minimum wage to N500,000.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu’s government increased the minimum wage to N70,000 per month from N30,000.
However, the cost of living for many Nigerians has tripled between 2024 and 2026.
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The Federal Government has said Nigeria will never support a military coup or any unconstitutional change of government, following claims that the country backed a failed coup attempt in the Niger Republic.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the statement, the claims circulating on social media are baseless and misleading.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria remained committed to democracy, constitutional rule and political stability in West Africa and would not support any attempt to remove a government through unconstitutional means.
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“Nigeria will never support illegality or unconstitutional change of government anywhere, no matter who is involved or which country is concerned,” he said.
The minister also rejected claims that Nigeria, through its membership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), supported or endorsed the military takeover in Niger.
He said the Federal Government had already stated its position on the situation in Niger in an earlier statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 30, 2026.
According to him, Nigeria remains deeply concerned about developments in Niger and wants the country to return peacefully to stability and constitutional order.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria’s close historical, cultural and fraternal ties with Niger made peace and stability in the neighbouring country particularly important.
“Nigerians at home and abroad should disregard the videos and narratives circulating online, they are intended to create confusion and tarnish Nigeria’s image,” the statement said.
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