Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate for the Labour Party has slammed President Bola Tinubu over the new 5% tax on all refined fuel sales.
Obi accused the Tinubu-led government of mandating Nigerians to pay so much for fuel and diesel when millions can hardly afford the cost of transportation.
In a post on X, the former Anambra State governor said the president boasts of meeting Nigeria’s revenue target yet focuses on imposing more burdens and hardships on citizens.
Obi’s post is titled, “When will Nigerians truly breathe?”, obviously taken from President Tinubu’s famous remark, “Let the poor breathe”.
Obi, however, said it is also unfortunate that, “Even the so-called alternative, CNG, has become unaffordable, rising from about N230 to N450, while the promised subsidies on the CNG have quietly vanished.”
He added, “If our revenues are truly ‘excessive’ as claimed, should they not first be used to fund education, healthcare and pulling Nigerians out of poverty? Why tax citizens who cannot even breathe anymore?
“This 5% fuel tax should wait until Nigerians begin to see tangible improvements in their lives from all the many promises from Mr. President.
Leadership is not about giving a burden, it is about reducing suffering, it is about care and compassion,” Obi wrote.
We have just started. Taxing the poor and the poorest to feed the Masters the supposed chiefs servants.
Very unfortunate that this type of President was rammed down the throat of Nigerians by INeC. May Gid deliver us
Truly unfortunate.