Obidient Movement Rejects 5% Fuel Surcharge, Calls It Tool of Oppression

The Federal Government’s suggested five percent fuel surcharge has drawn criticism from the Obidient Movement, which argues that it will worsen the economic hardship faced by Nigerians.

The warning comes after the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, announced that the levy is part of Tinubu’s tax reform agenda aimed at improving road infrastructure and reducing logistics costs.

Speaking via a statement on Tuesday signed by its National Coordinator, Yunusa Tanko, the group applauded the policy, but argued that it was destined for misery.

Tanko said successive governments had repeatedly promised that new levies would transform infrastructure, yet little had been delivered.

“For decades, Nigerians have been fed the same promises: new levies will ‘fix our roads,’ ‘power our hospitals,’ and ‘transform our economy.’ Instead, trillions vanish into the pockets of corrupt elites while our highways crumble, transport costs skyrocket, and ordinary Nigerians are pushed deeper into poverty,” the statement read.

Stressing that fuelling is not a luxury in Nigeria, Tanko warned that the move would punish the poor and vulnerable.

He urged the government instead to expand the tax base, impose progressive taxes on luxury consumption, and cut wasteful spending.

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“The Obidient Movement insists that no new fuel taxes should be imposed until there are credible, transparent mechanisms to ensure accountability, anti-corruption safeguards, and real relief for suffering citizens.

“We want good roads, reliable infrastructure, and a strong economy. But these goals cannot and must not be pursued on the backs of already impoverished Nigerians. Until transparency, equity, and fairness guide our fiscal policies, we reject this 5% surcharge as yet another instrument of oppression against the people,” the statement added.