APC Chieftain Ayiri Emami Urges Tinubu to Suspend 15% Fuel Import Tariff, Citing Looming Hardship

Ayiri Emami, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, has publicly decried President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent approval for the immediate implementation of a 15 per cent ad valorem import duty on both petrol and diesel, warning that the policy will inflict greater hardship on ordinary Nigerians.

Dependable NG reports that Emami disclosed his opposition in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Thursday. His comments come just as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) secured and received approval from President Tinubu to enforce the 15 per cent import duty, which is primarily intended to protect nascent domestic refineries and align import costs to market realities. President Tinubu has already ordered both the FIRS and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to commence enforcing the new tariff immediately.

Reacting to the directive, Emami warned that the masses would ultimately bear the full brunt of the new tariff. He strongly urged President Tinubu to suspend the 15 per cent import duty on petrol and diesel to bring immediate relief to struggling Nigerians. “No, anybody advising Mr President to impose a 15 per cent tax on petroleum right now is not doing him any good,” Emami asserted. “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.”

The APC chieftain elaborated on the negative impact using his own community as an example. He explained that in areas dependent on fishing and riverine activities, the cost of fuel directly dictates whether residents can even afford to go out to fish, indicating that access to their livelihood is being jeopardised by high fuel prices. He stated that if he were to meet the President, he would tell him plainly that he cannot support the tax. “For me, that 15 per cent should be kept aside until the government provides more relief to Nigerians,” he stressed, noting that despite the removal of the fuel subsidy, Nigerians have not yet seen much positive reflection and things remain difficult. He concluded by warning that some advisors do not care about the President but merely want to create more problems for the administration.