Anger and condemnation follow FG’s plan to introduce fuel tax

Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Taiwo Oyedele, said the federal government plans to introduce a fuel tax once the economy stabilises and incomes rise enough to absorb the added cost. He said the revenue would fund road infrastructure and a fuel reserve to cushion future price shocks, and that the tax would require an order published in the Official Gazette. Many Nigerians condemned the proposal as insensitive following the removal of the fuel subsidy; labour and business groups had previously opposed a 5% surcharge on fossil-fuel products. Oyedele added that the government could temporarily waive the tax during future price shocks.