TUC Blasts FG Over Proposed 5% Petroleum Tax

…Threatens Nationwide Strike

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has vehemently opposed the Federal Government’s plan to impose a 5% levy on petroleum products, branding it as “a reckless display of economic cruelty.”

The Federal Government, in response to public outcry following Daily Trust’s report, defended the policy, saying the surcharge would guarantee sustainable funding for road construction and help bridge Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit. Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, further argued that similar measures exist in more than 150 countries, often at even higher rates.

But the TUC, through its President, Festus Osifo, and General Secretary, Nuhu Toro, issued a joint statement demanding the immediate withdrawal of the plan within 14 days. They warned that failure to comply would trigger a nationwide shutdown of vital sectors, as all affiliates had been placed on high alert.

According to the Congress, Nigerians are already crushed by multiple taxes, subsidy removal, rising fuel costs, food inflation, and a weakening naira. To introduce an additional levy on petroleum products, it said, would only deepen hardship, cripple businesses, and push more citizens into poverty.

“This proposal is nothing short of economic wickedness,” the statement read. “Government cannot continue to treat Nigerians as sacrificial lambs for its failed economic experiments. Instead of providing relief and opportunities, it keeps devising new ways to squeeze citizens dry. Enough is enough.”

The TUC stressed that industrial action “remains firmly on the table” should the government ignore its warning. It also urged civil society groups, professional bodies, student unions, religious leaders, and market associations to unite in resisting the “anti-people policy,” insisting that Nigerians deserve economic justice and not endless punishment.