The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted the five percent petrol tax recently imposed by the Federal Government and the 300 percent hike in passport fees, describing them as cruel and insensitive policies that further impoverish Nigerians while the government celebrates revenue collection.

In a statement on Thursday, the party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deception, saying Nigerians are being fed false revenue claims.

The ADC argued that the petrol tax comes at a time when most Nigerians are still reeling from the effects of fuel subsidy removal. “Instead of providing interventions to cushion the impact, government is introducing more taxes that worsen hardship,” it said.

The party also criticised the steep increase in passport fees, noting that while a UK passport costs just five percent of that country’s minimum wage, it amounts to 143 percent of Nigeria’s minimum wage.

“This is what governance has been reduced to under President Tinubu—taxing survival, monetising hardship, and celebrating suffering as success,” the party declared.

The ADC further accused the government of inflating revenue achievements, pointing out a N21.22 trillion shortfall between the 2025 budget projection of N41.81 trillion and actual collections of N20.59 trillion.

“Put in perspective, this means an average monthly revenue of N3.48 trillion, totaling N27.87 trillion for the first eight months. Has the government already surpassed this or even the full-year target? The figures do not add up,” it said.

The party also dismissed Tinubu’s claim that the exchange rate was N1,900 to the dollar at the start of his administration, clarifying that it stood at N460.72 officially, and N700–N800 at the parallel market. “The reality is that under Tinubu, the naira has lost more than 50 percent of its value, worsening inflation and poverty,” it added.

On borrowing, the ADC cited the Debt Management Office’s announcement of N136.16 billion raised in bonds on August 26, 2025, and the $21 billion loan approved in July, describing them as evidence that the government’s claim of halting local borrowing is false.

It concluded that the APC-led government is punishing the people it was elected to serve: “Despite all claims of economic stability, Nigeria remains the poverty capital of the world. No serious government should boast in the face of this reality.”