The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi has again castigated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for constantly increasing the burden of Nigerians with different forms of unwarranted taxes which are over stretching the means of the people.
He pointedly said that leadership is not about heaping more burdens on the people, but about reducing suffering, about care and compassion.
Obi, who spoke against the backdrop of the recently approved 5% tax on all refined fuel sales, accused the Tinubu-led government of mandating Nigerians to pay so much for fuel and diesel when millions can hardly afford the cost of transportation.
The former governor of Anambra State suggested that the 5% fuel tax can wait until Nigerians begin to see tangible improvements in their lives from all the many promises from President Tinubu.
Obi, who took to his verified X handle, expressed concerns that while President Tinubu boasts of Nigeria already meeting its revenue target for 2025, in August, yet still focused on imposing more burdens and hardships on the citizens.
In the post titled; “When will Nigerians truly breathe?”, Obi challenged President Tinubu to “Let the poor breathe”.
The former governor of Anambra State noted as most unfortunate the introduction of CNG as a cheaper alternative to petrol engine which the same government has suddenly priced out of the reach of the people.
In the words of Obi; “Even the so-called alternative, CNG, has become unaffordable, rising from about N230 to N450, while the promised subsidies on the CNG have quietly vanished.
“If our revenues are truly ‘excessive’ as claimed, should they not first be used to fund education, healthcare and pulling Nigerians out of poverty? Why tax citizens who cannot even breathe anymore?” Obi asked.
