Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, has warned President Bola Tinubu against imposing the 5% fuel tax his administration is allegedly clamouring for.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, sent to Legit.ng on Friday, September 12, Primate Ayodele stated that implementing the 5% fuel surcharge will affect the second term ambition chances of President Tinubu in the 2027 election.

The cleric stated that the policy will be misinterpreted and if care is not taken, will be treated like the fuel subsidy removal, which 'will spike something unpleasant against the government'.

Primate Ayodele said:

"Tinubu should look into the five percent fuel tax well, they will misinterpret it and will count as a minus for Tinubu's second term ambition."

He noted that opposition will use it to campaign against the president, adding that some governors will kick against it because "in the long run, the benefit will be one sided."

Ayodele said:

"They will use it to campaign against him. The policy will be one sided on the long run and some governors will kick against it".

Furthermore, Primate Ayodele counselled President Tinubu to cut down on taxation policies due to the current economic situation, explaining that "it is getting too much".

He said: "Tinubu needs to work on the taxation of a thing, it is becoming too much; he should not let it be like subsidy removal days."

FG clarifies 5% fuel surcharge

The federal government recently said the 5 percent fuel surcharge that has sparked criticism from labour unions and civil society groups is not new and there are “no immediate plans” to enforce it.

At a press briefing in Abuja, Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy on Tuesday, September 9, said the surcharge was an existing levy that dated back to the 2007 Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Act, stressing it was not a fresh tax introduced by the President Tinubu government.

The surcharge was first introduced in 2007 under the Federal Road Maintenance Agency Act as a user charge to fund road upkeep, with 40 per cent of proceeds allocated to the federal road agency and 60 per cent to state-level equivalents.

Its restatement in the newly signed Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 prompted fears that Nigerians would face higher fuel costs from 2026, deepening pressure on households already hit by soaring prices.

Primate Ayodele warns the world

Meanwhile, Primate Ayodele declared that a time is coming in the world when there would be no more electricity.

Speaking in a video posted recently on his church's official Facebook page, seen by Legit.ng, Primate Ayodele stated that the main source of electricity globally would be altered.

The Nigerian cleric also warned his nation's leader, President Tinubu, not to consider increasing electricity tariffs in the country again.

He said:

"This is a very important prophecy to the world. A time is coming when there would be no more electricity. The source of electricity would be changed. I see water, salt, as a component of electricity all over the world."

He added: "Get prepared; I see that electricity tariff would increase between October and February (2025). I want to advise the president, 'do all you can, don't let it be increased. Do anything to manage it', it is going to increase."