President Bola Tinubu has given the green light for the implementation of a 15 percent ad-valorem import duty on petrol and diesel brought into Nigeria.

The move is expected to protect domestic refineries and promote stability in the downstream oil sector.

In a directive dated October 21, 2025, made public on Wednesday, October 29,2025, Tinubu ordered the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to immediately begin enforcing the tariff.

The decision, according to the government, forms part of a new market-responsive import tariff framework.

The letter, signed by the president’s private secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, confirmed Tinubu’s approval of a proposal submitted by FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji.

The plan recommends a 15 percent duty on the cost, insurance, and freight value of imported petrol and diesel to reflect true market conditions and encourage local production.

The FIRS boss, who explained in his memo that the initiative was designed to support Nigeria’s “Renewed Hope Agenda” for energy security and economic stability, cautioned that the disparity between locally refined fuel prices and import parity benchmarks has fueled market volatility.