Nigeria, Sept. 10 -- The federal government has said the 5 per cent 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, 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 ...