March 3, 2022
Press Statement
Fuel Crisis: APC Has Lost Control of Governance – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) charges Nigerians to brace up and support one another in the face of abandonment by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration as all critical indicators show that the APC has abdicated its constitutional duty to guarantee the security and welfare of the people.
The prevailing chaotic situation in the country with widespread uncertainties, unabating fuel crisis, piercing economic hardship, sectional agitations, heated industrial unrests, infrastructural stagnation, kidnapping, daily bloodletting and escalated insecurity with gangsters now taking over the streets of major cities further confirms that the APC administration is now on autopilot with its central command structure in disarray.
The decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to jet out to the United Kingdom (where leaders are committed) for yet another “routine medical check-up” after his administration has wrecked our healthcare system and when the nation which he leads is in crisis, underscores the insensitivity of the APC which by nature and outlook has never been ready for governance since inception.
While other world leaders are solving problems in their countries, President Buhari, who promised to fix our refineries, abandoned Nigerians to the excruciating fuel crisis caused by the corruption perpetrated by APC leaders in the helm of affairs in the petroleum sector, which has now crippled economic activities in the country.
Nigerians will recall that after being exposed for importing contaminated fuel with consequential damage to vehicles, machineries and businesses, the APC government had promised to fix the situation. Sadly, several weeks after, the APC Federal Government had failed in its promise as always like in every other aspect of our national life.
With the corruption and abdication of duty by the APC, our nation is now at the mercy of black-market vendors who charge already overburdened Nigerians as high as N500 per liter of fuel; a development that has resulted in spiral increase in transport fares, costs of food, medicines and other essential commodities.
This is in addition to the collapse of many businesses, massive loss of jobs, hunger and starvation, sudden death of bread winners with grave economic pressure on millions of families and attendant social consequences to our country.
By travelling out of the country at the time Nigerians expect him to make himself available and provide leadership to address the agitations by striking university lecturers, President Buhari further exposes APC’s lack of commitment towards the wellbeing and development of Nigerians youths.
This is in tandem with APC’s sustained disdain for the Nigerian youths whom the President derided as “Lazy Youths” in a foreign country. It further explains why the APC was unperturbed when its government massacred innocent and helpless Nigerian youths who were merely exercising their constitutional fundamental human right of peaceful protest during the EndSARS protest of October 2020.
Our Party is concerned that the insensitivity and utter disregard of the APC and its government for the feelings of the people have heightened tension in the country and if not checked could result in widespread restiveness and eventual breakdown of law and order.
It is clear that the APC has come to the end of the road in governance and has nothing else to offer Nigerians. The PDP therefore urges Nigerians to remain steadfast and hopeful as our party press forward in its mission to Rescue and Rebuild our country.
Signed:
Hon. Debo Ologunagba
National Publicity Secretary
March 3, 2022
Press Statement
Attack on Students: PDP Demands Education Minister, Adamu’s Resignation
…Says It’s Impunity Taken Too Far
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands that the Minister for Education, Adamu Adamu should resign immediately and tender unreserved apology to the nation for abusing and walking out on Nigerian students who went to his office to plead for his intervention to end the on-going strike by lecturers in public universities in the country.
The PDP holds that by arrogantly insulting and refusing to attend to the member of the National Association of Nigerians Students (NANS), Adamu Adamu recklessly abdicated his duties and exhibited an unpardonable discourteousness unfitting of a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, let alone a minister of education.
Our Party insists that Adamu Adamu’s action is an assault and embarrassment to the nation’s education sector. It amounts to spitting in the face of the generality of the Nigerian youths as well as their parents; a conduct that is characteristic of the impunity, insensitivity and arrogant disdain for Nigerians which have permeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
That is why the APC government has always walked away from Nigerians in the face of critical situations that have to do with the security and welfare of the people. Of course, the APC as a party is in approval of the conduct of Adamu Adamu because such is in line with APC’s detestation and disparagement of Nigerians, especially the youths.
Adamu Adamu’s action is reminiscent of the October 2020 brutal killing of Nigerian youths by APC-controlled security agents at the Lekki Toll gate in Lagos for exercising their rights to peaceful protest against injustice and brutality in our country. But for the maturity displayed by the students, Adamu Adamu’s attitude was capable of causing a breakdown of Law and Order at the venue of the meeting.
The right to education is a basic right which must not be denied our youths. It is therefore reprehensible that the minister of education who ought to defend such right could conduct himself in such an undignified manner towards the youths.
Moreover, by stating that he could only comprehend a point in the list of very concise serious issues raised by the students including the demand for adequate funding for education, reopening of universities and the negative implication of constant industrial crisis in tertiary institutions; Adamu Adamu shows that either he is downright inattentive or lacks the required capacity to assimilate or comprehend critical issues.
Such only points to the fact that Adamu Adamu is not a fit and proper person to continue to hold public office as minister. In any case, by training and professional experience, Adamu Adamu is a square peg in a round hole as Minister of Education. He lacks the proficiency to understand, comprehend and effectively attend to issues of education in our country.
While urging the students not to relent in their demands, the PDP calls on President Buhari to remove Adamu Adamu and appoint a new minister of education from the array of qualified academicians and seasoned administrators that abound in our country who can understand and effectively manage our education sector.
Signed:
Hon. Debo Ologunagba
National Publicity Secretary

DEFENDING THE INTEREST OF NIGERIANS IS PARAMOUNT TO MY ADMINISTRATION, SAYS PRESIDENT BUHARI
– As Evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine Begins
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration will continue to defend the interest of Nigerians wherever they may be, even as the nation begins the evacuation of citizens stranded in the aftermath of the happenings in Ukraine.
President Buhari made this assertion Thursday in Nairobi, Kenya at a Townhall Meeting with a group of Nigerians resident in the country.
According to him, “on our part as a Government, we shall continue to defend the interests of all Nigerians wherever they may be. We have demonstrated this over time, as we have had cause to evacuate our citizens in harm’s way abroad. We did it in Libya, South Africa and we have just commenced doing the same in Ukraine, where thousands of our citizens, especially students, are trapped by the on-going war between Russia and Ukraine.”
He commended the diasporans in Kenya for the unity that exists among them, and peace with their host communities, urging them to respect the laws and be good ambassadors of Nigeria.
President Buhari who was represented at the event by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyeama, reiterated that it was the determination of the current administration to forge a partnership with the ‘Ambassadors-at large’ towards building the country together that led to the establishment of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
He expressed delight that the Commission had been engaging the diasporans and had also come up with laudable programmes that would appeal to them.
According to the President, as part of his diasporan agenda, “we expect your willingness to ‘give back’ to Nigeria, some of your resources, talents, skills and global exposure in the development of our great country, Nigeria.”
He, therefore, encouraged the Ambassadors to key into the programmes of NiDCOM especially the Nigerian Diaspora Investment Trust Fund whose mandate is holistic for all Nigerians abroad adding that the platform would assist them to expeditiously contribute to the development of their fatherland.
The President assured them that the administration is forging ahead with the provision of critical infrastructure for the collective prosperity of all despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and activities of terrorists.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, appreciated the Ambassadors for honouring the invitation, urging them to register with the Commission in order to have an up- to-date database of them for easy interface, adding that working with them, the Nigerian government will build the country of our dreams.
Dr Nicholas Ozor, the president of Nigerians in Diaspora (Kenya) on behalf of the diasporans expressed his appreciation to the President for always meeting with them when he is in the country as this boosts their morale. He appreciated efforts of the Nigerian High Commission officials for their support and care.
Dr Ozor however requested the President to intervene in some of the challenges confronting them, such as; the stoppage of visa on arrival for Nigerians; delay in getting student permits; obstacles to ease of doing business, and undue negative profiling of Nigerians.
Also present at the occasion were the Minister of State for the Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, National Security Adviser, Maj.Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd), and Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 4, 2022

PRESIDENT BUHARI LAUDS UNEP AT 50, CALLS FOR BROADER ACTIONS TO OVERCOME ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the coming of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) 50 years ago created the awareness of the need to make climate and environmental action a priority for the entire world, while urging concerted action to make the organisation’s efforts a success story.
In a congratulatory message to the Special Session to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations’ body on Thursday in Nairobi, Kenya, President Buhari said:
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of UNEP’s existence, we laud the efforts of UNEP and encourage broader action to overcome climate change, biodiversity, rising levels of pollution and waste being three major crises threatening our planet.
“Notably, desertification and drought are threatening lives and livelihoods which further underscores the need to boost biodiversity in ecosystem restoration.
“We thank UNEP for its role in reducing biodiversity loss and for being a major player in the global movement to slow deforestation and accelerate aforestation.
“We recognize that restoring key ecosystems is crucial to help combat climate change and achieve sustainable development.
“Therefore, by collaborating with partners such as UNEP, we believe that much more successes would be recorded as we journey in our collective struggle against climate change.”
The Nigerian leader used the occasion to reiterate Nigeria’s commitment towards addressing the devastating effects of climate change.
“During last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, Parties worked towards spurring action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also pledging to take steps to adapting to climate impacts.
“Nations are constantly facing the threats of disrupted weather patterns, low food production and rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding among other challenges.
“In that regard, Nigeria pledged to work with other countries in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and in doing so has increased her conditional contribution to reduce greenhouse gas from 45% to 47%.
“Additionally, I outlined Nigeria’s efforts and commitments towards transitioning to Net Zero ambition which involved both environment and development-related plans.
“The plans contained a number of nature-based solutions, which included expansion of protected areas by creating ten additional National Parks, two Marine Protected Areas cutting across the various ecological zones of the country, and sustainable management of critical wetlands ecosystems across the country,” the President said.
He praised the efforts of the Ministers of the Environment who had worked tirelessly prior to the Special Session for their commitment to the cause of the environment.
“I would like to thank the Ministers of Environment and their team for their commitment and active participation during the resumed Fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly which preceded the commemorative event.
“Similarly, I heartily congratulate the leadership of UNEP as we commemorate and celebrate your successes and achievements in the last 50 years.
“I take this opportunity to urge redoubled collective efforts to improve and sustain climate action, nature action, chemical and pollution action, air, bio-safety, disasters and conflicts, green economy, gender, oceans and seas, resource efficiency, water, and youth education in order to save our planet and achieve the 2030 agenda on sustainable development.”
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)

March 4, 2022
Press Statement
PDP Shifts Anambra State Congress to March 12
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approved the postponement of the Anambra State Congress to elect the State Executive officers of Our Party in the State from the earlier scheduled date of Saturday, March 5, 2022 to a new date of Saturday, March 12, 2022.
All aspirants, critical stakeholders, leaders and members of our party in Anambra State should please take note.
The PDP regrets any inconveniences caused by this change of date
Signed:
Hon. Debo Ologunagba
National Publicity Secretary

March 3, 2022
DESERTIFICATION CONTROL: PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS MULTI-STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed collaboration between Ministries of the Environment, Water Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development, Power, and all other relevant stakeholders in combating desertification in Nigeria.
The President spoke Thursday in Nairobi, Kenya, during a sideline meeting with Mr Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
President Buhari, who is attending the Special Session of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP@50), said the collaboration should also include the 11 States prone to drought and desert encroachment, under the aegis of Northern Governors Forum.
The President equally directed full cooperation between Nigeria and UNCCD in the prelude to the forthcoming meeting to combat desertification billed for Cote D’Ivoire in May, 2022.
Mr Thiaw said apart from the meeting in Cote D’Ivoire, Climate Change conference would hold in Egypt later in the year, noting that “the Conference of the Parties (COP) would be coming back to Africa after 11 years.”
On desertification, he said Africa lost about 60% of its arable land in the past 50 years, leading to a challenge of feeding the people.
“Land degradation is about food, peace and security. And land restoration provides multiple solutions. It brings carbon back to the soil when you cultivate the land,” the Executive Secretary said.
He noted that no one qualifies more to speak on large scale restoration of land, than the Nigerian leader, who is also President of the Great Green Wall, submitting
that Nigeria has the greatest stretch of the Wall, which is over 1,000 kilometers.
On drought, Thiaw said it was a phenomenon that had always existed, “but is now much more severe, and a global issue.”
He said President Buhari’s leadership is important to drive the process of tackling the various germane issues on desertification, drought, and land restoration.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
March 3, 2022

PRESS STATEMENT
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY COLLAPSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS COMMUNITIES ARE PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS
NIGERIANS ARE SUBJECTED TO MONUMENTAL SUFFERING DUE TO SCARCITY OF FUEL AND LACK OF ELECTRICITY
Many communities have been thrown into darkness in the last three weeks due to poor electricity supply. Though no official reason has been given for this crisis, it could be system collapse as regard transmission and generation or power outage due to poor distribution network and infrastructure. The hardship is unbearable considering the fact that the only alternative for a number of people is the reliance on private expensive electricity generation through generator sets. Sadly, the ongoing fuel scarcity has made it extremely difficult to generate electricity at homes and businesses and as a consequence, the cost of living has skyrocketed. It is unthinkable that we are having this crisis despite a global comparative advantage Nigeria is supposed to have in electricity vis-a-vis gas, abundant solar, wind and hydro reserves while it is also a major crude oil producer.
Since November 2013 when the power sector was privatized, the story has been constant darkness, tariff hikes, outrageous estimated (crazy) billings and bailout of irresponsible and inefficient power sector companies. Between 2005 the process of privatizing began and today, over $15 billion has been expended on the power sector including the senseless bailouts. The power sector requires massive investment and democratic management, however, the ruling elite is only interested in investing public funds in order to make it continuously profitable for the private profiteers. It appears that the more tariff is hiked, the more the power companies and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) are motivated to fail. The fact is that the power companies are not prepared to improve the electricity supply because they are assured of profit without investment. For instance, the reckless manner the Ibadan Distribution Company directors mismanaged the recent bailouts of N6 billion shows how corrupt these private companies are and yet, nobody has been arrested and prosecuted.
The current fuel scarcity and poor electricity supply are further evidence of the failure of the Buhari-led regime and the capitalist policies (privatization, deregulation etc). These two sectors are overwhelmingly under the control of the private sector profiteers with the self-serving government playing a bell boy role as so-called regulator. Privatisation and deregulation have only put more money in the pockets of a few privileged and greedy individuals leaving the vast majority of the working masses in more misery and crises. The irony of it all is that the same Buhari-led capitalist government often claims paucity of funds when it comes to public education, healthcare and basic amenities and as a result these critical sectors are underfunded. Besides, the government keep borrowing trillions of Naira only to squander most of it including public funds generated on white elephant projects and bailout of weak and inefficient private companies and capitalist elite.
Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) calls on Nigerian workers and electricity consumers across communities to resist tariff increment and struggle for massive public investment, free prepaid meters for all consumers and uninterrupted power supply. The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) must end their strategic partnership with the self-serving bourgeois ruling elite and mobilize the working class and the poor masses to reverse the privatization and deregulation policies.
Fundamentally, the way forward is the renationalization (public ownership) of the power and oil sectors, massive public investments and democratic control and management by the working class and consumers.
SIGNED:
Comrade Chinedu Bosah Shoyombo Monsuru
National Coordinator National Secretary
PRESS RELEASE

SANWO-OLU RAISES LAGOS EMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND SUPPORT BY 100 PER CENT
…‘LSETF creates 182,000 jobs in five years, upskills 12,000 youths’ – Exec. Sec.
…Governor charges employment agency to assist more entrepreneurs, businesses
Lagos State Government has expanded the net of employment opportunities for young people in the State, as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, announced a 100 per cent increment in capital subvention to Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) – an independently run agency established to provide financial support to business owners and entrepreneurs for wealth creation and to tackle unemployment.
The Governor doubled the agency’s subvention in a move to further increase access to finance for budding entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses through soft loans and funding support.
Sanwo-Olu made the announcement at the second edition of Lagos Employment Summit organised by LSETF. The event with the theme: “Sustainable Job Creation Strategies: Collective Action and Prosperity for All”, is being held at Eko Hotels and Suites in Victoria Island.
Stakeholders in the employment generation community, including policymakers and implementation partners, are currently meeting at the two-day summit, which has the objective to foster conversation on sustained job creation partnership and strategies towards enhancing viable pathways and transition from education to employment.
Sanwo-Olu said the incentive would further strengthen other State Government’s interventions initiated towards empowering and upskilling innovative young people, while also providing support grants for established businesses. With the increased allocation, the Governor said more entrepreneurs would be captured in grant allocations to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), thereby lowering unemployment figures of the State.
He said: “We have seen that LSETF can work and indeed, it is working. We have seen the potential of the agency in sustaining creation of job opportunities for our teeming productive residents. I strongly believe that we can achieve a lot more in bringing down the unemployment rate in Lagos if we entrust the agency with a lot more capital grants to support businesses and innovative people.
“LSETF has the capacity and has demonstrated it in the last four years. Given the opportunity of increased funding, the agency can double the employment figures. It is only by scaling up the subvention that we can further demonstrate our readiness to reduce the rate of unemployment. I have asked for the agency’s budget size and I have seen what it is. This is a public pronouncement that we are doubling the subvention.
“We are doing this, because the LSEFT management team has given us practical proof of concept that the intervention can boost employment opportunities. In this regard, I make an appeal to our funding and development partners to also double their donations to the agency, because there are more people in the State to be taken out of poverty when they have access to business finance. This way, we would be empowering more people to create wealth and spread prosperity.”
The Governor said his administration, in the last three years, had committed over N10 billion in grant to strengthen LSEFT’s activities, supporting 34,000 MSMEs through the intervention.
The intervention, the Governor said, was instrumental to the 6.7 per cent drop in the unemployment rate, as recorded by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) before the disruption occasioned by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Sanwo-Olu said that the agency needed to rejig its activities, with the aim to extend the financial assistance to more businesses in the State, stressing that COVID-19 could no longer be used as excuse for not assisting productive people in creating wealth through entrepreneurship.
He said: “We cannot continue to give COVID-19 as an excuse, because the pandemic is behind us now. We need to think of approaches that will create opportunities for teeming number of our youths in the coming days. Young people are waiting on us and relying on us. It is one of our campaign promises that, LSEFT would come out stronger and better under our leadership. I charge the Board of Trustees and the management team to take this opportunity to push LSEFT further to become a global brand that all of us can truly be proud of.”
The Governor pledged to incorporate outcomes of the summit into the implementation of the State’s governing agenda.
Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Sam Egube, who put the unemployment rate in Lagos at 37.3 per cent, said the summit was organised with the goal to address employment levels in Lagos, by bridging the gap between job availability and employability in the labor market.
The Commissioner said the stakeholders were gathered to collaborate, design and develop initiatives that would improve and sustain employment outcomes in the State. He disclosed that the State Government would be launching a 25-year job development plan anchored on a thriving economy, human-centric city, modern infrastructure and effective governance.
“This summit is critical dialogue sessions between different stakeholders for us to evaluate and re-evaluate thoughts and initiatives targeted at better employment outcomes. It will provide avenues for various stakeholders to deliberate on relevant areas on job creation, different aspects of skill development and sustainable growth for decent employment, the connection between our training centers and the emerging job opportunities,” Egube said.
LSETF Executive Secretary, Ms. Teju Abisoye, disclosed that 45 per cent of the skilled labour force in the country was concentrated in Lagos, said participants at the summit would identify new trends and opportunities in diverse sectors and value chains that needed to be prioritised with the right investment.
Reeling out the impacts recorded by the agency in the last five years, Ms. Abisoye said LSETF, through its interventions, had created over 182,000 direct and indirect jobs in Lagos. She added that the agency had saved 50,000 direct jobs through support and business stimulation.
She said 12,335 young persons were trained in modern skills, 413 tech start-ups supported through soft financing, while 68,582 new tax payers were added into the tax net of the State.

SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
03 MARCH 2022
PRESS RELEASE

SANWO-OLU CONGRATULATES K1 DE ULTIMATE AT 65
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has congratulated the King of Fuji Music, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate, who clocked 65 on Thursday March 3.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, described K1 De Ultimate, the Mayegun of Yorubaland, as one of Nigeria’s music and entertainment icons who have used their talents to bring about positive change in the country.
He said Marshal, apart from making a positive impact in the music industry, is also contributing his quota to the success of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress as a major force to reckon with in Lagos State.
‘“On behalf of my adorable wife, Ibijoke, I join family, friends, fans, associates and All Progressives Congress (APC) to felicitate K1 De Ultimate on his 65th birthday.
“K1 De Ultimate is a bundle of talent, who has used his God-given gift to advance the course of mankind. He is a celebrated singer and role model to upcoming artists and younger generations in the music industry, with his local and international achievements,” Sanwo-Olu said.

SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
03 MARCH 2022