News Now Naija

27/10/2024

FORMER BOARD MEMBER, OYEWUMI ADVOCATES SUPPORT FOR NYSC .....lauds Tinubu for increment of corpers allowance

A former Member of the National Governing Board of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Prince Kunle Oyewumi, has appealed to the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande to ensure that presidential assent is given to the NYSC Trust Fund bill in order to strengthen the scheme.
Emphasizing the importance of the NYSC to national development, Oyewumi who also chaired the NYSC Reforms Committee stressed that the scheme has consistently promoted youth empowerment, national integration and cohesion.
The businessman while commending the Minister for his passion and commitment to the cause of the Nigerian youth, appealed to the executive and legislative arms of government to ensure the passage of the NYSC Trust Fund bill into law for the sake of the corpers in the interest of nation building.
The Ogbomoso Prince made these remarks in a statement to advocate the establishment of the NYSC Trust Fund.
He said, " the NYSC scheme is a national identity that should be sustained for nation building.
"The scheme which was conceptualized and created for promoting youth empowerment, national integration and cohesion, has consistently provided a platform for the younger generation to serve the nation in various capacities across the nooks and crannies of the country.
"The NYSC is a national asset that should be embraced by Nigerians in view of its noble roles in driving development at the national and sub- national levels".
The former Board member while applauding Presidential Bola Tinubu for the recent increase in corpers allowance from N33, 000 to N77,000, called on stakeholders and prominent Nigerians to continually support the scheme in its pivotal role in promoting national development.

13/09/2024

The best time to switch your source of energy to CNG was yesterday. The next best time is now!

Get aboard the moving train and save yourself the economic stress of using PMS.

06/09/2024

FG flags off sale of 50kg bag of rice for N40,000 to Nigerians with NIN

“This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation."

11/07/2024

The MD/CE of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, is now speaking on a panel at the BusinessDay CEO's Forum on the theme "Leading Through Economic Challenges."

West Africa's most authoritative business daily, a diversified provider of superior business, financial and management intelligence across all platforms

23/04/2024

UPDATE ON PRESIDENTIAL CNG INITIATIVE

PCNGI secures Concessionary Pricing for Mobility CNG from NMPDRA*

The Nigerian Mainstream And Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMPDRa) has reiterated its commitment to supporting the efforts of the Federal Government through the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI), aimed at managing, financing and developing domestic CNG vehicles for Nigeria transportation market, while ensuring the support and mass adoption of CNG Fuelled vehicles in the country by providing a special concessionary pricing to Mobility CNG under its pricing framework for gas in the country. This was addressed in a letter from the Authority Chief Executive (ACE), Mr. Farouk Ahmed dated 20th April, 2024 to the Programme Director/Chief Executive of the PCNGI.

In line with this, NMPDRA has designated mobility Compressed Natural Gas as a special status, which will serve as a subset of Gas to commercial ( GTC), this will also entitle it to Gas Based Industry (GBI ) pricing categorisation for an initial period of 5 years, and renewable for another 5 years only in accordance with the provisions of Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. The GBI pricing of $1.57/MMBtu is set much lower than ordinary $2.42 and $2.92 for Power and Commercial buyers respectively.

The Presidential Committee on Compressed Natural Gas led by Dr. Zacch Adedeji had initially requested for strategic gas allocation for Mobility focused Compressed Natural Gas projects, in a form of pricing concession. This milestone concession is a significant achievement of the PCNGI collaborative work with NMPDRA.

This concession is expected to spur investors confidence and commercial activities in the nascent market while promoting government policy aspirantion for the sector.

The PCNGI calls on all stakeholders in the sector to take full advantage of this concessionary pricing model for Mobility CNG, and recommit themselves to the future of a gas driven transportation sector that lowers food and energy inflation, while ensuring a cleaner, cheaper, safer and more reliable energy for powering the economy forward in line with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

SIGNED

Michael Oluwagbemi

Programme Director/Chief Executive PCNGI

April 22, 2024, Abuja

22/04/2024

STATE HOUSE PRESS STATEMENT

PRESIDENTIAL CNG INITIATIVE SET FOR ROLLOUT

After the removal of the wasteful fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Presidential CNG Initiative in October last year to deliver cheaper, safer and more climate friendly energy. The CNG Initiative was designed to deliver compressed natural gas especially for mass transit.

The Federal Government as part of the many intervention programmes to reduce the burden of increase in pump price on the masses, provided N100 billion (part of the N500 billion palliative budget) to purchase 5500 CNG vehicles (buses and tricycles), 100 Electric buses and over 20,000 CNG conversion kits, alongside spurring the development of CNG refilling stations and electric charging stations.

After months of detailed planning and background work, the committee driving the initiative is set to deliver on President Tinubu’s vision and promise.

Already, the committee, being led by Michael Oluwagbemi, an oil and gas expert, has delivered some major foundational reforms to enable the new CNG and Electric Vehicles future the President promised. All is now ready for delivery of the first set of critical assets for deployment and launch of the CNG initiative ahead of the first anniversary of the Tinubu administration on May 29.

With necessary tax and duty waivers approved by President Tinubu in December 2023, the PCNGI committee is partnering with the private sector to deliver the promise on the initiative. The private sector has responded with over $50 million in actual investments in refuelling stations, conversion centres, and mother stations.

Also, a safety policy document on 80 standards and regulations that must be strictly adhered to by operators has been developed and approved to ensure CNG conversions are done safely and reliably.

The deployment of CNG buses and tricycles and the vision to get at least one million natural gas propelled vehicles on our roads by 2027 will mark a major energy transition in our country’s transportation industry. The use of more expensive diesel and PMS will gradually be phased out, when many vehicles, including trucks run on natural gas, which our nation has in abundance in at least 30 out of the 36 states of the federation.

As studies have shown, one of the main causes of air pollution is primarily the amount of gases emitted by gasoline and diesel engines. To reduce the pollution, some countries of the world, such as India, China, Iran, Pakistan, Brazil , Argentina, Italy have built fleets of natural gas powered vehicles, instead of going the route of relying on liquid petroleum products propelled vehicles. Natural gas vehicles reduce tail pipe emission by up to 40 percent, and Nigeria’s commitment to this course will enable her meet her nationally determined commitments (NDCs) under Paris Climate Accord to which we are signatory.

From the end of May, Nigeria will take some baby steps to join such nations that already have large fleets of CNG vehicles.

Remarkably, the Tinubu administration, in driving the nation to the desired destination, has flagged open a new industry, along with thousands of new jobs.

Four plants owned by JET, Mikano, Mojo, and Brilliant EV located in various parts of the country are involved in the assembly of the Semi Knocked Down (SKD) components of the CNG buses. JET, which has received the SKD parts is coupling the buses in Lagos and is working towards delivering 200 units before the first anniversary of the Tinubu administration.

Brilliant EV will assemble electric vehicles. It is awaiting the SKD parts, which will arrive in due course. The electric vehicles it will produce are meant for states such as Kano and Borno, which do not have access to CNG for now. They will also be available in key Nigerian cities and university campuses. It must be noted that soon to be completed gas pipeline projects initiated by the Buhari administration and being completed by NNPCL (the AKK Pipeline) will take gas into the hinterlands of North East and North West where there is current paucity.

In all, over 600 buses are targeted for production in the first phase that will be accomplished this year.

A new plant on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will assemble thousands of tricycles. The SKD parts manufactured by the Chinese company LUOJIA in partnership with its local partner to support the consortium of local suppliers of CNG tricycles are set for shipment to Nigeria and expected to arrive early in May. About 2,500 of the tricycles will be ready before May 29, 2024.

Thousands of conversion kits for petrol powered buses and taxis that want to migrate to CNG are also ready with CNG cylinders. The Federal Government intends to provide them at subsidized rates, especially to commercial vehicle drivers to bring down the cost of public transportation.

As part of private sector collaboration, NIPCO and BOVAS are involved in offering refilling services for the CNG vehicles and also serving as conversion centres. NIPCO is setting up 32 stations nationwide to offer the services. The company has completed the set up of four of the CNG stations. Likewise, BOVAS is setting up eight stations in Ibadan, two each in Ekiti, Abuja and four in Ilorin. MRS is also involved. It is making efforts to announce where its refilling stations and conversion centres will be.

The NNPC Limited which had launched an on-and-off CNG initiative in the past is joining the new initiative. It is expected soon to announce the locations for CNG refilling and CNG conversion centres nationwide.

In addition, the PCNGI is working with 22 other agency partners, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria(SON) and Nigeria Automotive Design and Development Council to deliver 80 Natural Gas Vehicle Conversion and Associated Appliances Standards for the country.

For proper monitoring, PCNGI will also launch MYCNG.NG App. The app will embed the Nigeria Gas Vehicle Monitoring Systems, which will show CNG conversion and refuelling sites in the country.

The Tinubu administration is an enabler of the evolving CNG industry. In collaboration with the private sector, the PCNGI is set to deliver 100 conversion workshops and 60 refuelling sites spread across 18 states before the end of this year.

The vision of Mr. President to deliver one million gas vehicles cannot be possible without the private sector, including the RTEAN, NARTO, NURTW, and players in the downstream sector of the transportation chain and financiers.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy

April 21, 2024

19/01/2024

PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, January 17 , 2024

ATTEMPTED DISPATCH OF UNKNOWN MEDICATION THROUGH A DEPARTING PASSENGER ON IBOM AIR TO ACCRA BY A PATHFINDER STAFF

The attention of the management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria,
FAAN has been drawn to a video circulating on social media where a supposed staff of the Authority was knelt down and was being slapped by a passenger for trying to use him to traffic drug.......more details 👉https://bitly.ws/3a4EE

19/01/2024

Thursday, January 18, 2024

PRESS RELEASE:

RE: RELOCATION OF FAAN CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS FROM ABUJA TO LAGOS

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria notes the inquiries some Nigerians have made regarding the directive of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, to relocate the corporate Headquarters of FAAN from Abuja to its original base, Lagos, where it has operated for decades until recently.

FAAN wishes to inform Nigerians that following wide consultations by the new Management of FAAN with stakeholders, which also involved the Unions, it was agreed that this was in the best interest of the Authority and the country for now for the following reasons:

1. Those affected by the decision to move the headquarters to Abuja have since returned to Lagos as there is no office space for them in Abuja. It was ill-advised in the first place to move the headquarters to Abuja when there was no single FAAN building in Abuja to accommodate all of them at once.

2. Having returned to Lagos, the Authority would be liable to pay them DTA (DUTY TOUR ALLOWANCE) because technically they are working OUT OF STATION as their official posting is to ABUJA. The Minister has decided to stop this waste of public resources and rip-off on the public purse.

3. ⁠The other option open to the Authority was abandon the old FAAN building in Lagos to rot away and to use its scarce resources to rent an office space in Abuja for Millions of Naira of public money when in actual fact more than sixty percent of its activities are in Lagos given the huge passenger volume of the Lagos airports. The stakeholders and the Minister decided against that and to save the country this waste.

4. ⁠The Minister has rolled out plans to get concessionaires to build befitting offices for the Authority in Lagos and Abuja and until that is done, the Authority will continue to manage its old building in Lagos that can accommodate all its Directors and senior officials for now.

5. ⁠Abuja continues to have full operational offices and the Authority has not scaled down operations in Abuja one bit. It is just the technical decision of where the Authority has its ‘corporate headquarters’ that has been taken without affecting the structure of operations as they are for now in both cities.

6. ⁠In the near future, when befitting corporate buildings have been built for the Authority in both Lagos and Abuja, a final decision will be taken as to the location of the permanent headquarters, depending on the exigencies of the time.

7. The Authority wishes to assure members of the public that it will continue to act in the best interest of the public and the country.

8. The Honourable Minister is committed to taking decisions that are in the best interest of the country, especially as it concerns public funds and will not yield to ethnic or sectional sentiments that will derail this commitment’

Thank you.

Obiageli Orah (Mrs.)

Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection

27/05/2023

Minister Sunday Dare Commissions 80Beds Hospital In Ogbomoso.

As part of his efforts to ensure access to quality health care service delivery in both rural and urban areas across Oyo state,the Honourable minister of youth and sports development(Agbaakin Of Ogbomoso Land), Chief Sunday Akin Dare on Saturday commissioned an 80-bed space hospital he facilitated to Pakiotan area of Ogbomoso,Oyo State. The 80-bed hospital is furnished with beds, drugs, laboratory equipment and other medical consumables that will serve as urban health center.

The commissioning ceremony witnessed the massive turned out of residents who came to appreciate the Minister for his giant strides in Ogbomoso Land which has ameliorated the suffering of the residents and help the town to progress.

While commissioning the facility, the Minister urged the government and wealthy people in the country to ensure efficiency in all healthcare facilities across the country for the benefit of the masses.He noted that with the 80beds hospital, the residents of Ogbomoso will no longer need to travel to neighbouring towns for medical attention. He said the hospital would give the people affordable and accessible healthcare and provide employment opportunities. The Minister however used the opportunity to thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for given him the opportunity to serve the good people of Nigeria and appreciated residents for their unflinching support.

" I thank President Muhammadu Buhari for given me the opportunity to serve the people of this country,with this 80beds hospital, the residents of Ogbomoso will no longer need to travel to neighbouring towns for medical attention.The hospital would give the people affordable and accessible healthcare and provide employment opportunities. I urge the Government at all levels and wealthy people in this country to pay more attention to healthcare sector. I appreciate your unflinching support. Thank you" .The Minister said

Residents expressed satisfaction with the quality of equipment and physical structure at the hospital and said that the Hospital will provide accessible and affordable healthcare services to children, women and the aged of society.

Also speaking, representative of Soun of Ogbomoso in Council,Chief Areago Otolorin of Ogbomoso Land,while appreciating the Minister for his giant strides in Ogbomoso and other parts of the country noted that the hospital is equipped with facilities befitting a 21st-century hospital and promised that they will preserve and protect the hospital from vandals and deterioration.

On his part, a business mogul and stakeholder ,Dr Adegoke Samson Maigida (JP),lauded the Minister for remembering the good people of Ogbomoso by facilitating the hospital which he noted will sufficiently serve the healthcare need of the people of Ogbomoso and its environment.

In his own remarks, Chief Medical Director UCH, Ibadan Prof. Jesse Otegbayo informed the residents that the hospital has all that is needed for a hospital to function effectively including all the departments and trained personnel to manage it. He however charged the residents of Ogbomoso to take the facility as their own and secure it.

Apart from the highly personalities, who accompanied the Minister, the event was attended by various elder statemen and residents of Ogbomoso Land which includes;Chief Areago Otolorin of Ogbomoso Land, Former Ogbomoso North Senatorial candidate,Akinwole Wolekanle,Dr Adegoke Samson Maigida (JP), Iyalode of Ogbomoso land, Chief (Mrs) Ogundare,Onipakiotan of Pakiotan, Alhaji Bashiru Akatapa, Former Chairman Ogbomoso North LG,Hon Bimpe Martin, Former Chairman of Ogbomoso North LCDA, Barrister Daud Sulaiman among others.

15/05/2023

The Youth Minister, Sunday Dare says the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) scheme has kept faith with its objectives and mandate and therefore sustained its relevance in the country's development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 50th anniversary of the scheme in Abuja on Monday, the Minister also described it as the leading youth organisation in Africa, celebrating the ingenuity of the leaders who bequeathed the programme to Nigeria and those whose unwavering commitment have led to its sustenance.

According to him, "the hindsight of past Presidents and Heads of States has nurtured this scheme despite the odds that have threatened its existence."

The Youth Minister applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his contributions to the NYSC and thanked him for the privilege to serve as the Minister of Youth and Sports Development at this time that scheme is marking its golden jubilee.

Dare challenged the leadership of the programme to see the 50th anniversary celebrations as a veritable opportunity to evolve strategies to strengthen the scheme, make it more sustainable, broaden its scope of operations to enhance its contributions to national development.

In his words, "since inception 50 years ago, the NYSC has kept faith with its objectives and mandate. It has made invaluable impact in various aspects of national development, including providing healthcare to rural communities and also made legendary contributions to education and rural infrastructure.

"There have been acts of resourcefulness and benevolence, and the nation witnessed remarkable ingenuity from Youth Corps members during the COVID 19 pandemic and before then during the Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS pandemic.

"Indeed the NYSC in the 50 years of existence has become an institution to reckon with in youth empowerment and mobilisation for national development."

The NYSC 50th anniversary opening ceremony was graced by the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Ambassador Fatima Balla Abubakar, the chairman of the NYSC governing board and the Director General, Brigadier General YD Ahmed among others.

Professor Attahiru Jega was the guest speaker at the event.

22/03/2023

The Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, presents the Special Recognition Award he won in the Republic of Maldives last week to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, A*o Rock Villa, Abuja on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

01/03/2023

Press Statement

Congratulatory Message to President-Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

_"Tinubu, a Cerebral and Compassionate Leader"_

I most heartily congratulate my benefactor and mentor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, on this amazing victory.

Having worked in very close quarters with him, I know how much passion he has for Nigeria and how deep his desire to help the poor goes.

Nigeria could not have picked a more cerebral and compassionate leader to carry forward the work that has been done by President Muhammadu Buhari in the last eight years.

Today’s victory is testament to the President-Elect’s decades of investment in people, relationships, and institutions. His story is filled with testimonies of the strategic solutions he applied to problems that were thought to be unsolvable. He took on the Atlantic Ocean and defeated it. I am certain that he will lead Nigeria to economic excellence and peaceful coexistence.

Now that we have arrived on the other side of the murky waters of electioneering, it is time we all passed around the towel of understanding and patriotism. I implore the members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to be magnanimous in their triumph and resist the urge to aggravate our opponents. I also call on the opposition to look at the final result as the true will of the people that has come after a fair and free contest. Nigeria’s success is far more important than personal egos.

I, therefore, call on men and women of conscience to see the election as a process, however imperfect it might be, and let the country heal. We cannot afford another crisis.

Once again, I congratulate the President-Elect and the Vice President-Elect on this outstanding feat. Nigerians, congratulations on voting in the most competent team on offer. May God grant them the strength and wisdom to deliver good governance to the people.

Chief Sunday Akin Dare
Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development

20/01/2023

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF SPORTS AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

PRESS RELEASE

FG TO GIVE KADUNA STATE GOVERNMENT CUSTODY OF AHMADU BELLO STADIUM

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the return of Ahmadu Bello Stadium to the Kaduna State Government and thus put the Stadium in the full custody of the State.

The Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr. Sunday Dare disclosed this today in his office in Abuja when he received the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai.

He stated that the Federal Government has approved the return of the facility to the State Government and as such, a Memorandum of Understanding would be signed in order to ensure more development of sporting infrastructure in the area.

Dare informed that the Federal Government has concluded plans to formerly handover the Stadium to Kaduna State Government on January 27, 2023 with a view to ensuring more participation of the country's teeming youth in sporting activities.

He explained that the handing over of the facility will witness a signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Government on the continual development of the sporting infrastructure.

"With the formal handover of the Stadium to the State, Kaduna will now be a muster point for the 19 Northern States to showcase their budding talents as sports in the Zone is now been given a new lease of life", he said.

Dare explained that the Ministry will on January 27, 2023, come to the Stadium in Kaduna; not only to sign an MoU to handover the Stadium to the State but to also witness the novelty match between the Governor and the Minister, organised to motivate young footballers who have chosen to develop the game as a career

He applauded the Governor for leading the trajectory of development in the country through various programmes, projects and initiatives, adding that under the leadership of Mallam El-Rufai, Kaduna has become both the center of political articulation, developmental growth as well as the economic hub for northern political discuss.

The Minister stated further that the Adopt-a-Facility initiative of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration through the Sports and Youth Development Ministry was aimed at leveraging on private investors to renovate and maintain sporting infrastructure across the country. "When we started the initiative, we approached two individuals from the private sector; Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Chief Adebutu Kessington. The third person we went to was the Governor of Kaduna State, who directed his Commissioner of Sports Development to look into all the aspects of renovation needed at Ahmadu Bello Stadium and undertake the necessary renovation, and that was the starting point", he said.

Dare urged other State Governors without a Federal Government owned sporting infrastructure and Stadium to invest in sporting facilities and athletes, stressing that the move will engage about 65 per cent of Nigerian youth who will in no small measure contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.

In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai thanked the Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Sunday Dare and President Muhammadu Buhari in particular, for taking the critical decision of giving Kaduna State the opportunity to be the custodian of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium which he described as a national asset capable of generating huge investments and revenue due to its location in the river bank of the country.

The Governor assured that subsequently, the Stadium will not only be upgraded to a world class standard but will also serve as a developer of key economic and social opportunities for the State and budding athletes.

He explained further that Kaduna State has had a history of producing football talents for the country like Rasheed Yekini, Daniel Amokachi and Tijani Babangida who have done the nation proud at various international competitions.

Earlier, in his welcome remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar thanked the Governor for finding time to visit the Ministry and for his passion for the development of sports in the country.

He assured that the Ministry will continue to ensure full and proper implementation of the policies, programmes and projects of government in line with its mandate.

Signed
Mohammed Manga
Director, Press and Public Relations
January 20, 2023

18/01/2023

No Blackmail Can make Minister Sunday Dare To Support Teslim Folarin – Dare’s Ally

A political group, which dubbed itself Ojo-Oola Oyo has been pointedly told to desist from blackmailing the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.

A close ally of the Minister gave the warning while reacting to a report insinuating that the minister is engaging in anti-party activities.
The group had accused the minister of hobnobbing with PDP leaders in Oyo state, alleging that he had secretly endorsed Governor Seyi Makinde for a second term.

But reacting, the minister’s close ally wondered where those making the unfounded allegations were in 2014 when APC was being formed, asking them to go back to history to see the noble role played by Chief Dare then.

He insisted that the Sports Minister is 100 percent for the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and he has been playing an active role in the ongoing APC presidential campaigns across the country.

“When we were forming the APC in 2014, these renegades and irritants were lilliputians and nowhere around progressive politics.

“It is too late and foolhardy for anyone to try and blackmail Minister Dare. Let Teslim Folarin, Omodewu and their cohorts drink the poison they prepared.

“The minister has made his position known. He is 100 percent for Tinubu/Shettima. He is at present playing a big role in the Presidential rally in Ilorin, Kwara State capital. He has no interest in the Oyo Guber election,” the ally pointedly said.

02/01/2023

PRESS STATEMENT

OBASANJO'S ENDORSEMENT OF MR. PETER OBI IS WORTHLESS

We read with amusement the endorsement of Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his New Year message on Sunday.

Following calls by journalists from various media houses who asked for our reaction we decided to make this preliminary statement, though we didn't consider the so-called endorsement to be of any value.

We respect the democratic right of former President Obasanjo to support and endorse any candidate of his choice in any election.

Except that he made it known formally in his new year message, any discerning political watcher in Nigeria knows that Chief Obasanjo’s preference for Peter Obi is expected. He had earlier stated his position at various public events, the last being at the 70th birthday anniversary of Chief John Nwodo, former President of Ohaneze Ndigbo in Enugu.

We make bold to say that our party and candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not lose sleep over Obasanjo’s move, as Obasanjo is notorious for always opposing progressive political forces, as he did against MKO Abiola in 1993.

The endorsement is actually worthless because the former President does not possess any political goodwill or leverage anywhere in Nigeria to make anyone win a Councillorship election let alone win a Presidential election. He is a political paperweight.

He is also not a democrat anyone should be proud to be associated with.

We recall that in 2003 and 2007 general elections when he was a sitting President, Obasanjo used all the coercive instruments of State at his disposal to railroad people into elective offices against the will of Nigerians as expressed at the polls. In 2007, he declared the polls a do or die affair after he failed in his bid to amend our constitution to have a third term.

From our records, President Obasanjo has not successfully made anyone win election in Nigeria since then.

Not even in Ogun State can anyone rely on his support or endorsement to become a governor or Councillor.

We pity Peter Gregory Obi as we are confident that Chief Obasanjo can not win his polling unit and ward in Abeokuta for Obi in the coming Presidential election on 25 February, 2023.

Chief Obasanjo's endorsement is not a political currency Mr. Peter Obi can spend anywhere in Nigeria because he is not a political force, even in his part of the country.

Chief Obasanjo similarly endorsed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party candidate in 2019 against President Muhammadu Buhari. Atiku was walloped by Buhari with a wide margin in the election.

History will repeat itself in February as our candidate Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu will equally beat Obi by a large margin.

We take a particular notice of the part of the endorsement statement where Chief Obasanjo said none of the presidential candidates is a Saint.

We want to state here that Chief Obasanjo is not a good judge of character. He is a man who considers only himself as the all-knowing Saint in Nigeria.

Over the years, Chief Obasanjo has also convinced himself that integrity, honesty and all good virtues begin and end with him.

Bayo Onanuga
Director, Media & Publicity
APC Presidential Campaign Council
January 1, 2023