The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lanre Issa-Onilu

  • NOA DG urges talent discovery, reaffirms Tinubu’s commitment to reducing out-of-school children

    NOA DG urges talent discovery, reaffirms Tinubu’s commitment to reducing out-of-school children

    As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the 2025 Children’s Day, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has called for greater support in helping children discover and develop their unique talents.

    Speaking during a Children’s Day celebration in Abuja with selected school pupils, themed “Enhancing the Total Wellbeing of the Children Through Quality Education and Skill Development,” Issa-Onilu emphasized the importance of empowering children through education.

    He stressed that investing in quality education is critical to enabling children to realize their full potential. 

    “Education is not merely about acquiring knowledge. It is about fostering curiosity, creativity, confidence, self-reliance, and resilience. It is about helping our children gain the skills they need to thrive in an ever-changing world,” he said.

    The NOA boss also assured attendees of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to reducing the alarming number of out-of-school children in the country.

    According to UNICEF, Nigeria has the highest population of out-of-school children globally, with an estimated 10.5 million children aged 5 to 14 currently not in school. This figure accounts for about one in three Nigerian children and 15% of the global total.

    He added, “So we know that the world we are in is dynamic. Our communities are dynamic. All our lives are dynamic. But education helps to shape it right, and to live right, and be on the right path.”

    He said that is why the agency always pleads with parents to pay attention to their children.

     Stressing on the importance of skill acquisition, Issa-Onilu said: “Skill development must begin and end, whether it is coding, machine, public speaking, medicine, engineering, agriculture, and innovation, among others.

    “Our children should be empowered to discover as much of their own unique talents.”

    Issa-Onilu who was represented by the Director, Abuse, Rights and Narcotics, Theresa Madueke explained that education is meant to help the child shaping God given talent.

    Read Also: Tinubu writes NASS, seeks external borrowing, domestic bond for retirees pension

    He said: “These are things that education will help to shape. So that uniqueness in you will bring out positive results, whether in the area of sciences, entertainment, information, technology, and other areas.”

    He therefore emphasized that the role of NOA is to help develop a Nigerian society that is orderly and responsible. 

    “ So this is attuned with the vision of the National Education Agency to develop a Nigerian society that is orderly, responsible, and easy-going, where citizens demonstrate all values of honesty, hard work, and atrocity, where democratic principles and ideals are upheld, and where peace and social harmony reign.”

    He therefore said investment in education is an investment in the well-being of the society. 

    He said, “Children are the next generation of these thinkers, leaders, innovators, and contributors to national development and growth.

    “By investing in education and well-being, societies set a better programme for well-being, peace, and social harmony. Very important, because when people are well-informed, well-educated, you don’t just attend a meeting and invite them. You have the right information, the quality information, that will make peace reign and harmonious existence.

    “That’s what education will do for every person, and particularly for the children. Because most times, some of the children ask for instruction, and that should stop.”

    On reduction of out of school population, Issa-Onilu said, “The President has vowed to reduce out of school population through innovative initiatives and outlined plans to reintroduce school age children to the classroom.

    Some of the children said the day gave them the opportunity to reflect and connect with friends.

    They also appreciated the government for the introduction of skill acquisition programmes in their schools.

  • NOA intensifies campaign on preventive infectious diseases

    NOA intensifies campaign on preventive infectious diseases

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has intensified its integrated preventive campaign against three seasonal but infectious diseases namely Cholera, Meningitis and Lassa fever.

    Paul Odenyi, deputy director, media and publicity (NOA) said all efforts are in a bid to create the necessary awareness to curb the spread of infectious diseases across Nigeria.

    Odenyi also quoted the director general of the agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, telling heads of state offices involved in the campaigns that a lack of awareness of the required preventive measures contributes to the recurrence of the epidemic around Nigeria every year.

    The statement further noted: “For Cerebrospinal Meningitis, the DG emphasised the contribution of changes in weather, resulting in extreme heat, especially around the Northern part of the country.

    Read Also: ‘Underage mothers, diseases, delayed healthcare access contributing to maternal mortality in Nigeria’

    “The campaign against Lassa Fever which began around August 2024 is giving way to the sensitisation on the spread of CSM which results from extreme heat waves, while the rise of cholera follows the flow of open defecation into water bodies, which serve as a source of water to several communities in Nigeria. The integrated campaign is expected to take off in April as the rainy season sets in. 

    “According to the agency, the first stage of the integrated Campaign started from selected states of the six (6) geo-political zones in Nigeria namely; Ondo, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Bauchi and Ebonyi states as shown by epidemiological data from the National Centre for Disease Control. The campaign is to spread to Yobe and Borno states where reports of the CSM outbreak were earlier recorded.

    “The Agency also highlighted some preventive measures citizens can observe to reduce the spread of these infectious diseases, they include taking personal hygiene seriously; regular washing of hands with sanitiser or soap; safe processing of food; and general environmental sanitization.

    “The core objective of the campaign is educating citizens on basic personal hygiene to mitigate the spread of these diseases.”

  • NOA boss blames lack of national identity on religious, ethnic division 

    NOA boss blames lack of national identity on religious, ethnic division 

    The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu has identified the lack of national identity for the country’s divide along ethnic and religious identity. 

    Onilu said the citizen must be able to have a definition of who Nigerians are.

    He said every developed country has national identity which  is regarded as national value. 

    To address the challenge, he said the agency developed a national value charter, which speaks to the responsibility of the country to the  citizens and the obligation of the citizens to the country. 

    He dicosed this during a media parly in Abuja.

    He said: “The reason why we have failed is because national identity has not evolved. And that’s why we all fall back on our ethnic or religious identity.

    “So, we felt we must have a national idendefication  which has the  components of the definition of who Nigerians are. 

    “So, the values that we came up with, we felt must be a charter, an agreement, a contract, a social contract between the country and the citizens. 

     “So, the National Values Charter has two components. One is what we call the Nigerian Promise, which is the promise that this country is making to all of us as citizens.

    Read Also: Shettima criticises Kemi Badenoch for ‘denigrating’ Nigeria

    “That is the motivation. And we said, patrotism itself is an emotional issue.

    “You cannot enforce it. You cannot legislate it. You must motivate it.

    “So, there must be a promise, something that motivates you to want to be patrotic. So, do we have anything that motivates patrotism in this country? 

    He also said: “But let me say, now we have a government in place that is a reforming government. And never before have we seen a situation where a government is carrying out the kind of reforms that we are seeing now.

    “These are reforms that require three basic things. One is vision. We needed a leader who has the vision to understand exactly what we needed to do.

    “We also required a leader who has the courage to implement a vision. And lastly, we need a leader that has the intelligence to be able to harness all the positives around him and translate that to prosperity for the country. For some of us who worked and supported the then-candidate, Pemba Ahmed Chimugu, we relied on our knowledge of who he is, and also on the fact that he has gone through this before, for eight years as governor of Lagos state.

    “So it was on this basis that we gave our support and thankfully he emerged as the president of this country. And whatever we expected is what we have seen in the last one year plus reforms, in whatever way you want to describe it. And I imagine if we had this kind of reforms 30 years ago, certainly we would not be where we are today.”

  • 2019 elections: Why we lost some of our states, by APC

    National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu has said that the party lost election in some key states controlled by it because the party and government controlled by it gave every Nigerian the opportunity to contest election freely without interference in the electoral process.

    The APC lost the governorship elections in Imo, Adamawa, Bauchi and Oyo states, four states controlled by APC governors, while losing the Presidential election in Oyo, Ondo and Edo states.

    Onilu told a group of Reporters at the weekend that before the 2019 elections, it was unheard of that the ruling party lost election in states controlled by it.

    He said: “In Sokoto, we lost by less than 500 votes, but in Kano, we won by thousands of votes. Which one is narrow? Is it the Sokoto that PDP have claimed they have won with three hundred or Kano that we won by over 20,000 votes, so it is not narrow.

    “But the important thing to note is that, and that’s my word. Being a journalist myself, I begin to ask myself, what has happened to us in the media? That our role is to interpret events.

    “If we interpret these events very well, you will notice that you have a ruling party that is supposed to mobilize all the resources of coercion and all instrument of coercion to get what we want. You just said that we lost some States, major States.

    “I will tell you that the only reason that happened was because this party has provided a platform for people to go and face the electorate and for the electorate to pass judgement on the people that have been put forward without anybody doing anything against it.

    “We have just talked about Rivers State. Whatever was going on in Rivers State, as far as this party is concerned, belongs to people of Rivers State. Otherwise we will say okay, move in and do that. We have witnessed it in this country under PDP that the whole state would be locked down. Their own method is win by all means, let others go to tribunal. We didn’t apply that.

    “You have seen major politicians in this country, big politicians in this country losing election in this country even in our own party. You saw a serving governor in Oyo State who couldn’t win one-third of the State. A governor who is governing the entire State couldn’t win one-third of the entire State to get to the Senate.

    “You saw a struggle that is still going on in Akwa-Ibom State, with somebody of the calibre of Godswill Akpabio. Even though we know there are issues to that and it would be corrected but at the same time, we should have deployed, in such a way that we will want to arm-twist anybody or the system or manipulate the system.

    “That question did not even arise at all and I think the media should step back from the millieu, so that they don’t get carried away by that kind of ‘flu’ politicians are going with so that they can see the issue clearly and say what is responsible for this.

    “You could see that we lost Oyo in presidential election where we have a sitting governor. We lost Ondo where we have a sitting governor. But because we didn’t want to condone impunity, we did all we did in Imo in a way to undermine ourselves. The choice we had was to either to accept what would have amounted to the impunity, so that we could win Imo ordo the right thing. But we said no, we would rather do what is decent.”

    Read Also: APC’s growing ideological clarity

    On the chances of the party ahead of the 2023 elections, Onilu expressed confidence that the outcome of the 2019 elections has further increased the chances of the APC, saying “the chances are even now brighter.

    “You know why? Nigerians have shown that they have also come of age and that no matter who you are, you can be rejected. See what happened in Kwara State for instance. With the behemoth status of somebody like Bukola Saraki whose opponent’s results nearly doubled his own, not a single person was slapped. He couldn’t even go to tribunal to protest.

    “The only way this could happen was because voters have come up of age, and they now look at performance unlike sentiments that they’ve been following.

    Speaking on the just concluded elections in Rivers state, Onilu said “we don’t have anything to do with the Rivers State election. APC didn’t have candidates in Rivers State and that is why from the beginning, we didn’t throw ourselves so much into it.

    “You know what the Supreme Court did. They said we were not qualified to contest. So, on that basis, whatever happened in Rivers, whether a Local Government that gave 80% total votes during the Presidential election suddenly produced 320,000 for Wike during governorship election didn’t hurt us in any way.

    “If INEC says that was correct, fine. It is up to the parties involved to take actions if they find it necessary. But for us as a party, we didn’t have the opportunity to contest unfairly in Rivers State.

    On the adoption of the candidate of the African Action Congress by the party, Onilu said the APC as a party never adopted any candidate, but was quick to stress that the party also did not forbid any local arrangement that may have been made in the state.7f

    He said: “What happened last time was whether what Amaechi did amounted to anti-party activities and I said No. Adopting any candidate in the state did not deny any of our candidates anything in Rivers State. So, I separated what happened in Rivers from Ogun and Imo where we had our own candidates and our own members worked against own candidates and worked for some other candidates.

    “It is different in Rivers. Whatever local arrangement they had there, we were not aware of it and we were not part of it. I’m sure you didn’t see anybody there campaigning for anybody outside of APC.”

    He also dismissed insinuations that the Kwara state governor-elect was enmeshed in a certificate scandal and therefore not qualified to contest the election.

    He said “there is no any scandal. You see, APC is a party of due process. Once you comply with your own rules, things become easy for you. We have a process and they (the then governorship aspirants) went through the right process.

    “We are confident and completely certain that our governor-elect has nothing to hide. The certificates are genuine. You see, it is laughable that of all things, they cannot come out to say the election was rigged because they were traced even beyond their own imagination.

    “So, they think maybe they could find something to use at the tribunal because they can’t just walk away. But they need to wake up and face the reality of that defeat because it is an eternal defeat”.

  • ‘We welcome observers, but won’t accept interference in our electoral process’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that while it welcome foreign observers coming to monitor the 2019 general election, it will not accept any form of meddlesomeness, intimidation or interference by any foreign country in the electoral process in the guise of election monitoring.

    The party said those coming to observe the election should be aware that Nigeria was a sovereign state and not a colony of any nation and should therefore apply international best practices in carrying out their functions as election observers.

    National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu said in a statement in Abuja that the party was solidly behind the statement credited to the Kaduna state Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, adding that they were ready to defend the integrity of the nation.

    Onilu said “We stand fully by the statement as regards any country that thinks we are a colony; that we have a right to defend every inch of this country; and we are not a banana republic.

    “So what Governor El-Rufai said clearly is the position of this government that we are proud as Nigerians and we are ready to defend the integrity of this country and that any country that thinks in the name of election will want to interfere and dictate to us or intimidate us in any way, it is unacceptable. That is exactly what Governor El-Rufai has said. The PDP can twist it the way they want.

    “Governor El-Rufai never said people should not come and observe or monitor elections. And he was not referring to people who are genuinely coming to monitor and observe the elections. Nigerians also go to other countries as monitors and observers. So that is acceptable to us. We welcome peer review. What we don’t welcome and what is unacceptable to us is any country thinking we are a colony, we are not. We are a sovereign nation.”

    On the development within the party in Imo state, Onilu said the National Working Committee of the party was yet t9 take a decisi. On the disciplinary action taken against the Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha by the state chapter of the party.

    He said “We are aware of the situation in Imo and we have made our point clear. Let me reiterate that APC does not have an alliance with any party including the Action Alliance. We are not in alliance with any party whatsoever in this election.

    “However, we welcome support for our candidates from any party, but we do not have such an arrangement that accommodate the candidate of any other party besides APC candidates. In Imo and all the thirty-six states, including the FCT, we are campaigning for APC candidates and we expect APC candidates to win elections anywhere we are campaigning in a free and fair atmosphere.

    “We are also aware of the fact the Party’s local chapter has taken some disciplinary action as regards the Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. In last few weeks, we have been going round the country to present our scorecard before Nigerians and to seek a renewal of this mandate to continue the good work that President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on.

    “The National Working Committee has not been able to seat on that and many other issues pending. In due course the NWC will meet and that may be one of the issues that will be considered.

    “As at today, the real issue in Imo is to emphasise the fact that APC is supporting all APC candidates in Imo and we do not recognise candidates that are not from the APC. We encourage the people of Imo to vote massively for APC candidates. The governorship candidate in Imo remains Senator Hope Uzodinma.”

    On the party’s preparedness for elections, he said “The APC has been working on a daily basis through our activities in terms of implementation of policy and programmes that touch on the common people. These are what we are now showcasing to the public as a means of telling them that the change we promised is actually taking place; seeking a renewal of the mandate they gave us almost four years ago

    “As we all can see, PDP missed the bus. They got to the bus station and instead of boarding the bus; PDP is busy picking on issues that do not concern them. All the time they ought to be campaigning, they wake up on daily basis based on their infamous Dubai strategy meeting that failed before they landed in the country

    “PDP showed abinitio that they were not coming into the elections to win it through the ballots. They put in place all sort of methods and illegal means they had wanted to deploy one after the other to get back to power through the backdoor. The PDP was busy creating false and fake news, spreading all sort of fallacies and that has now come to be their undoing.

    “It is clear that the elections in February 16, the election on March 2 are elections that the APC has demonstrated clearly that we are ready to win. The PDP has not offered any alternative to whatever APC is doing.

    “When you look at the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, he said on national television that one of his priorities is to make his friends rich but we are busy improving the lives of the common people. Nigerian will remember that. Atiku has said he is coming to sell national assets to his foreign and local friends.

    “The question we are going to ask during the election with our PVCs is what happened to all the national assets during the 16years of the PDP and especially when Atiku was vice president and chairman of the privatization council. National assets were sold for a pittance and they have all gone down.

    Read Also: FG invited our observers, EU replies El-Rufai

    “The only things that remain today are those that are personal to him. The gains he made from his position as vice president. This is the person that is contesting against our candidate. A person we just discovered paid heavily to get a 24-hours entrance into the US. That is the kind of person we want to have as president. Nigerians won’t do that.”

    He also frowned at the criticism that has trailed the redeployment of Commissioners of Police, saying “Few weeks ago, it was the same PDP that was crying that the police have been compromised and that the former Inspector General of Police was poised to deliver the election to APC. Now the president has taken the position by appointing a new IGP. Now I don’t know where the noise is coming from.

    “There is no need to deceive ourselves. The whole noise about the posting of commissioners of police is about Kwara state, Dr. Bukola Saraki who is scared stiff remembering all he had done  in the past when he had the control. What he normally used the police for, the way he used to manipulate INEC and he is thinking that the same thing may happen to him.

    “How could you suggest to the police not to carry out its routine exercise. If the police think it is part of its preparation to ensure a free and fair election, provide security before and after the election is to move its personnel around, how does that bother anybody?

    “It is because Bukola Saraki has realised without having control over INEC and the police, there is no way he can win his seat to comeback as a senator. He cannot even deliver his polling unit, without being aided by the police and INEC and that is what he has been doing before but is no longer available for him.

    “But let me assure him and his co travellers, the APC doesn’t need those illegal things to win elections. Infact, we need them to do their jobs, we need them to provide a level playing field to all political parties. That is all we want from the police, that is all we want from INEC. We don’t need the template Bukola Saraki and the PDP have been using and we are not going to use it.”

     

     

     

  • Explain how you got to the US, APC challenges Atiku

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar to come clean and explain to Nigerians circumstances surrounding his recent trip to the United States of American.

    Media reports quoting Reuters News agency have it the former Vice President paid heavy bribe to secure a temporary waiver of his alleged travel ban as a result of alleged corruption charges.

    In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu, APC also accused the PDP and its presidential candidate of elevating falsehood and crying wolf in an attempt to discredit the forth coming general election even before it is conducted.

    The APC said: “Again, in the wake of the recent Reuters report that Atiku visited the US two weeks ago thanks to heavily paid lobbyists who aided the temporary suspension of a travel ban linked to decade-old bribery scandals and corruption indictments, we urge Atiku to come clean to Nigerians on his problems. This is the least he owes an electorate he wishes to lead.”

    “As the 2019 general elections fast approaches, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has watched with consternation how the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the last couple of weeks has elevated falsehood and crying wolf into an ignoble art.

    “Nigerians have also watched in disbelief how the PDP without proof has consistently and vehemently pilloried state institutions performing various roles in the coming general elections.

    “From security agencies to our election management body, the PDP has spared none its barefaced lies.

    “On a daily basis, the PDP has invented one lie after the other to discredit state institutions in the eyes of Nigerians and the international community.

    Read Also: APC, PDP step up attacks

    “PDP’s ignoble actions are unhealthy for our electoral processes and a threat to our maturing democracy.

    “The PDP’s game plan is simple: Discredit the entire process before, during and after the elections in order to make the final outcome a “nullity” in its own jaundiced eyes.

    “The PDP must understand that all registered political parties are equal stakeholders in the coming elections; hence the PDP’s tired narrative that the entire election process is skewed against it should be seen for what it is – PDP’s admittance of defeat.

    “The era of sham elections is behind us. The records of credible elections conducted since the APC took over the country’s governance are public knowledge compared to selections, impositions and fraudulent elections under the PDP.

    “We will continue in our progressive tradition of ensuring that elections are free, peaceful credible and every vote counts — The wishes of the electorate must prevail in all elections.

    “Against this backdrop, we urge INEC and other state institutions responsible for different election duties to remain firm and focused in the discharge of their legitimate roles. They must not be stampeded into taking actions that run contrary to the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

    “Our free advice to the PDP is that it concentrates its energy to resuscitate its floundering campaign, which has seen majority of its governors tacitly and openly avoid supporting the presidential bid of the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar.”

  • APC official website hacked

    The All Progressives Congress(APC) on Saturday said its official website, apc.com.ng, had been hacked with unauthorized content posted on its pages.

    Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary, who disclosed this in a statement, said he had directed for the site to be taken down.

    Read Also: Disqualification: APC appeals judgment

    “Our attention has just been drawn to the fact that the APC’s official website, apc.com.ng, has been hacked with unauthorised content posted on our pages.

    “I have instructed that the site be taken down. Steps are underway to clean it up, strengthen the security and restore it as soon as possible.

    “We won’t allow desperate people to succeed in their evil plots,” the APC spokesman said.

    NAN

  • I was not expelled from Kwara APC, says Balogun-Fulani

    The court recognised Ishola Balogun-Fulani led executive committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state on Friday said the National Working Committee (NWC) had not expelled he and his exco from the party.

    Balogun-Fulani, told reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, that none of them was ever queried by the NWC let to warrant the execution of disciplinary action against them.

    Spokesperson of the APC, Lanre Isa-Onilu had in the wake of the court decision declared the judgement was of no effect since the Balogun-Fulani executive committee had been expelled allegedly for anti-party activities.

    He used the occasion to announce the composition of a Campaign Council for factional governorship candidate Kayode AbdulWahab.

    But the Kwara APC chairman insisted the midweek judgment directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise his executive committee and accept the list of candidates submitted by his group for the 2019 general elections.

    Balogun- Fulani also announced the constitution of a reconciliation committee to work on aggrieved party members, saying he will inaugurate the committee early next week so that its members can start work in earnest.

    But Balogun-Fulani described Issa- Onilu’s position as false, saying since the APC spokesman was not on board during the initial crisis he had little authentic information to comment on.

    He added: “We read online and on social media that  Kwara State APC Executive led by Balogun-Fulani has been expelled.

    “We make bold to say that Lanre Issa Onilu is lying because the APC constitution spelt out the procedure for discipline under Section 21b.

    “Up till date no letter, query on compliance has been made against me or any of the executive members under my leadership.

    “We have been in  court since July 2018 where a court of competent jurisdiction has given an injunction on the party’s national chairman that status quo be maintaining until determination of the main case.

    “Therefore no any action can be taken outside that order. For emphasis, no letter or query has ever been received from the party’s national headquarters as regards to the activities of Kwara state APC executive committee or any of her members in accordance with Article 21b of APC Constitution.”

     

  • Eid-el-Maulud: APC urges Nigerians to be wary of promises by politicians

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday advised Nigerians, especially Muslims, as they celebrate the Eid-el-Maulud, to be wary of empty promises and antics of some politicians ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu,the APC National Publicity Secretary, gave the advice in a statement in Abuja, while felicitating with the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of Eid-el-Maulud.

    The Eid-el-Maulud is the celebration of the birthday of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

    “With the commencement of political campaigns ahead of the 2019 general elections, we are at a critical juncture where we must make the right choice in who leads us at all levels of governance.

    “We must be wary of the empty promises and antics of the same people who oversaw the ruining of the country and now parade themselves as newly-converted saints with promises of a Nigerian Eldorado,’’ he said.

    Read Also: Eid-El-Maulud: FG declares Tuesday public holiday

    Onilu noted that the occasion calls on Muslims and indeed Nigerians, irrespective of religious affiliations, to apply the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (SAW) which bordered on peaceful coexistence, tolerance, justice, charity and piety.

    This, he said, was especially as we collectively worked for the peace, progress and development of the country.

    He, however, added that the party’s victories in the bye-elections conducted last Saturday in Katsina, Bauchi and Kwara states were yet another solid expression that Nigeria preferred the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration.

    “We must build on this momentum and support going into the general elections,’’ the APC spokesman said.

    He added that with the lunch of the APC manifesto for the 2019 election campaign tagged, “Next Level,’’ Nigerians were now faced with a choice.

    Onilu said the choice was between returning the President Buhari administration which was rebuilding the country in all facets and accountability over waste, probity and impunity and a self-serving cartel.

  • PDP, a damaged product, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the main opposition Party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a damaged product showing no regret for its retrogressive old practices which brought the country to its knees.

    National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu said in a statement in Abuja that it is becoming increasingly clear to the electorate that the PDP is not a party to either be trusted or taken seriously as it has missed out on the opportunity to apologize and show remorse for the cruelty it wrought on our country while in power.

    Issa-Onilu accused the PDP of spreading fake news, misinformation and distortion of facts as focal campaign strategies for the 2019 elections.

    The APC said it supports ongoing global media attention and efforts to check the proliferation of fake news particularly as the country gears up for campaigns ahead of the 2019 elections

    “The consequences of fake news are often dire as it inflames perceived divisions in our communities; fuels hate speech, leads to violence and distorts democratic processes, among others.

    “Disturbingly, the country’s main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its discredited agents, have continued to deploy the loathsome strategy of fake news, misinformation and distortion of facts as focal campaign strategies for the 2019 elections.

    “While the APC is not surprised at the PDP’s typical theatrics in an attempt to evade scrutiny for its 16 years of mis-governance, it is instructive to the electorate that no lessons have been learnt by the prodigal party. It is indeed clear to the electorate that the PDP is not a party to either be trusted or taken seriously as it has missed out on the opportunity to apologize and show remorse for the cruelty it wrought on our country while in power.

    “What we witness instead is its weekly disgraceful and embarrassing shadow chasing through fake news and spurious allegations. PDP cannot pull the wool over the eyes of the good people of this country. It can cry wolf for all it cares, Nigerians won’t be deceived.

    Read Also: Suspect held for attacking APC defectors

    “PDP remains a damaged product showing no regret for its retrogressive old practices which brought the country to its knees in terms of our infrastructure, economy, security, values and standing among nations of the world.

    “Instead of engaging the electorate on serious issues of development such as health, education, economy, foreign policy, security, corruption, pension, job creation, infrastructure development among others, the PDP and its agents have chosen to populate the mainstream and social media space with ludicrous fake news and infantile conspiracy theories, moving from one absurdity to another.

    “While the PDP ups its game as a crybaby, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration is busy building a new Nigeria for our collective progress, peace, unity and prosperity. We are restoring our country to its deserved standing among the comity of progressive nations; fighting corruption and repairing our value system, diversifying our economic revenue base, creating jobs and economic opportunities for Nigerians, particularly the poor; bringing succour to the insurgency-ravaged North-East; reforming the oil industry, power, defence, pensions, and other critical sectors; creating a world-class transportation system, amongst others.”