PRESS STATEMENT World Teachers Day: ADC PCC Salutes Nigerian Teachers, Condemns APC’s Neglect The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has saluted Nigerian teachers for their invaluable service to the nation and humanity, describing them as the backbone of national development and the custodians of the country’s future. In a goodwill message to mark the 2026 World Teachers’ Day, the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, said teachers had continued to mould lives, build character and sustain Nigeria’s education system despite years of neglect, hardship and deteriorating working conditions. Ologbondiyan described Nigerian teachers as “true heroes,” commending their sacrifice, dedication, resilience and patriotic commitment to the nation. “Nigerian teachers are true heroes. They have continued to mould lives, build character and sustain our educational system even in the face of neglect and hardship. “On this special day, the ADC-PCC celebrates their sacrifice, dedication, resilience and patriotic service to our dear country.” He, however, condemned what he described as the worsening hardship confronting teachers under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration, arguing that government policies had made it increasingly difficult for teachers to discharge their responsibilities effectively. According to him, the removal of petroleum subsidy without adequate cushioning measures, poor and irregular salaries, inadequate welfare packages, insufficient training and retraining, dilapidated school infrastructure and the rising cost of living have combined to make life increasingly unbearable for teachers across the country. “It is disheartening that those who teach our children, who nurture our future leaders, doctors, engineers and scientists are themselves living in pain. “How can a teacher teach effectively on an empty stomach? How can a teacher give his best when he cannot afford transportation to school because of high fuel prices, when his salary cannot meet his monthly needs, when he has no adequate medical insurance and cannot afford decent accommodation?” he queried. Ologbondiyan further alleged that the teaching profession had been significantly devalued under the APC administration, with many teachers in primary and secondary schools poorly remunerated, while tertiary education workers have repeatedly embarked on strikes over what he described as government’s failure to adequately address their welfare and working conditions. Despite these challenges, he said Nigerian teachers had remained committed to their duties and deserved not only commendation but a fundamental improvement in their welfare and professional conditions. The ADC-PCC spokesman assured teachers that an ADC administration under its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would make teachers’ welfare and the transformation of the education sector a major priority. He said the party would pursue prompt payment of living wages, improved allowances, comprehensive health insurance, affordable housing, continuous professional development and a conducive teaching and learning environment. “The ADC will place education and teachers’ welfare at the centre of its national development agenda because no nation can rise above the quality of its teachers,” he said. Ologbondiyan called on Nigerian teachers to remain hopeful, assuring them that the ADC would restore dignity, professionalism and pride to the teaching profession if given the mandate to lead the country in 2027. “On behalf of the ADC Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, and the entire Campaign Council, we wish all Nigerian teachers a happy World Teachers’ Day. “Your labour will not be in vain,” he concluded. Signed: Kola Ologbondiyan Director, Media and Publicity ADC Presidential Campaign Council.

PRESS STATEMENT ADC PCC Tackles Shettima Over Claim Tinubu Saved Nigeria From Collapse The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADCPCC) has taken a swipe at Vice President Kashim Shettima’s claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu saved Nigeria from economic collapse, arguing that the current administration cannot disown the record of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government under former President Muhammadu Buhari. The council said Shettima’s assertion that Nigeria was heading towards “Caracas” before Tinubu assumed office was an indictment of the Buhari administration, which, like the Tinubu government, was elected on the platform of the APC. The reaction was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan. Ologbondiyan said Shettima, in an attempt to defend what he described as the abysmal failures of the Tinubu administration, had resorted to rewriting the history of the APC. He said if Nigeria was indeed heading towards economic collapse before Tinubu took office, as claimed by the Vice President, then the APC must accept responsibility for the situation because it controlled the Federal Government for eight years under Buhari. “Vice President Shettima’s statement is self-indicting. If Nigeria was heading to Caracas under Buhari, it means Buhari and the APC deceived Nigerians for eight years. “And if that is the case, why should Nigerians believe Tinubu, who is of the same APC stock and was a major promoter and defender of the Buhari administration?” Ologbondiyan queried. He said the APC could not disown its own record, recalling that Tinubu had repeatedly defended the Buhari administration and assured Nigerians that his government would build on Buhari’s legacy. According to him, the attempts by Tinubu and Shettima to distance the present administration from Buhari amount to an admission that the APC has failed Nigerians. “But Nigerians do not know Buhari as an individual; Nigerians know APC. It is the APC, on whose platform President Tinubu is seeking a second term, that has failed Nigerians for almost 12 years and is undeserving of another four years,” he said. Ologbondiyan accused the APC government of failing across several sectors, citing the state of roads, electricity, public institutions and the rising cost of living. He said the immediate concern of Nigerians was not political propaganda but access to affordable food and basic necessities. “Our roads are no longer motorable, there is no electricity, our institutions have collapsed. But what concerns ordinary Nigerians today is food, food and food, not baseless propaganda. “President Tinubu has not saved Nigeria from collapse; he has pushed the country deeper into economic ruin, marked by unprecedented hunger, hyperinflation, naira devaluation, insecurity, mass unemployment and excruciating cost of living,” he said. The ADC campaign council spokesman further argued that Nigerians were already experiencing what Shettima described as the “Caracas” scenario, not merely heading towards it. “Nigerians are not heading to Caracas; under the APC, Nigerians are already living the Caracas experience in their own country,” Ologbondiyan said. He also faulted Shettima’s promise to deploy 10,600 electric tricycles, 300 buses and electric taxis under an e-logistics programme “in the coming weeks”, describing it as another promise that Nigerians should treat with caution. Ologbondiyan reminded the Vice President of the administration’s earlier promise that transportation costs would come down by October 1, 2026, asking Nigerians to judge the government by its delivery rather than fresh promises. The ADCPCC urged Shettima and the APC to stop what it described as attempts to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians through revisionist narratives and instead acknowledge the challenges confronting the country. The council also assured...