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The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has pledged to halt crude oil theft and ensure adequate feedstock for Nigeria’s refineries if elected president in the 2027 election.
Adebayo said tackling crude theft would be central to his administration’s strategy to strengthen domestic refining, improve energy security, and reduce poverty without imposing additional financial burdens on Nigerians.
The SDP candidate made the remarks while speaking in an interview on ARISE NEWS, where he outlined some of the economic policies contained in his presidential blueprint.
Adebayo said Nigeria could significantly improve crude availability for domestic refineries by ending the diversion of crude oil and strengthening monitoring of production and transportation.
“If I stop associating with thieves, stop doing business with them, and stop stealing the crude—which we can easily monitor with Gulf of Guinea—you can’t steal the crude,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria had previously set aside substantial crude volumes to support domestic refining as part of efforts to reduce poverty and improve the availability of petroleum products.
He said the volume originally earmarked for domestic refining was about 450,000 barrels per day, adding that increasing domestic refining capacity would reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products.
Adebayo argued that the country could guarantee sufficient crude supplies to its refineries without necessarily increasing government expenditure if crude theft was effectively eliminated.
“That alone, without any additional expenditure, I will be able to guarantee you adequate supply,” he said.
The SDP candidate also maintained that government must play an active role in strategic sectors of the economy rather than completely withdrawing from commercial activities.
He said Nigeria’s mixed-economy model justified government investment in areas such as energy, agriculture, aviation and manufacturing, particularly where such investments could create employment and strengthen essential services.
“Our Constitution says we will run a mixed economy, and I’m not shy about government jobs. After all, why should I deny a Nigerian a government job? The job I’m asking for—the presidency—is a government job,” Adebayo said.
He also proposed large-scale investment in renewable energy, including a plan to install between 11 and 15 kilowatts of solar capacity on every roof within 11 months of assuming office.
Adebayo said the initiative would not only improve electricity access but also create employment through the local production and installation of solar equipment.
He projected that the proposed solar clusters could generate as much as 32,000 megawatts, while the national grid would serve primarily as a backup system.
The SDP candidate said his approach would be to use government spending to address multiple challenges simultaneously, arguing that expenditure on sectors such as education and electricity could also translate into job creation.
He said, “I’m thinking that the money I spend on education is also going to employment, because teachers are going to earn salaries.”
Adebayo’s proposals form part of his broader 2027 campaign agenda, which focuses on strategic government investment, domestic production, employment generation and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods and services.
