 Let's see all the breakfasts and plus TV Africa, let's look at our second conversation quickly. Now the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has scheduled to meet with the Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, today as part of efforts to consolidate and plan for electronic transmission of results in a 2023 January elections. The meeting would include the chief of executive of four major telecommunication operators in the country on identified blind spots in the country's telecom communication infrastructure. The INEC chairman said the commission was working with the NCC to find a solution for effective transmission of results from every part of the country in real time. The discussion like I mentioned earlier on will be centered around the access or center around access and connectivity. Now since the return to democracy in 1999, Nigerians have continued to hope for a better and more transparent election process that will give them the opportunity to use their votes and ask their voices. Now for the very first time, Nigerians feel that the days of election are largely over with the introduction of the beavers as an electronic device that will be used to electronically accredited registered voters within the polling unit and also transmit election results from polling units to the INEC server. Now there are several questions. Will the beavers prevent the rigging of the elections come 2023? Is access and connection seamless in the 774 local government across the Federation? These are some of the questions that we're asking now. We have our guests joining us this morning to make sense of the conversation. Dr. Chike. Good morning. Dr. Chike, it's good to have you join us. He's a senior lecturer of school of media and communications in Degas. Thank you. Good morning. And thank you for having me today. All right. So I'd like to ask just 81 days from the portal of INEC countdown to the 2023 elections, do you think that we have enough time to solve the issue of access and connectivity across the 774 local governments? So I think the point necessarily, I mean INEC isn't just on the election matters today. They have been on these for many years, so they know that they were going to transmit results using the electronic method rather than the manual method, right? So it's not just the counting from today, but this should be something that they should have prepared towards very well. In fact, they know so well that they would need to do the right things and click the right button. So I think the time in ease isn't short, rather I think it's right. In fact, they have stressed over that they have done some test runs in rural Zanfara as a hit, as that this could be. And even in some part in the west of Nigeria, I think somewhere in Iqiti or Oshun. So they are the right track. I don't think the timeline is a problem whatsoever because they're not just jumping on each now. They've been prepared and they know what to do. Should the electoral empire have a second option, you know, some sort of alternative if the BVAS doesn't work, should they just say, you know what, we're going to have change our style, have some alternative, you know, maybe allow, you know, manual check. I know that you can be checked but accreditation must be done biometrically. Should we just allow room for error, call it that. Yeah, so this is what we should run away from, you know, trying to look for ways to say, OK, if this doesn't work, let's go back to manual. We know how our country is and if that clause is put in, I'm sure every other party, even where the electronic device can even work, they will tell you it can't work and then they'll reverse back to manual. I don't think that should be an option. I mean, in every way in the world, Kenya had their election and then they used the electronic device and then it worked well. Yes, there will be problems but you cannot compare that with the manual voting. There are massive, massive problems with the manual voting, the electronic voting result transmission I should say would reduce these election infractions to a significant level. So I think that issue of, OK, let's have the manual as a backup, shouldn't even be on the table. What INEC is doing now by having a meeting with NCC today to discuss on those issues and see how they can absolutely tidy up those blind spots and those parts where there will be poor or no network, cyber or signal at all, is what we should be talking about rather than saying let's give room for, OK, it should be electronic transmission doesn't work due to data or cyber issues, then we can reverse back to manual. I don't think that should be an option. In fact, the bank itself, there are banks in rural areas. I don't think people walking to banks and the cashier on point there wouldn't even check the system to be sure that the person has exactly the amount of money before doing out such cash to the person. So if the banks can do this, I don't see any reason why INEC should stick to... The banks are in, mostly if you look at them, they are in urban centers and that's what it is. We can't compare the infrastructure that we have in urban centers without in the rural communities. Now we also, I'm sure you want to agree with me that infrastructure, basic infrastructure also aid telecommunications to establish their services in these communities, especially when you look at developed climes and so I don't know, there are some villages that are very remote and very local in the sense that you don't even have motorable roads in 2022, not to even talk about having the infrastructure, basic infrastructure that should be in these communities and then not to also talk about the fact that if you don't have this basic infrastructure then you don't have the telecommunication present in this community 81 days, I'm still asking, are we talking reality here or we're just trying to be very spiritual about it? So I think I understand your concern, I think it's a concern of a couple of persons, but like I said, INEC isn't just jumping on these today, they know these areas where there are connection issues and that is why they have said that they are working with NCC, in fact an association of telecom practitioners or so, I'm also sure what their name is, they have written to INEC to say that they would support them. We've got the infrastructure to ensure that people can absolutely get connected in these places, it's just about the willpower and the push, even if we want to accept that there are some parts in Nigeria where the internet penetration is completely low or not even viable at all, but we would agree that these are just a significant number, and what INEC can do, given this period, working with the NCC is to find ways to ensure that those areas can be connected properly. We have the infrastructure for these, Nigeria has the highest, if not, the mobile penetration in Africa, we've got the size, we know what to do, and if we are ready, we can absolutely do it, and like I said again, it's not a function of looking at it from now, how many days to the elections, INEC isn't just getting on it today, yes they are having a meeting with NCC today, but we know that modalities have been put in place to ensure that real-time results are being released via the internet, even in rural areas, and they did say in one of their press releases that they have tried these in rural areas as deep as Zafara is, and it did work, so if that can work there, I think it's just a little bit of a shake here and here, here and there, and we are at the right place to go. I just think that, go on. Okay, Dr. Nbariji, I mean the government itself, if you look at the the national development plan 2021 to 2025, which was launched last year by the president, Mohamed Buhari, you look at the statistics, it shows that 301 local government areas at the time were without internet access in Nigeria, that's a lot, if you look at the fact that Nigeria has 774 local government areas, even if they were to do anything about it, going by the plan of the federal government, the national development plan 2021 to 2025, and a lot of people don't know Nigeria has a development plan like China does, because they're not seeing the results. If they will hit it, their plan is to ensure they're projecting that 697 local governments will have internet access by 2023, and if you hear government say this, you probably think by the end of 2023 because of how things work in the country, but even if they were to achieve those 697 by the first day in 2023, you still will have 77 local government areas without internet access in 2023. This is a problem, isn't it? How can this amount it if you agree it's a problem? So it is a problem, right? This, like, I mean, you know, the problem with us is we live fit to the last minute, and then we hound on it and then magnify it and then make it look so huge. The point is, I mean, is it just jumping on this bandwagon today? Yes, the government has identified these spots, but I still stress there are some villages where we've got penetrations of mobile signals and internet, right? Even if the government is stressing and saying that the plan is in 2023, these cards would then be connected, right? What has happened since then up to now? There has absolutely been a massive move. There are places you would get to, right, and you would never even believe that you would even have signals there. There are some mobile telcos that have got high-rich penetration. In fact, in the key point there, NCC stuff talked about working with a big four, and this big four do have the infrastructure to tie into these places. I do not think that the absolute need would be now to get us in to some extent electronic stuff and use manuals for these areas. Election is not a day stuff. It's been planned for many years, and INEC knows what they have, they know their capacity, NCC knows their capacity, they know the infrastructure that they have. If they think that they can do this and transmit results in every part of the country, we cannot sit here and say they cannot because INEC has someone suggested the use of satellite technology. They should provide coverage for these over 300 areas that don't have 3G access. Do you think that is workable use of satellite technology to cover these areas? Of course, that's an option. That's an option. That's why I go back to what I said before. Once the wheel is there, once we are ready to solve this problem and we are ready to transmit these results live, as they call me, it is impossible. It is just about the wheel. What do you get right now, share the politicians and some party people saying, no, no, let's reverse back to the old order. The old order can't take us anywhere. Just quickly, we have to go now. I'd like to just ask this one, maybe in a few seconds, if you can answer, what about the issue of hackers? Do we have a strong firewall against cybercrime and their guns? We're saying that the electronic transmission of results with the beavers and let's not forget that cybercrime has been there for a while, although it seems to be very prominent right now in 2022 or prior 2022. Do you think that we have what it takes to fight against the cyber hackers and crime? Nigeria has the best brains, the internet brains, right? If Nigeria wants to get this right, we can get this right. We have the people to absolutely ensure that firewalls are placed and to ensure that these internet are absolutely safe and that they can transmit results at the right time using the electronic transmission. It's about the wheel power and if they are ready, we can absolutely get this done. We're not saying it's going to work the first time, but it's a fantastic first step in the right direction. In the next election, they would absolutely be viewed on this election to ensure that we move forward. Kenya did, it started in 2013, moved 2017 and had another election now and we can see the progress there and that is why we must ensure that INX sticks to and sticks with their electronic transmission results this time. Well, we have to go now. Thank you so much Dr. Chikebea Deche for being part of the show. We appreciate you. Thank you so much. That's the size of a package on a breakfast on Plus TV Africa. We hope you've enjoyed your time thoroughly. We'll be back soon on the station, but of course don't forget you can follow us on our social media platforms across the various social media sites, Plus TV Africa and of course on YouTube, we have two accounts, Plus TV Africa and Plus TV Africa, a lifestyle. Don't forget to check out our website as well. My name is Kofi Bartels. Good morning. I am Massey Ibofort. We'll join the newsroom at 9 o'clock for the news. Brief, please stay with us.