 On a rep breakfast today, a NAMBRA State enters a new phase as a safe, democratically elected governor, Professor Charles Soledo, takes over the governorship from Willie O'Biano, who has successfully ruled the state for eight years under the all-progressive's current lines. Take a look at the task ahead of the new governor. Also on the breakfast, as Manchester United gets knocked out of the UFO Champions League following their loss to Atlético Madrid in the round of 16. What is the implication for Man United and the stakeholders? Don't forget we'll also be going through headlines on front pages of today's newspaper, analyzing the biggest stories of the day. Welcome to the Breakfast on Plus TV Africa, I'm Kofi Bartels. And I am Merci beaucoup for a good morning to you as well and thank you for joining us. It's a beautiful, beautiful Friday morning and we have a lot in store for you this morning on the Breakfast of Bumper package. You'll be looking at the earlier advertised topics with very seasoned guests and perhaps this would be an interesting one. But let's start things off with a usual trending segment. A lot to talk about but we can only fit in three of them so let's get rolling. The first one happens to be one from the swearing-in ceremony of Governor Chico Machao Soledo of a NAMBRA state which you'll be looking at later. But at some point while we're expecting to see Governor Soledo's speech trend, unfortunately it was not to be so. The governor had intended or governor-elect had intended for that to be a low-key ceremony. However, he has his work cut out for him and this seems to be something that should give him an indication of what he'll be facing. He wants to do business unusual or as they say it will be business as usual but I'm sure what happened yesterday is a bit of a test that in his battle will be to ensure that it's not business as usual because in what was meant to be a low-key ceremony two women, two ladies turned it into a high attention ceremony. You want to call it that. The wife of the out-gone governor of the state or the immediate past governor of the state, Ebele Chico Obiano, who seems not to be too popular amongst the NAMBRAians and the wife of the former military governor of a NAMBRA state in 1966 and a former leader of the breakaway Biafra Republic named Chico Meka Odimegu O'Chico Bianca O'Chico. She is pictured on your screen there. The video shows Ebele Chico who arrived at the scene quite late because it meant to be a short ceremony and she had to park her car far because the entrance to the government house had been blocked. She arrived late and after sitting down walked over to where Bianca was seated. It's not clear what happened but the report said that she uttered some not too charitable words to Ebele Chico. Macon to report some to wait. You said you would never attend any ABCA event and said our government will not last eight years so what are you doing here? Eh? Bianca and I don't know what else she said but Bianca O'Chico wasn't having it and the report said that she accused them stood up and gave Ebele a piece of her mind. Let me put it that way. You should say it the way it is. Ebele was said to have responded, I'm sure they know, by pulling Bianca's head though. The people out there think Bianca pulled the wig of Ebele and you can see DSS operatives, security operatives and Co had to rush to the rescue of the two, to separate the two women. This was just before Charles Solodow gave his inaugural speech. The narrative has been put out there, I have a problem with that but Merci, what's your take on this before I tell you my issue? Well, so first of all, it's embarrassing, whatever the situation is, whether or not someone was Medusam interloper, a busybody. But whatever the situation is, it's quite embarrassing. I respect that in a ceremony like this, very, very serious issue. Because at some point you also could hear the video of the governor, I mean, the governor that was swearing in at the time talking about Charles Solodow, saying that he, if you're not part of this event, get out. Okay, when there was some noise. Yeah, because the noise was actually... That was after the after the obligation though. Yes, but of course it was at the time and I mean it's okay that he was even focused and he could go ahead with the speech because it can be worrying that you're going to be taking an oath, you're going to be. It's a very important date and one would not expect as much as you have security personnel around to ensure that nothing happens outside of the ordinary. Then you wouldn't expect that you have this little rank on bickering around. So really, really embarrassing. But looking at the video, you would see that the wife of the former governor O'Biano worked because I saw it. So from the point I saw it, she was trolling taking the work to that point where you had Bianca O'Druco seated there. So you can see that. So for me, I really don't know. I can't hear the audio really, really. I've tried to listen a couple of time, but I can't really hear what happened. Like I can't hear the sound or the exchange, but I can see the action there. It just shows you that someone just left. What happened? You're supposed to be seated with your husband, right? So that's what you're expecting. It's a ceremony, it's a swarming ceremony and you know, you're a wife of a governor. One would expect that you sit honorably with your husband. What took you there? And that's why I would say that's a, you know, like a busy body. The word is medusum interloper. Took a stroll and you got to that point. So some people would say, whatever it is that you got, you deserve it. But like I would say generally, it's totally embarrassing. And at the point where we're saying breaking the bias, women supporting women, I don't know, really not. I didn't want to be the one to spread out that. No, but I need to, I had to before you come and put my neck on the floor. Okay, but I'm worried. I think that the internet, the so-called credible news outlets, not the blogs this time, but the papers that we know, ought to be ashamed of themselves. Because yesterday, what happened was a disgrace for journalism in Nigeria. All the papers, most of the major newspapers who have online platforms put out the headline, Abelichiku, Slaps, Bianca, most of them. And if you go to read the major ones that we even use for a newspaper review here, if you go, you'd see that there are stories about this later they put update, colon, Abelichiku and Bianca, Ujiku, fight. But they rushed to put out, and this is just evidence or evidence of the fact that what we have in Nigeria today, by the papers that we grew up reading so that we could learn English. Right now, you have to make sure your kids don't read those papers so that English doesn't go bad. Now we have the new president of journalism in Nigeria becoming copy and paste. And this is wrong, copy and paste. A lot of the media houses are doing it, especially the print media, copy and paste journalism. So why would the papers put a rush, put out a story as breaking news? Only yes, only to now realize that it got it wrong and they helped to update it. For what we can see, it is not clear what happened there. Exactly. For what we can see, we can't even hear what happened there. That's the first one. The second one is the way the pictures were depicted both. You can see there's one picture that has become popular of Abelie looking, you know, she looks like she's shouting, her mouth is twisted and she doesn't look well. And Bianca looking cool. And that picture, this is it, that picture shows a narrative that one person seems to be the troublemaker while the other person is the person who is as cool as ice. So in situations like this, the media has to not rush to paint narratives. Really, you have to just paint the story and tell the picture. And there's nothing wrong if you're not the one to break it first. There's nothing wrong if you're not the one to tell what happened. Okay, because we don't know what happened. We don't know what happened. Did Bianca slap first? We don't know. Did Abelie just slap first? We don't know. We can't see. There's no evidence to that fact. But on a light note, I think it was a book of Big Brother fame who said that he's supporting the media, that he watched the entire sermon live on TV and not one TV station could show him who did slap him, you know. And someone responded to his tweet, you know, that, you know, the cameras in Big Brother House, who don't show us everything, disappointed us sometimes. And he laughed. He said, I can't joke with you. That's not even a conversation. But we need to be careful, you know, first of all, the narratives we're painting, you know. There was an altercation. Both parties are involved, and both parties are guilty at this point. But let me say this. It's interesting that a group of Ibuyuf have declared Abelie Chiku, Obiano Pessoa, Longrata and Ibulan. That's on their own. And this is a conversation that Nisi we had separately. What are any group, no matter where you come from in the country, no matter the culture you have, has a right to declare who should be in a part of this country. You know, of course, Bianca Odime Goujiku is revered in Ibulan. She has a title in Ibulan. I think it's Alegbo, something I need to check. As the wife and the successor, the survivor of the leader of the Ibulan nation, who led the struggle for a breakaway republic of Piafra. She's seen as an untouchable, or let me say, something to be revered. I think that's a way to use something to respect it. You know, and to try and drag her, pull her or be in such a fight, unfortunately, Abelie Chiku cannot win. No, no, no, but you know, some of the points that you have raised are very valid. Because as a yesterday, I still had to look at it. When I saw the videos making the rounds, I couldn't really, those old videos making the rounds that wasn't really clay, you couldn't even see what happened. So you can't see. The one from inside the canopy. Yes, inside the canopy. But like I could say, and like I would say, you just find someone who's sticking a stroll to another point, so for me, I just feel like, why did you go there in the first place? Whatever the case was. And so whatever would have transpired, really. But that's on the one side. But like I said, it's totally embarrassing. That's number one period. This is March. I mean, one would say it's a month for women. This has been declared breaking the bias, one thing women put themselves together, whatever it is. So I didn't hear, and I still have not heard what happened. That audio has been played. I played a couple of times, but I can't even hear what was said. She used that uncharitable word. So you heard? Yes, I heard that word, you know, the video taken from inside the canopy. She used the A word and that is used to call commercial sex workers. Yes. And then now, people, a lot of people commenting now, they've now revealed the ability, that word in Igbo, you understand them. And the youth group that put out the statement called on the IG to arrest the billy and said that the markets he went to buy, you know, she bought some items. Those items she bought from the market have to be delivered to her. He's what they said. But it's, but it's, but it's commissioner police of an embassy that said nada, you're not arresting. No, no, no, but, but you need to understand, like, like I mentioned prior to this time, first of all, it's embarrassing, whatever the situation is, one would expect that, you know, the other party should be in control. But usually it's your provocation. And you also find that where even the Bible would say parents don't provoke your kids to children to hunger. And so you can't even control that. But my point is I saw someone taking a walk. I probably wasn't there. I didn't hear what happened. But once you take a walk, you left your seat. You're supposed to be sitting with your husband, probably put a hand, you know, put a hand in. If I walk, if you go to court, and it's proven that I walked to where you were, and I said some unsavory words to you. No, no, no, you, you could have, you could have said, but you also have the issue of provocation. You know that. And I said some unsavory words. I know. And I, and I, and it's proven that you were the one that physically harmed me. I may get, I may get some, some stick or some, some judgment, something for provoking, but the person who did the hitting will get the worst. It's like football. That's fine. You know, Zidane, Zidane was, was in the work of Final, between France and, France and Italy and Matarazzi. The Italian defender went and told him some things. I think he also insulted Zidane's mother. Okay. So we need to move away. But to be very honest, it's totally fine. Whoever gets the punishment and whoever gets the verdict, one would say that, Hey, you should sit honorably with your husband. It's, it's, it's an important event. I mean, I don't know why you should take a stroll to wherever you went to, whatever it is you wanted to say, you probably would have said it via text message or look for another occasion. But I mean, it's not a justification for whatever happened. But some people will say, Hey, I think you deserve what happened to you. But we need to move away from that. Looking at another issue is the fact that leaders should be held accountable. And that came from Tony Illumini, a very prominent Nigerian is also an entrepreneur. And I'd like to take a read. I just probably just read, you know, his comment. He got a lot of Nigerians talking and got people saying, Oh, all you need to do is just put a call. So it brings us to the conversation of saying, you see this Nigerian that everybody says, I remember being on the street a couple of times, trying to get this box pop and do my job. And somebody was like, Oh, it's not my business. He said this Nigerian, you know, consigned me. It's not my business. He consigned everybody. He consigned the president. He confines governor confines everybody. Because, you know, the way it's going is affecting everyone. And we can't wake up and say that. So quickly, let's see if we can run through this one now. He says, this is from, you know, Tony Illumini's tweet. And he says, this morning, I'm listening to my colleagues at the office be more on the very pressing issues that they face every day in this country. And for five days, and how things have been getting worse and worse, no electricity for five days, hikes in the price of diesel, fighting, I beg your pardon, fighting food inflation, etc. How can a country so rich in natural resources that have 90% of its citizens leaving in hardship and poverty? I have often said that access to electricity is critical for development, elevation of poverty and hardship. And speaking of security, our people are afraid businesses are suffering. How can we be losing over 95% of our oil production to thieves? Look at the Bonnie terminal that should be receiving over 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily. Instead, it received less than 30,000 barrels, leading the operators at shell to declare the fact that they are divesting. Why are we paying taxes if our security agencies cannot stop this? It is clear that the reason Niger is unable to meet its OPEC production quota is not because of low investment, but because of theft, pure and simple. Meanwhile, all producing countries are smiling as the foreign reserves is rising. What is Nigeria's problem? We need to hold our leaders more accountable. Elections are coming. Security and resources need to be everyone's agenda. He also said that coming, let's be vocal of our nation's priority. Evil prevails when good people are silent. We need to be vocal about 2023. Let's focus on Nigeria. Demand and advocate for leaders that deliver in 2023. Nigeria must be on a strong trajectory for progress and development. And this is a very first time for me. I don't know about you reading such a tweet about Tony Olimelu, and I couldn't agree less with everything that he said in this particular tweet. So yes, it's affecting everyone. We cannot continue the same way. You can't even wake up and say, it's none of my business. I know a lot of Nigerians will say, oh, it's not my business. As long as it doesn't affect, it does affect you. When government makes a policy, whether policies of government, whether government decides to construct a road, it will affect you. Whether government decides not to construct a road, it would affect you. So we come through our hands and say, oh, it's not my business. It is your business. And it's time that we change the story and begin to hold our leaders accountable. We begin to understand the leaders. And we can't stay back and say we can't be part of the system. Because for every time you do not vote, you do not have any right to complain about the situation. So 2023, I'm hoping that Nigerians would take the country. The truth is nobody will fix this country for Roscoffy. Nigerians will have to fix Nigeria. And that's the truth. It starts with the election. You have to get your PVC. It goes beyond tweeting and ranting on social media. You have to be deliberate. Look for a candidate, credible one. You can't sell your votes. You sell your vote for 5,000 Naira. I mean, sometimes I ask myself, how far can 5,000 Naira go? So someone gives you a sachet of salt or a bag of rice, five cups and 10 cups. You will need fresh tomatoes. You will need ingredients. Come ask me. You can't cook it like that and eat it. You will need other ingredients. And how long can it take you? It is not. So from where they are taking that from, there's so much. We need to ensure that we bring people that are credible. That's number one. We can't sell our votes. We must hold them. Because it's affecting everybody. Security is everyone's business. You never can tell when the robbers will come to your house when bandits will be waiting for you. So we need to move away from not being very patriotic and get through the election. Oh, they are going to rig it. Nobody is going to rig it if you come out to vote. And that's what we're saying here. It's a very serious one. And you know, like I would say again, over and over, I would say I support him on this particular tweet. And everything that he said is very important. Up until now, we haven't had the government saying, oh, does anyone, heads are not rolling. We're hoping that someone is responsible for importing bad petrol into Nigeria. How come we don't have some people being arrested? It's a good thing that those who, you remember the story of the souvenir of petrol. So why don't we have, just as much as you have given a bail, two million naira, someone should be paying for it. We can continue to do the same thing in this country and expect a different result. It's not rocket science, really. Yeah. So interestingly, the comments on social media regarding this, someone said businesses are hemorrhaging because he started off his rant with looking at the economy. It's most an economic thing, you know, the theme or the thesis of what his Twitter rant was about economy. And someone says businesses are hemorrhaging. So for, it means the bleeding for someone like Lumeli to complete about the state of the economy, it means that businesses are bleeding. And you know, in the Nigeria of today, the Nigerian economy of today, the rich are also crying. And Sorosoke is no longer the exclusive preserve of the young and free. Now also is the refrain of the high and mighty. They also have to Sorosoke. So if you're not, you're not speaking out about what's going on in the country, what are you doing? And some people felt, you know, Lumeli is taking a risk tweeting like this because, oh, they'll come after you or go delete this street after two hours, you know, people were betting amongst themselves. He's going to delete the tweet. But I checked just now the tweet is still there. And I believe that, you know, people like Tony Lumeli don't tweet on impulse like the rest of us. People like Tony Lumeli don't tweet randomly. They don't make random statements. Whatever they put out is calculated, is thought out, and is strategic, you know. So for those predicting that he will delete his tweet or like he's afraid that government will go after him and all that. Listen, he knows what he's doing. He must have thought about it. And he's been more or less been treating about, you know, having the right leadership in Nigeria before now. It's not the first time. You know, he does it. And sometimes it's not as open as this, but he's been doing this. But some people have pointed out the fact that maybe the reason why Tony Lumeli is so, it's okay is because of a, it might have been affected, you know, by some bad processes. Let's call it that. It wasn't treated fairly. We know that there's been some bidding for some oil wells and blocks and all that have been let go by the international oil companies that we've had in the country before. And some people are speculating that he may have been hit hard or have been given, you know, a bad hand. Maybe not treated fairly. And that's why he's had to put up this. Some have also said, you know what, that we still have banks in the country, including a bank that he founded, extorting Nigerians and fleecing Nigerians, which David alert that they can't reconcile, which has led the national assembly to say they want to look into what the banks are doing. So they're saying, so I'm saying he should fix that. You know, let the banks stop extorting Nigerians. Then we can start talking. So this is some of the things people are saying, but we'll look at what comes out of this. It's interesting. I agree with what Tony Lumeli said. No matter what the motives may be, the fact is what he said is the truth. And let's speak the truth, the truth shall set you free. So let's move on to another one now. Yeah, so I'm just hoping that we get to a point where we don't begin to make everything about when people make comments and people make statements, then we don't begin to, you know, try to investigate the intention and begin to come up with conspiracy theory. What he said is reality. It doesn't really matter what has happened. But we're saying that we need to speak up because when good people keep quiet or silent about issues, evil will continue to thrive. And that's why we're here right now. So we're hoping that we're vocal. It doesn't really matter. You know, the statement that says that, you know, you're dead and you're dead already. He says down is not afraid to go down. And so that said, but moving away from that, there's also a top trending conversation where you have core members protests, police shooting in Ibadan. And you want to talk about the issue of police protests. It's said that it's yet to be identified. A member of national youth core members serving in your state was allegedly shot by a policeman on stop and search routine at a new garage in a local government of the state yesterday. And this is actually like I would say. So I really don't remember if it was when you and I were in the air, but I have, you know, for the very first time I witness it in Lekhi here, your police actually shot. I was scared to my bone. Shot where? Shot in Egypt, shot randomly, you know, someone or in the air on the ground. So this is what happened. I was moving out of a particular space, you know, in Lekhi and then you had this traffic usually at that particular spot. So they were vehicles. So what happened was people were trying to manoeuvre and get away from the traffic. I really don't know. So you saw the police officers, you saw them, the interior uniform, very ketet. And then they were chasing after this guy. I really don't know what happened. So the guy escaped and then they were exchanging words. And the next thing, the guy shot. The guy shot directly. I mean, he shot a live, you know, ammunition. That's what it's called. He shot live. You know, when I say he shot live, he shot life. And everyone was really scared about it. So the issue of police brutality is still on. I really don't know where we got to the point because if you look at the police slogan, it says please is your friend, but it's please really your friend. The point is no one is saying that the police should stop, you know, you have a right to go about your duty. But the question over time is how do you carry out the duty? It's not civil. It's not human. It's like you're treating animals. There should be a way. You can't just be rascal because you see a lot of rascality and, you know, on certain civil behavior with, you know, some police officers. And it really, that's what actually led to the police protests. I mean, the hashtag answers, but we haven't changed from where we are. I think that the police, the Nigerian police, should pay attention to that slogan. Please is your friend, really. We need to understand if please is your friend. No one's saying you shouldn't discharge your duty, but how do you go about your duty? All right. We have to move on. Interesting stories where we ended on the side more truly with bringing more civil developments on forward. So the breakfast and plus TV Afrika, when we return, we dive into the pages of the national dailies. We have G.D. Johnson of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism joining us for After Press. We'll be right back.