 Tinibu signs 28.7 trillion 2024 appropriation bill into law. And plan to killings. We'll also have off the press where we'll review the headlines on our daily newspapers and that's how our program is going to be. It will follow, all this will follow the top trending issues that we have on our plate this morning. By the way, good morning and welcome to the program. My name is Niamh Ghul Agharjini. My name is Rameh Paulson. Good morning. We're already in the second day in 2024 and all the people that have heard talking when they want to say the dates, they are mistaking it for 2023. You don't want to leave 2023? I have left 2023. I admit that mistake as well. Oh really? You don't want to leave 2023? I don't want to leave 2023. It was so good for you. No, it was really good for me, one. But then I think it's just your mind space. You've been saying 2023 for 365 days, how do you just move to 2024? So it takes a while for you to get used to it. I was sending out voiceless to all of my friends, like my loved ones, just to thank them for being a part of my 2023. And then I'm still saying, oh, in this year 2023. And then I'm like, oh, I'm sorry, 2024. So yes, it kind of like you need to find that synergy into 2024. You have to ease into it basically. Well, it's like everything else. You think you can't wait to leave it and then when you leave it, you start to miss it unconsciously. Oh no, I don't miss it. I'm happy to move on. Yeah, you're happy to move on, but you're still remembering it. No, I'm remembering it. Instead of talking about 2023, somehow in your subconscious, you're like, you're still in 2023. It's like when you're leaving secondary school, I can't wait to leave and you leave it. And sometimes you miss it. You enter into the tertiary institution, you can't wait to leave this university. When you leave it, sometimes you miss it. It's part of all the problems and the assignments and the tests and all that. I mean, when you're circling back into Nigeria, I've heard people say, oh, I miss good luck's administration. Oh, I miss year address administration. Oh, I miss Obama's administration. Even Buhari administration. I miss Buhari's administration as well. So it's always like when you're there, maybe you don't really value where you're at and then when you leave, you're like, oh, I miss it. I think that happens a lot. Yeah, well, but we should realize, like the Bible says, you shouldn't always say that the former days were better because whatever experience you had in the former days that made those days good, whatever experience you're having now, you're going into that one so you're a little better than the good ones and the bad ones that balance themselves out. True. I mean, that's yin and yang. Today is really a wonderful day. Today is always a wonderful day. Someone said I was watching a movie a long time ago and one of the characters, it was an animated movie, Kung Fu Panda. Oh, Kung Fu, I love that. I love Kung Fu Panda. The 30s, Huguay, said that yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is uncertain. Today is the present. That's what you're talking about now. It's a gift. That's why it is called the present. So today is a gift. Every today is a gift and we should treat it as much. Make the best of it. Make all the memories that you can. Do all that you can. For even a better tomorrow, we are not promised tomorrow and even if it comes, you're ensuring that today you're making the right decisions for tomorrow. But yes, I mean, it's the second of January. We're right into the year and we're easing straight into it. But let's take some top trending things or stories that caught our attention. So our first one today is PDP Slamp's Tinnable's New Year's Speech. Yeah, the People's Democratic Party has described the New Year's Speech by President Bola Tinnable as the harvest of dissit, false claims, and empty promises. In his New Year address to the Nigerians on Monday, President Tinnable recognized the frustration Nigerians due to the removal, well, the frustrations of Nigerians due to the removal of fuel subsidy and a NIRA devaluation. He declared his administration decisions in the past seven months, including the removal of the fuel subsidy which he claimed had become an unsustainable financial burden on the country for more than four decades where difficult, but necessary, wants to prevent fiscal catastrophe. The President, however, called on Nigerians to be patient with him, adding that his government is working to a solving all issues around the socio-economic situation through his renewed hope agenda. Reacting, PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Debo Olugum Agbar on Monday described Tinnable's speech as an uninspiring and amounts to a waste of valuable time as it did not address any of the critical issues plaguing the nation as insecurity, decayed infrastructure, commodity manufacturing, and productive sector crushing 28% inflation rate, a continuing plunge of the NIRA, alarming unemployment, excruciating poverty, and economic hardship occasioned by the reckless, ill-advised, and insensitive policies and programs. PDP Publicity described an unpaddened assault on the sensibility of Nigerians for Tinnable to assert that everything the President had done since his human office on 29 May 2023 had been done in the best interest of the country. He added that Tinnable's statement further confirmed that his administration was allegedly subjecting Nigerians to hardship as a way to suppress them to surrender to totalitarianism. Totalitarianism. That's a long, that's a very big word. It's a mouthful, it's a mouthful. Totalitarianism. Totalitarianism. I mean, I love it when these politicians write and they speak and they use it all of these big words, yes. Yeah, I used to, all the government teachers in my secondary school days used to like very, very big words. So I grew up thinking every politician just liked big words. Why? Speaking plain English that I can understand. I wonder, I wonder. Simple English will convey the message and still give you the respect that you need to have. Yeah. When somebody else speaks the big grammar, at least you won't... You might not even communicate as much. It's a... But anyways, talking about the President's speech yesterday morning, I'm sure you watched it. Yeah, we were talking about the fact that it was porous in the fact that there were no timelines. Everything was just mentioned in passing. Well, it was a good speech, it was well written and all that, but it was really insensitive. For instance, a massacre just happened in Plato's state and it wasn't mentioned. He talked about insecurity, yes, but he could have just pinpointed like something that happened in Plato. Let's know that he's listening. He didn't say anything about it. He talked about the fact that he has been going all over. It would have been a very good occasion to say, the buses I promised will land maybe by the end of January or this and that. He didn't say anything about that. Politics have ended, people didn't get them. They said two or three months and all that. People didn't get them. He didn't say anything about it. Nothing. He said there was going to be a raise in the living wage for the people. He didn't define who was going to get this raise. Was it federal? Was it state? Was it private sector? He didn't say anything and he didn't tell us the time. I think he was very careful, so his speech was quite ambiguous, so you cannot hold him to ransom on anything. I think he was being careful not to mention certain things. So Nigerians didn't say, you said this and you did not do it because we've had politics. In journalism and broadcasting, they say it. Even if you're not sure of what you're going to do as a president, don't say it. Don't even be president in the first place. Why do you raise that hope? Some of the things that he said are some of the things he was talking about during campaign. So from the time of campaign till now, for someone who said this was his turn, which means he has been planning this thing all his life, his life ambition, that's what he said. He's been planning this all his life, so he still doesn't know what to do. Seven months into an administration, you should have time lines. This is going to happen this time. This is going to happen this time. So if I have to tighten my belt, let me know that at some point I will have to lose it and enjoy life. Well, Lesha said that one year after before we can rate his administration. And then we're still hearing things like you, we all have to still wait a little longer before things get better. I mean pastors are prophesying on that as well. 2024 is quite uncertain at this point. But I mean, I just wish, you know, the president had a lot more to say, a lot more to give. But then I would like to play devil's advocate on another hand. Most times opposition parties, you know, sometimes they just like to poke the bear. Yeah, but what's the lie in this? What really is the lie? I know. Someone said I think on our program that sometimes when opposition talk people will say it is politics. But when you look at what they are saying, sometimes it's all true. So what we have been saying here are the same things that Oleg is saying. It's porous. There are no timelines. There's nothing definite. There's nothing sensitive about he doesn't show that the people who are I know people are suffering. Some expressed and some unexpressed hardship that you are suffering and all that. Just give small examples. Let's know that you are in sync with whatever is happening in Nigeria. I mean, you're reading the room, everyone can relate to you, like a president who hears and listens and feel the pains of Nigeria. And by now, he should know that the 5% discount was a failure. The 50% of the buses, right? It should have said we will go after people if this thing didn't work. Or whether it has worked and this is why maybe you didn't experience it all that. You didn't say anything like that. We're going to go into a good year, 2024. It was a 15 minutes speech of maybe nothings. Well let's wait and see. You are the devil's advocate right now. Even I have tried. I'm trying to be a better devil's advocate this year. But the second top trending issue that caught our attention is that the CDS assures communities to be free of bandits in 2024. I hope this is not just talk as well. The chief of defense staff, General Christopher Moussa has said he will read communities that have been stifled by insurgents and bandits. General Moussa made this declaration on channel on Monday where he called for support from the public to meet this goal and he said we are working with the state government to identify these areas. This year got willing we will make sure bandits hold no community. Members of the community will be able to leave the IDP camps and be able to go there. The nation is yet to heal from a Christmas eve attack by marauding assailants on Bokoz and Burken Ladi local government areas in Plattus state that left 200 people dead and hundreds more injured. Repeated attacks on the region in the space of days have left many disillusioned with the efforts of security personnel at tackling the growing crisis which General Moussa says collaborative efforts are the only visible means of the growing acts of terror in the region. The Chief of Defence staff claimed the motive behind the Plattus carnage was to embarrass everyone and take the government for a fool. On the challenges the military faced in their fight against Banditry General Moussa said they were of a political nature that required decision making from the political class. General Moussa also bemoaned criticisms from various quarters over the military's effect ending the scourge of Banditry. Well, General Moussa is promising us that you know yesterday or so the Senate was saying they were going to invite him and other service chiefs to come and explain again and give them specific strategies and all that how to end this thing and then the next day the very next day he came with a statement saying this now how do you even explain what does it mean maybe you should know what does it mean when he said it is of a political nature does it mean that if it's of a political nature they cannot cannot prevent it they cannot do anything about it until the president says something or the National Assembly says something I do not understand. There are many stories alleged stories that even these politicians are the ones funding this Banditry so it's almost like we are all together we dine together there is not so much we can do but then whatever is wrong is wrong these are lives of people humans they are not chickens or cattles you have to be able to protect these lives and I heard that they had about 20 something distressed calls from plateau states on that day about how many hours 48 hours they went from village to village how do you start to kill 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours then they are getting distressed calls and you don't do anything about it so what are you doing for us really why are we funding because security takes a chunk of our budget so why are we funding all of that to do your job? it just sounds like I have seen amrovers in a car but I have recognized them these amrovers belong to politician A or B so there is nothing I can do otherwise if people are in a community killing no matter who sent them they are not the army it's not like the president has sent the army to go and level a village because there are terrorists in that village no these people are innocent citizens that are being killed and they call you and you say it has a political undertone what kind of thing is that like make it make sense to me it doesn't make sense so I cannot make it it doesn't make sense why say it is a political thing do your job and maybe he is afraid or is trying to tell us that if I do my job well a lot of people will come under threat or something that will come after me it doesn't make sense to me at the end of the day are you here to serve the politicians or are you here to serve Nigeria that is a very valid question if you are here to serve Nigeria that means everything that you think about you think of Nigeria first even before the politicians, guess what the politicians are Nigerians if people went to their villages and they said to kill their people said to kill their brothers and sisters because guess what these people are families they have families they have people who are going to mourn them if a terrorist starts to go to the politicians village will they be happy about that you can't now justify it and say it has a political undertone that's the reason why we would allow it's almost like you are promoting that is so wrong that is not what you are called for then you shouldn't serve Nigeria the politicians yesterday were asking before even yesterday is it that there is no intelligence gathering by these security agencies security people whether the army or police why do these people always have superior intelligence than the security apparatus that we have in Nigeria and my problem is the money that they put in there and now he is asking for cooperation I hope he is not thinking about people cooperating with them because the cooperation will be that there is a problem, I give you a call come, that's part of the intelligence and you are not coming it's political undertone let's take another one allowing Nigerians to be a firearms recipe for disaster this is coming from Cannes the Christian association of Nigeria Cannes is reacted to the recent statements made by the chief of army general regarding the issue of openly carrying firearms in Nigeria the secretary of Cannes in an interview with one of the national dailies in Abu Dhabi Monday said Dolly emphasized the importance of upholding the law and promoting peaceful means of conflict resolution he stated that as religious leaders it is our firm belief that bearing of arms without proper license or the authority to do so regardless of the circumstances is a violation of the law and can potentially lead to the further breakdown of order and security within our nation it also stressed that the values of tolerance, brotherliness, unity forgiveness and cooperation in their teachings and interactions with followers as he believes they are essential for fostering a harmonious and secure society recognizing the complexity surrounding the issue of firearms in Nigeria, Pastor Simon Dolly called for a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of insecurity he called upon leaders to prioritize initiatives that promote dialogue, understanding and the equitable distribution of resources to address the grievances that often lead to violence and conflict I totally agree with Cannes not everybody can be allowed to carry arms even now that we are not carrying arms we know what people are doing with whatever they can lay their hands on, I agree with them the government should do something really really drastic about this security the way I live and I'm not even living in Leckie I pay security fee everywhere that you go to you pay security fee and it's not just the security fee or that it affects it affects rents as well because if a tenant is paying that the landlord is also paying the one for landlord and he's now putting it on the rent and because of the security situation every small street in Lagos is looking to put a gate once the gate is that street it has become an estate and the rents in an estate are very high so it affects everything rents become high, food items become high because the people selling maybe renting houses and renting shops so everything is tied together work on the security otherwise going to every village in the world to look for people to come and invest in Nigeria it will not work I totally agree and talking about firearms I know that in the US there is gun violence you see people just move into shopping malls even into schools and they just go on a spree and kill people and so if we're allowing people to have firearms without licenses even with licenses you should be able to verify why do you need it we don't want a situation whereby everyone can easily afford a gun or a firearm because that is a disaster waiting to happen guess what, anybody I can just say I don't like how you smelled at me today why are you looking at me and that's it because I feel like I have some level of power it gives you power right now we're grappling with drug problem and we know how these people who get high the kind of things that they do and then you put it down in the hand of one of those well it should never happen the government should protect us the police, the army, the air force, the navy those are the people we are paying with taxpayers money to protect us we shouldn't be paying for security again and even if we are paying for security let us be secure not a situation where you can't travel anymore you can't sleep in your house there are unknown gunmen and talking about that I wonder how they get them because I want to believe our security agencies are the ones licensed to have these firearms do they sell them when they get them there's so many questions around it because if someone can easily have a gun I want to know how you got that gun and I love the fact that Cannes was even talking about the root causes for all of these things let's start to deep dive and know why this even happened in the first place how do they get these firearms and then we can now start to cleanse our system firearms enter into the country at least every four years maybe we'll call it a conspiracy theory but a lot of people believe that politicians provide these things for their boys to whatever they want to do and after election you cannot go back and say give me my boys so the guns are in circulation let's just say that's one of the facts maybe not all of the not even maybe, not all the politicians but a lot of them that see politics as a do or die affair they do this, that's one part then you have others that you know allow these things to go through the ports because the people who are buying can afford to pay XYZ amount at the ports and get this thing smuggled in just like they're smuggling rice they're smuggling every other thing guns are also being smuggled in I know there's an agency that was supposed to to be inaugurated or I don't know the right term I think it's called something but it's for things like this I think it was called not false I don't know if they're going to like sign that into bill and the agency start but it's to mitigate this type of issues like they're supposed to be in like sea ports to ensure that firearms are not being smuggled in there are enough people at the ports already give them the required gadgets to take care of the ports let's go digital you can find out these things when they're coming in give them drones so that they can you know go through you're not giving them these and you're bringing another agency that you have to pay more money to people there are already enough give them what they require and make them use them because you go to the ports now maybe the CCTV cameras even are not working before you talk about other things because if these things work a lot of things that go on at the ports will not go on yes because if the CCTV are working so make sure that they're using what you're giving them give them the gadgets and then make sure they're using them that's how you do it because if the CCTV is working I will be mindful to want to take bribe to smuggle your goods in right because I know that someone is there to check me so if we don't have all of these things that we need then we're just a joke I've killed people in the state and you're setting up a committee to find what people are dead already what is the committee coming to do it's not bringing more agencies to our ports give them the right things to work simple as that give them drones give them other gadgets there are things that can detect when all this is coming into the country I think we had a guest that talked about this as well well anyway let's wrap it up on the top trending and take a short break and when we return we'll be looking at the papers stay with us