 You're welcome back. It's still the run-up, the third day of January 2023. I keep calling the dates so that I get used to it 2023, so that I don't go and bring my life back to 2022. It was, well, no matter how terrible a lot of people might say 2022 was, we're still here. We are the ones that can tell the stories about 2023. We didn't pass on. And that is achievement. Somebody said, I read somewhere, he said, people were busy saving money in 2022. You guys, the only achievement you had for the year, that was something great. Actually it is. That's funny. People were saving. Some people actually, you would see them. Social media can be very depressing. I saw the other video where someone was breaking this little box, this savings box. And the money that came out of that box was, I don't know, I don't know how many months I'm going to save before I get that kind of money. And he said, it's because he decided not to drink beer anymore. So he was saving the money every day that he was using for beer and it got to that amount. I was asking myself, was he drinking in cartons every day? How would you save every day and get that amount of money? How much beer were you drinking? There are guys that actually do drink, yes. Really? It's possible. Every day. Who pays them? The employer, I guess. I'm looking at my salary. And I'm removing every day a beer. One beer. I'm not even talking about two. I'm talking about one beer every day for 365 days. And I'm like, okay, how do they do it? Maybe he drinks like five bottles every day. Or so you never know. Okay. How much is the beer right now? I don't know. I don't drink beer. You don't drink beer. Why are you laughing? Are you suspicious? Let's say beer is 300 naira. So for 10 days, you're drinking 3000 naira. So for 365 days. You're drinking 9000 naira. So 9000 times 12. Since I'm not too good at maths. Let me say 9000 times 10, first of all. That would be 90,000. Okay. But the money this guy saved was way more than 90,000. And I didn't see him actually start the breaking. I just saw when he broke it. I just saw the container as it is. What denominations were there? They were in 1000s. And a few 500 naira. Okay. But it could be that he's saving his bare money, but then he also saves whatever else he was supposed to have saved. He didn't tell me. So like the Bible says, don't subscribe. It's only what he told me. I'm just trying to help you. You know, you are not so sure. So I'm trying to help you put two hands together. Now, like we were talking about, we've always been talking about pressure. There is this story about someone who was trying to advise the friend. Okay. You drink a lot of beer every day. Do you know that if you save this money that you drink beer, you could buy a car and maybe build a house or something. And he calculated the money this guy spends on beer. The guy left him. He finished talking and he asked him, do you drink beer? He said, no. He said, where is your car? Like, okay, you don't drink. There is your car. Thank you. Oh my goodness. So it just tells you that everybody has his own evil. Everybody has his own demon. Everybody has his own problems that consume whatever money that you have. So if you're comparing yourself with another person and saying, this person is doing this and doing that. So let me also come and do it. And maybe I will be like he is. You might just be missing the mark. All right. Let us bring it home. It is still the run-up. And we already told you that today we're going to be looking at the letter as is written by former president, the president he yesterday attacked a former president's over the latest New Year open letter where he openly endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Awebi, for the February 25th elections. Abbas and Joe had in the letter told Nigerian youth that the forthcoming elections was their turn to make their destiny in their hands by voting Mr. Awebi and made remarks against the administration of president, Mohammad Dubehari. The presidency yesterday came down hard on former president, Ulushegun Abbas and Joe, describing him as a frustrated and jealous leader on a mission to discredit president, Mohammad Dubehari's record on national development and other sanitary achievements. In a skirting statement signed by senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, the presidency was reacting to Abbas and Joe's letter wherein he described the seven years of the Buhari administration as hell. These reactions to the letter and of course the endorsement of former president Ulushegun Abbas and Joe of Mr. Peter Awebi of Labour Party are the things that we're going to be looking at today. Okay, well the PDP reacted, the APC reacted and I haven't so far heard about other parties reacting except the Labour Party itself that commanded Ulushegun Abbas and Joe. But yes, Abbas and Joe is a Euroban man and he has over the years tried to show himself as someone who loves Nigeria. Any time tired. Yes. And also his endorsement was the same like Debanjo has been saying, that they are fenifera, the core of fenifera because after he said, Debanjo this time said that Southeast should have the presidency. He didn't mention Uwebi in the first place but he was talking about South before it narrowed down to Uwebi. He said for fairness and equity the fenifera had endorsed Peter Uwebi to be the president of Nigeria, to vote for him for fairness and equity. But we also saw that in that moment a fenifera became like a factionalised entity where some other group was also endorsing someone else and it kept on going like that like when the highest bidder comes anything goes for anybody. But while we may have our political divides have we really taken time to read that letter like see what is in the letter. For instance, he said the youths should never inherit the enemies of their parents but should strive to make new friends. He did also say that no region is innocent and then nobody among the aspirants or candidates is a saint. But they are overlooking all of this and instead of maybe sitting back to say okay, we too, we have this. Nobody is saying that. They are just talking about amnesia, old age, Uwebi part of the problem, Uwebis and that, have you read the letter? That's the question we're asking. So I guess here. Yes, we have Mr. Liko Ishola. He's here. Good morning and welcome to the program, Mr. Liko. Thank you so much for joining us. Today we're looking at the endorsement of the Labour Party presidential candidates within the person of Pita Uwebi by the former president, Lucie Gore-Bassenger. We want to look at the prospects, the positives. How do you react to that endorsement? Well, they shoot me. They endorse me for the new thing. From the beginning, everybody to present, Lucie Gore-Bassenger is with Pita Uwebi. If you don't know that, but I'm sorry, you don't know what is happening in the political environment. The letter that we're talking about is not crazy about the endorsement of Pita Uwebi, but it is a statement which you have to read in the context of an earlier statement by the president, Norma Guali. He says that after his presence, he would say something from Abu Dhabi and he would say something from his professor and he would not say anything in the address of him. The number, for example, added to that statement during the celebration of the president he said that they resent him. So if you want to read the current letter of the UBJ, it has different compartments. It spoke to the performance of the current government. It spoke to the issues, the vital issues that we're trying to deal with as a country. It also speaks to the quality of the choices we have currently on the political for a better election. And it spoke also to about those personal beliefs and about those appeals to be used. That for me I would want to speak not an endorsement of Abu Dhabi. That's my initial reaction. Even though we are not, you don't want to talk mostly about the endorsement because like you said, the letter really had so many compartments, so many things that he spoke to. But how do you think this message, from the endorsement, this message will impact the 2023 general elections? Yes, we have to agree that in the CPD that will vote and be the person that will be the best choice for my current presidency at this particular point in time. See that as it is. We always have opinions like that. Opinions like that in USA and other men and women of this you know, voicing down their own opinions as regards where the CPD should go. That in itself does not count for where 2023 will finally go. But it adds moral weight to the argument. So if you look at this from that, the biggest moral weight and voice, you have to measure out whether you want to accept it or not with your back on your head. And both we have said if you look at the issues that we are dealing with in Nigeria, for part of the 2023 we are being very hostile. The issue facing Nigeria now is not at the part of the country that we look at. It is the issue of developing pianists and installing a document that will produce and represent the aspiration of majority of Nigerians to reach the world. These are issues that you cannot solve. So if a part of the field behind it then it is the minds of majority of Nigerians. Now does that mean a part of the country is being boosted? However, for somebody like me and others who are spoken in the same way or who are taken the same position to be doing that at this point in time, it shows that they want Nigeria to remain united and strong country. And they are focusing both in their own opinion the things we need to be able to achieve that unity and that strength at this point. So you cannot call it strength for them. I mean, remember General Ebrahim, he also said something in the same effect that the kind of president Nigeria needs is a young man who is in peace who is able to have one or two people in different areas of the country that can be seen. I mean, and the gift of other characteristics which if you look at I'm sorry to say the two candidates of PPC and ethnicity will definitely not meet those criteria given by General Ebrahim and if you look at the organizing you look at the from another they are all saying essentially the same thing. So I think to do look at this from whether or not they can it braids the both but we should look at this from the past that the constructed efforts and the constructed voices will ensure that they are laid ahead of the people so that as we think of the 2020 elections we think of the defining region for our nation. I think that we should look at this. There's been a lot of conversations around young persons in Nigeria and it's very represented in the letter written by former president to make use of the power that is in their hands to turn the coming elections to their own favor and also admonishing them to not inherit their fathers enemies or something like that and which is something I think the youth are already practicing. We saw the togetherness with which they organized and executed the 2020 MSAS protest and then you can hear the unity in their voice on social media and even on live conversations you know that the young persons are very interested in the forthcoming elections how do you think that they have that strength enough to turn the tide of these forthcoming elections do you see the strength of the youth coming to play in the forthcoming elections? Yeah you see whether we were attracted or not Nigeria remained the same after 2020 and I'll tell you why for the first time in the history of Nigeria you have youth coming out on their own pulling people and doing the same thing not waiting for that person to mobilize them to come to the streets to campaign for they themselves doing all these things on their own this is the pressure we are having that 2. reduce the solo high-necked people we have about 508 59% of registered voters being youth now again if we check between the large elections 2019 and this now the solo high-necked people as potential voters is heavily way the people of youth so between the youth are becoming a factor and a strong factor for that in Nigeria's election will 20.3 give them the presidency they want we will have to wait but one thing starting from now on whoever wants to be president of Nigeria must work so easy easy and policy and ideas that we still need that one too whoever wants to be president of Nigeria whether he or she likes or not we will have to campaign in a way that the demands of the youth look look at the way the EGP is campaigning in this election and the way they are campaigned before look at the way the EGP is campaigning in this election and the way they are campaigned before everybody is trying to be youth-centric it needs to be all understand that there is something about the youth that will be sandwiched this election and there is actually because the youth at our electoral protests is sending more and more towards the enlightened voter it's no longer about in the old voter you know the most area that you can remove from school and then you can kill his vote and his 5 million or 15 million or whatever it's going beyond all that and it should continue to improve so if you don't get it in 2023 but I am sure the youth are likely to get it but even if they get it in 2023 they have come to become a fast source and will be coming Nigeria's electoral protest going forward that's what I see okay some people have interpreted this statement by former president Lucia Goombasancho that Mr. Pito B has a few people in various places in Nigeria that he can listen to or a president that has to imagine in 2023 should be someone that has people that he can listen to they have interpreted that as meaning that he is encouraging god-faderism how do you interpret that statement no I don't think Nigeria is the majority and if you look at the sexuality you have two of them that she should look at themselves as people who have Nigeria in their pocket and are people that Nigeria and Nigerians of respect listen to and follow I mean he has in some of their companies they follow my phone I am the best for you and so on and so on all those statements have elements of interpretation if they are mentioned so if you have that Nigerian and false word and come to think of the movement people will be themselves inside of it that is not the world that is concluding or forming or sustaining the movement it's the movement that are just changing and this is a change in Nigeria's policy you have Nigerians from this economy academic professional background and at least in a country this we don't go to that country to mobilize them if you are the president on the basis of that movement that president will have his choice or to listen to this and I think that's not the best example because if you want to look at this from his perspective the fact is that Nigeria has different interests which mode do we all together respect it and to see through a policy by a president and that kind of president may be a president that people can talk to but that will have to listen to people not the president already seen knowing the people with all due respect I would say the other two major candidates their personalities their antiquities and even the way they are going in this campaign who that is going to be that will be two months or two times but a future will be for instance if somebody that have to follow and respect the teaching otherwise I'm not here and I think that's the best way to see me and I align with you some people express fear that even though this movement you are talking about is sustained, is formed and sustained by the youths themselves there's a possibility that the momentum will die down before the actual election they take an example from the Ansars a lot of people felt that the momentum should have been sustained so high that it wouldn't take long for the change that they called for to happen so the feel that the youths relaxed immediately after the Ansars and they are only rearing their heads now what are some of the pointers if you were to advise these youths who have decided to take their own destinies into their hands by making sure that the electoral process and everything around it goes on well what are some of the pointers that you showed to them that can make them sustain this momentum till during and after the election but youths who are changing were the same people that said the old thing was on social media then when they saw that it's still on to the truth the same set of people were saying you know like but if you look at our electoral environment this is the same time we are having about six months declared for campaign and then if you had the fact that officially campaign was supposed to start September for this movement started around July when you did the movement and that movement actually caused the other legislative parties their candidates to devise other means of believing in the conversation and that's when the strategy they are going round to PCC to deal with that again when ahead of September it was the movement that is the temple of this campaign and this is January they have not scheduled that so it seems that they are not going to deal with that before the election now when you talk about after the election it's normally in any situation that immediately you attain your first goal or immediately you finish of your campaign of your journey you will do it with you and then you will be aligned and then tell yourself the name that you did that will call my inspection whether you win or not I say that you will sit fast look at whatever they have done and then re-plan for going ahead or wanting a good show of is the fact that the national electoral system can not remain the same whether they use to get their president in 2023 or not the subject of a subsequent election on the strategy that will always be the basis that I believe that is very you know and also we have seen the fact that by 2027 a lot of the people that are in this of the dense movement will have become more mature because the majority of them are getting onto the political scene for the first time so by 2027 it can be rest assured that they will also come out more strongly than even now that I believe is all for today quickly because we are round enough now the president has come out to say that the letters written by former president Obasanjo they described him as jealous of the president's administration what would you say is the mindset having read that letter and had your own assimilations what would you say is the mindset of president Obasanjo as he wrote that letter I don't speak for president Obasanjo at the moment I do not know his mind but having read his letter and having read the response of the president and the response of the president the copy the official copy they considered that letter of the old document which is not you will not see the kind of anger the kind of effort that is reverted to the response if you think about it is not important I don't think there will be both of those energy and say the letter but let me say this I think it is unfortunate that the president here I think it is true God honestly I think personally I don't think there will be both because Obasanjo is typically Obasanjo so I think Obasanjo has not some mouth with a kind of letter like this people will have been wanting whether the man is fine whether he would be not getting attention it is typical and if you see anything freely that is also in that letter it is the fact that today Nigeria is still that Nigeria of today is better than Nigeria of today it is also of Nigeria I don't think so in terms of the force of living in terms of the standard of living I don't think the ATC standard is to be talking about the new force it means the first phase before you don't want to bring it that way to the new it doesn't mean Obasanjo has said it wasn't something that the average Nigeria knew the feeling of that so I think the president he has more or less the truth is of the way the average Nigerian is because truly Nigeria is the community to believe that we don't have five months and we'll be free so I have a supplier here I don't want to read the word I'm so proud that because anyway I think we are some of the different kind of that's my understanding okay Mr. Aishola I would like to thank you so much for giving us your thoughts on the program today giving us insight into what you think about that letter and the future of Nigeria thank you for coming on the program thank you very much I appreciate it okay that was Mr. Lequon Aishola who was speaking to us we were asking about what he felt about the letter that former president wrote an open letter to the youth and whoever thinks youth and thinks young and thinks that Nigeria should move forward and he was giving us his own perspective I think he had a very positive mindset while talking about that and I do hope that everybody who reads the letter will take out the major things even if you leave out the endorsement of course people with different perceptions, different understanding you take what resonates with you and you know you live the rest it's very understandable okay jealous anyway we'll take a break