 Hello, it's Plus Reports. It's where we bring you some of the stories and events that made the news recently. And just in case you missed out on some of them, don't worry, we've got you covered in this edition. Welcome, I'm Jacinta Ubuco. We are starting off on matters surrounding 2023 General Elections, which is gradually around the corner. And of course, there are conversations, agitations as to who the president will be and what part of the country should he or she come from. Also, some groups and individuals have declared the orientations for presidency. Interestingly, in this report, the Eurobastic Holders Summit Group, YSSJ in Lagos, has said it is not the turn of the Southwest yet to run for president in 2023. During the press conference organized by the group, the stress that YSSJ is in a bid to achieve fairness and equity within the nation. What do you think? The quest for where or who becomes the president has been the topic of discussion for most Nigerians. This is especially as 2023 presidential elections draw closer. Some have argued that it does not matter who or where the president comes from, as far as competence is concerned. But the Eurobastic Holders Summit Group believes there are thousands of competent persons in southern region. There's an aggregate 10 years of president, vice president, senate president and Speaker of Federal House of Representatives. We have observed with serious concern the open and silent demand and decreation by some politicians in the Southwest, justing to succeed President Obama-Dubuwari come 2023. Not only did we find this insensitive, but we also think it is self-serving and unjust. We also have the strong opinion and conviction that some part of the southern Nigeria deserves the presidency more than the Southwest. We need peace, okay? Give people sense of belonging. If I believe I have no stake in this pot of soup, I can as well throw stones inside. Or I break it from under, or urinate inside. But if I believe I have a stake, no matter how poorly prepared, we guide the soup. There are people from Yoruba who are also aspiring to fight. They are eminently qualified. But we are just saying that for equity, fear, play and justice. There also appeared that politicians who are asking that zoning should be jettisoned should realize that they are trying to perpetuate injustice which is against the unity of the country. For us to move forward, we must be ready to embrace justice and let things be as it should be. It should be because people remaining to eat keep quiet in the face of this obvious calamity waiting to be followed as a nation and as a people. The question becomes, what has the South-South and the South-East had over time? The only thing they probably have had in this Fourth Republic is the presidency of a good lockdown that was even short-lived. Recognizing the place of fairness and equity is understandable. But when it comes to true leadership, some have argued that it does not matter where the person comes from. Anyways, do not forget that the power lies in your hands as to who your president should be. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Do the right thing by getting your PVC ready. Still speaking of 2023 elections, Vice Chancellor of the Global Worth University, Togo and prominent philanthropist, Professor Chris Imumulin has urged the young people to get their permanent voter cards as that it is the sure way to be involved in deciding who handles the machinery of government in 2023. Professor Imumulin gave the charge while declaring his intention to run for the presidency of Nigeria during the GPT's convocation ceremony in Oregon State. Justin Acadone has more. Believe me from next year, Nigeria will begin to change its shape and narrative globally. The race to who governs the machinery of government is gathering momentum. Joining the lace of those who have indicated interest to run for presidency is Professor Chris Imumulin. The University Vice-Chancellor who made his intention in order for this mammoth crowd says the issues of empty-curity, youth unemployment and bad economy, among others, can only be traced to bad governance, hence his decision to run. My major reason for wanting to do this is to see how as a young person who have succeeded privately, I believe and I know that if given the opportunity, we can also change the narrative for Nigeria and make Nigeria great because the country belongs to all of us and we all need to come together and see how we can contribute our very best to rescuing Nigeria from the insecurity problem, the unemployment challenges, the poverty challenges and a whole lot. We don't even have good news anymore. Professor Imumulin says he is not on the way of the party politics in Nigeria, which often times direct the flow of governance. Although he has not decided on which platform to pursue his ambition, he speaks of mobilizing 14 million Nigerian youths to actualize this vision. But I want Nigerians to begin to look beyond party to personality. You know, a party can just drop anybody to become leaders and because of politics. But we need to begin to see, as in a time like this, where we need a technocrat, a viewed platform that have empowered millions of Nigeria. I have the largest institute in Africa. I'm the only African who have set up three universities globally. I'm the only African who have his name on the World Book of Greatness. I've achieved so much. Look at past leaders. I don't want to start throwing stones, but by the time you compare what I've done privately with what other leaders have done, when they were not in politics, I think you will be able to know. Moving on, the Biosas state government has flagged off its maiden education summit as part of efforts to reposition the sector. The plan is to meet global standards with the formulation of strategic policies and the adoption of a 15-year framework. Our correspondent, Jesse Sey, filed the report. Doya Dere declaring the summit open. The theme of the event is optimizing the delivery, performance and sustainability of outcomes in the education sector. With over a thousand stakeholders in attendance, the Commissioner for Education, Gentile Emila, highlights the expectations from the summit. Education is a passport to the future. For tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. This is exactly what we have gathered here to do. We trust your judgment and will place appropriate emphasis on your expertise and opinions as we build our educational plans, policies, blueprints and strategies for the next 15 years. What is key to us is that we must move up the rankings to anywhere between the first and the sixth. What is the new trajectory in education? We are talking now in these days about technology-assisted learning, which constitutes educational planning, educational documentation. Former President Gulog Jonathan is key note speaker. He uncovered some problems bedeviling the education sector. In his functional education is key. We must make education very functional in Biosy State and we will start from the primary. And we are trying to develop what we call, the state has modified and they are going that proper direction. But what we call a teachers' retraining institute. Because then I saw that a number of people teaching at the primary school level, we are not really fit to teach. Then the NC Distant Learning too was a big problem to me. Because when I visit some of the sites, some of the instructors themselves are supposed to be students. Other stakeholders comment the state government's move but urge the Ministry of Education to fully implement every policy that will be formulated. I urge all of us stakeholders to also look to improve the delivery and accessibility of quality learning resources by leveraging unsustainable ICT solution. ICT and data-driven learning is the new normal. Now disasters, whether naturally or by human induced, usually leave nothing but pains, losses and sorrow globally. Nigeria is not an exception to this. The need for a more robust disaster management. In this next report, our correspondent, Ngozi Kaohai-JC, takes a look at some occurrence, their management and the way forward in disaster management in Nigeria. Disasters can be caused by natural, man-made and technological hazards. As well as various factors that influence the exposure and vulnerability of the community. Globally, a total number of 98.97 million people were affected by the natural disasters in 2020. And in Africa, about 1.7 thousand natural disasters were reported between 1970 to 2020. In recent years, disasters of various magnitude are becoming more frequent, intense and geographically diverse in various parts across Nigeria. The most reoccurring and devastating disasters in Nigeria are flood, fire outbreak, oil spillage, building collapse, which has destroyed properties running into millions. Major disasters so far recorded in Nigeria include the 2005 Sosoliso Air Crash, where more than 200 people lost their lives. The Keja military can torment explosion in 2002, in which people running to safety were buried in a canal that had overgrown with water hyacinths in Lagos. The building collapsed at the Ita'a Faji area of Lagos Island. And the recent still in Lagos, the Iqoyi 21 story building collapsed, which took over 40 lives. So I was just beside the oyster. The oyster is what is between me and the pilaf that I can see. I caught one of the guys to help me bring the sand. When I was busy, he asked me to call that person. I called the second person. So I entered the tractor, advancing back to go and bring the sand from there, the plaster sand. As I was advancing, I just heard the cracking sound. At least something cracked. Later I looked, I saw the cracks. If I could turn to say I want to run within three seconds, it didn't last. I mean, they coming down with the 21 floors didn't last more than three seconds. Vanje Betjes is a structural engineer, a member of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers. With over 14 years of experience, according to him, 50% of houses in Lagos are not handled by qualified experts, but said there is a way out of the quagmire. The case of building collapse is not new. It's not a Nigerian thing. Building collapse all over the world. But we're just looking at the statistics. I mean, it seems to be frequent here in Lagos. And that's basically because Lagos has, because of the nature of the soil, in Lagos where buildings are being constructed on. First of all, one of the major key issues that leads to building collapse is inadequate designs of buildings, where the building is being designed based on assumptions that are incorrect. You know, most people don't want to, most clients wouldn't want to pay for certain services, such as, oh, we need to carry out soil investigation. And then the client is telling, you know, this is a stable ground. My neighbor has built a 3-storey building. So we're building 3-storey building. Raft foundation should work. And you find out that the proper investigation is not being done. The former Lassama GM, Addition Otiyamiu, insisted that every state should have an emergency response plan, and those plans should be nationalized. Now, at the national level, they must have a plan. But when you have a plan, and it is not nationalized among all of the states, if you have a national emergency management agency, it should also go that you should have state emergency management agencies. Yes, they do have them, but mostly in name in many states. There are states that does not even have a call center where you can activate the response to. There are states that they don't have an ambulance team. In fact, there are states that do not have an active emergency response team going out to rescue people. You see zero safety rescue people. I'm not saying they cannot do that. Are they properly trained to do? He advised that a national policy to educate Nigerians on disaster management be set up, while the government must be ready to invest in managing disaster. Today in America, if emergency occur, an average American knows what to do. Look, if you are working within a neighborhood and a boy as young as seven years sight you and see a gun in your pocket, he knows he is trained not to scream or not to shout because he knows you could shoot him. He knows how to crawl back, go in and pick the family phone and call 911. We must begin to do that. We must begin to let people know that when they see something, they should say something. Because if we don't do that and the calamity happens, even you that saw it and didn't raise alarm, you may even be the biggest victim. It's time for a short break now. We will be right back with more.