 We'll also be having the legacy of late Governor Akira Dolu on the show this morning as we take on that as our second hot topic for the morning. Well, a look at the national dailies will be on off the press as well and we'll be looking at some top trading stories this morning. Good morning, you're welcome to the breakfast on Plus TV Africa. My name is Rume Paulsen. And I am Nyam Ghul Aggaji. Today we're starting on a very sad note because yesterday there was news that broke out that as we will put it in Nigeria, two erocotries or two very giant figures in the political scene and our national life just left us. We're talking about the speaker of the House of Representatives in 1999, Umar Galina Abba. He died yesterday and we also heard the news of Rotimi Akira Dolu, the governor of Undo State. We can only say made our souls rest in peace. Yeah, that is one of our top trending stories this morning and Undo Governor Rotimi Akira Dolu dies after a long health battle. Undo State Governor Uluwa Rotimi Akira Dolu died in the early hours of Wednesday morning after a prolonged health battle. Akira Dolu is Senior Advocate of Nigeria, S.A.N., Ex-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, N.B.A. Ex-Autority General of Undo State was a circumterm governor before his death. The State Commissioners for Information and Orientation, Bami Dili Adimola Olateju, announced the governor's death in a statement. Governor Akira Dolu, in quotes, answered the eternal call while receiving medical treatment in Germany. He succumbed to the complications arising from protracted prostate cancer, she wrote. Adimola Olateju said in a letter had been sent to President Bola to inform him of Akira Dolu's passing, adding that the family and the state governments were released for other details regarding the funeral arrangement. Akira Dolu Aketsi, as he was formerly called by friends and admirers, wore many hats and was acknowledged by many of his contemporaries as a dogged leader with unbending personal convictions. Until his death, it was the chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, a buddy with governors of 17 states in the Southern Nigeria as members. Akira Dolu also led other five colleagues in the Southwest as chairman, championing many reforms, especially in the area of security, prominent among which was the establishment of the Southwest Security Network, codenamed Amotecun. He was born on the 21st of July, 1956, in Orwar, understates to the late Reverend J. Ola Akira Dolu of Orwar and Lady Evangelist Grace Akira Dolu of Igbutu Eche Odo, government area of understates. Akira Dolu was a voice against herdsmen, attacks on farmers, and one of the unwavering critics of the administration of the then president, Mohamed Ubuhari, despite belonging to the same ruling party which is the All Progressive Congress. Aketsi, who won his re-election as understate governor in October 2020, was sworn in for a second term in office in February 2021 and had been flown abroad for treatment for his medical condition in June when his health battle intensified. He returned to Nigeria in September after months overseas but stayed in Ibadan, the Oya state capital. As his health worsened, Akira Dolu was under intense pressure from opposition parties and activists to resign or hand over power to Lucky Ayedatiwa in line with the 1999 constitution. Also, the governor's loyalists in the state House of Assembly were at loggerheads with Ayedatiwa attracting President Bola Tinibu's intervention. Eventually, the governor transmitted power to Ayedatiwa early December when he embarked on another medical leave to Germany the second in 2023. He was an associate member of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Oya state branch. He also accepted and became the patron of the Nigerian Law Society, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos patron, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria, patron, the Law Society, Faculty of Law, Adekulea Adjusting University, Akumba, Akoko. It was also the patron, Sports Writer Association of Nigeria, Oya state branch. Aketi was married to Beti Ayamu, Akira Dulu and blessed with four children and many grandchildren. Today we're just celebrating the life of Mr. Akira Dulu. I'd like to remember him for what he stood for, the kind of man that I grew to admire. A very well, very outspoken person, like it was said in the literature he just read there. He was criticizing even the government that he was a part of, you know, the APC government of Mohammed Buhari. He was always outspoken when it came to power sharing. He was outspoken, security matters. He was very outspoken and all that. And I'd also like to remember him as one of the governors with the best dress sense, because he was a guy man as it is. Yeah, so I'd like to remember him like that. I don't believe, I may be wrong, but I don't believe all the on those saga that has been going on. He had a direct hand in it, because he had been incapacitated for a very long time the way I see. And from stories that came, including the forging of his signature and all that. So it must have gotten to a head where he couldn't have done all the things that were attributed to him. He was trying to, you know, save his life. So at the time they were saying he's not relinquishing power to the deputy and all that, was he really in his faculties? Was he really in his right senses? Was he able to sign any document and all that? So I'd like to remember him like I said, like a hero of democracy that I've always known him to be. A very outspoken person, a person who is passionate about reforms and the interests of his people. I don't know much about on those state what he did in on those state, but I do know what he did for the Southwest and for Nigeria as a whole. You know, security wise, Amotecun, he was almost like single-handedly because he was the focal point where everything was rallying around until we got Amotecun, which is doing well and talking about power coming back to the South and so many other things. So his memory in my own head will be very important. I remember when the news broke yesterday, I started on my phone and I think my first exclamation was, oh no. Because I was really hoping that he would pull through. I think a few weeks ago, about four weeks ago, five weeks ago, we had a guest here talking about him on those states and the fact that the governor is not even there and the governor had been sick. And I think a lot of people were just hoping that he would get better and come back and rule the affairs of on those states. But sadly, Regem has gone yesterday to rest which is hope and pray that his soul rests in peace. And we're praying for strength to the family members and even the people on those states because obviously they've lost a dear brother, a dear friend, a dear father and whatever he was to those people. So we're praying for strength for those people at this point. And not only him, we also remember the family of Galina Abba who also died yesterday and has been buried already according to Islamic tradition. May his soul rest in peace and may the family have the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. Well, it's still another very sad thing. Even though it happened a few days ago, bandits are a step ahead of government according to the sultan on the plot of killings. So that's the second trap-trending issue. The sultan of Sokoto, Saad, Abu Bakr III has condemned the Christmas Eve killings in 20 communities in Mangu, Bokoz, Mangu and Barkinladi local government areas of Plata State. He faulted security agencies for their failure in intelligence-guarding in which they could not avert the heinous crime leading to the death of over 100 people. Abu Bakr called on the government and security agencies to be more proactive and scale up its intelligence-guarding techniques because the bandits are terrorists and are always a step ahead. According to him. The sultan who is also the president-supreme council of Islamic affairs stated this in a Goodwill message at the closing of the ETH National Islamic Vacation Course which held on Wednesday at the Air-Bubakar-Katafar-Baliwa Stadium, Bauchi. He said, and I quote, We have problems of insecurity. Just a couple of days back there was this clash in Plata State where over 100 plus lives were lost. Why do we keep on having these clashes? Why do we keep on having these deaths caused by ourselves? A couple of weeks back, the Tudun Biri issue in Kaduna State is still fresh in our minds and now the one in Plata end of quote. Abu Bakr also warned against politicizing insecurity in the country saying this was dangerous and the worst way to go. He raised some very pertinent questions that should be asked because the answer is always in the question and if you ask the right questions, you probably will get the answer well. But insecurity, I don't know. It's so sad, like really, really sad. And I think this has even been going on social media because people have been talking about it saying, Why are we not saying so much? I mean, when Gaza, when the thing in Gaza happened, the news broke, everybody was talking about it. But this is right here in our corridor. This is in Plato state and no one is really saying anything as much and over a hundred lives. I remember that day. I think that was Tuesday. We were counting. We counted about 145. And next thing it rose up to like 160 something. So they found more bodies and stuff. And I'm like, this is 2023. What is our security agencies doing? Why are we still having this sort of issues? I mean, Boko Haram came. There was a rise of Boko Haram at some point. But right now it's banditry and kidnapping. And where are we as a nation? And we have how many billions for security in the budget? Security takes a chunk of it all. But yes, we're still seeing all of this. So what are the intelligence that they have to prevent these things even before they happen? So many questions. When you talk about banditry, you'll be thinking about stealing. They will come. They could kill you if you resist and all that. But they're basically thieves that want to cut away your property and all that. They are bandits. But when it comes to a situation where people will be moving from village to village, killing people, cutting them to pieces, even children. What kind of resistance would the children give if they want to take their farm produce, for instance, or their cattle or something? So this is a deliberate attempt. We're not dealing with bandits, even though that's the popular name we're giving them. But we're dealing with people who are doing some sort of cleansing. I wouldn't say ethnic cleansing, because they could still be the same tribe and all that, except maybe their religion might change. But they will still be the same tribe. So I don't know how to call it. I would have loved to call it ethnic cleansing. But which ethnicity are they cleansing? Who are the people who are cleansing this? What is even the reason behind all of this? So if the government can ask all these questions, it's not enough for the president to say go after the bandits. Before people can enter up to two, three, four to ten villages, know that they are in great numbers, maybe hundreds. So who are you going to arrest? At what time? What kind of intelligence do you have? No, but before they go to about ten villages, they start with one. So if you have intelligence... Forty-eight hours bandits will be operating and the government... Don't know. So you start in one hour... It feels like the people are abandoned. You're hearing that, oh, they've killed... Let's say, for instance, they've killed about ten people in this village so far. What are you doing to stop them? You can't just allow them to keep going. So for forty-eight hours, everybody is silent. Nobody's doing anything. So there's no phone in that place that they could have called. Do you understand? Fingers are crossed. Nobody is moving anywhere. It's ridiculous. It's like we need to take our security seriously. If you are a governor, a president, or a commissioner, or a local government official, you are supposed to protect the lives and properties of the citizens. That's the first... That is your primary assignment. If you're going into governance. So now, the governor of, I think, the same state was telling us that there are places in Platteau state up to modern sixty communities that have been occupied by these bandits. Communities. So how do you want to let them encroach into... Even paying tax to bandits and all that. And the government seems quiet. Because it's not enough. And even another thing that I know that the vice president went to that place, but I think in a situation like this, the president should have been there. Yes. But he was celebrating Christmas in Lagos. Just so you know, we condemn such acts. We condemn what's happening in Platteau state. It is horrific. It is sad that this is happening here in Nigeria. In our corridors. We just hope and we pray that this would not happen again. And we hope that the people who have perpetuated this kind of horrific, wicked... I don't even know the words to use. We hope that they are brought to justice. And we pray for the families and the people who had these people that have died them in their lives. And we pray the loved ones that they have. Yes. We pray that God would just give them the fortitude to bear this loss at this time. And like I said, we condemn any form of this right here. Okay. Let's move over to another top training story. It's been a very sad day so far. But let's look at this one. China's import from Nigeria rise to 22.5% in quarter three. 2023. The Chinese Consulate General has said the People's Republic of China imports from Nigeria rose by 25% in the third quarter of 2023. This, according to stakeholders, is an indication of positive bilateral trade between both countries. This came even as a Chinese Consulate General in Lagos, Miss Yan Yuqing, reinstated that China's firmly supports African countries in exploring development parts and cooperation in poverty reduction and promotion of modernization of agriculture. In a statement, Yuqing said China and Nigeria have built a nice cooperation mechanism, broad cooperation platform, while practical cooperation in various fields are deepening and expanding. In the first three quarters of 2023, China, Nigeria bilateral trade reached 17.25 billion US dollars, and China's imports from Nigeria increased by 22.5%. She noted that the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Lagos would like to extend sincere new year wishes to friends from all walks of life in the consulate area at this wonderful moment. Since 2013, China has helped construct more than 6,000 kilometers of railway, 6,000 kilometers of roads and 80 large-scale power facilities in Africa. Landmark projects by China in Africa includes the Mombasa-Narobi Railway, Nigeria's Lecky Deep Sea port, and the headquarters of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. Chinese enterprises have built more than half of the wireless stations and high-speed mobile broadband networks in Africa, laying more than 200,000 kilometers of optical fiber and serving more than 900 million African people. China is Africa's largest trading partner, and by 2022, China or Africa trade reached 282 billion dollars, accounting for 20% of Africa's total foreign trade. China's FDI stock in Africa exceeds 47 billion, 1.8 times the 2013 figure. China has built 25 economic and trade cooperation zones with Nigeria and other African countries to promote industrialization in Africa. China is also supporting Africa in implementing the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is a good thing. First of all, I don't understand the headline at all because it sounds ambiguous to me. China's imports from Nigeria rise to 22.5... Should that mean they are importing more from us? Well, I don't know. For me, it still sounds ambiguous. Okay, maybe that is what it is. They should have just said exports from Nigeria to China is this, this, that. But imports, China's imports from Nigeria could also mean that what Nigeria is importing from China. I get what you mean. Because the body of the story still doesn't say goods that are moving from Nigeria to China and all that. But we do know that a lot of things are coming from China to Nigeria. What are we even exporting to China? The report should have given us the kind of things that are leaving Nigeria for China. Right. Should we have even making our money? China is very biased when it comes to trade and even accepting anything from another country. So what is that thing that is going to one of our biggest partners in the world trade space so that we can know that maybe we need to produce more because China has the population. They have the market for these things. And for it to even rise up to 22.5% that means there is the market for it even more as well. Yes, so we should have known. It's really vague. But if it means that things are leaving Nigeria to China and the value has risen to 22.5% that's good. That's a good thing. As I said, things are looking up in 2024. Okay, well, whatever it is whether we are importing or exporting let the Nigerian population have a feel of a good life because it shouldn't always be that Nigeria is not getting it right in any way. But there's another thing as we're going into 2024 we should be mindful what we say about Nigeria. Some of the things that we say just to get favors from the other countries may be very detrimental to Nigeria even more detrimental than the things that we are finding in Nigeria. For instance, you want asylum in the UK and you say all sorts of things about Nigeria that are negative and may not even be as bad as you are putting them just because you want asylum. You are part of the problem someone who says those kind of things let's be patriotic a little bit and highlight the good things that we also find in Nigeria. I think with everything there are always pros and cons it depends on how you want to look at it sometimes we fixate on the bad things and forget there are good things and you're not leaving in the moment you're not enjoying the good things because you're just looking at the bad thing and that's all that's in your mind. So with Nigeria, I know Nigeria might not be the best country right now for a lot of people and that's why you're seeing this whole Jack Waist Syndrome everybody's trying to move out of Nigeria in search for grainer pastures but why can't we look at the good things as well and then try to fix the bad things so you're fixated on the good things that helps your mind. There are a lot of good things here just being a Nigerian is a good thing I tell you there are countries that are not people who are so resilient as Nigerians. Nigerians are like the happiest people places especially in Africa where you go to and you tell them I'm a Nigerian they know that I will never give up sometimes you go to other countries and you enter a club and you just see somebody doing the Gra Gra Syndrome you know this is Nigeria and they change the music and it has to be a Nigerian thing Nigeria is a place that you can go out and beat your chest I come from Nigeria and they recognize you they're like oh you're Nigerian are you evil? They don't even care when we go outside it's here that we fight that if you're Nigerian they just respect you knowing that your spirit is a can do spirit so we should be proud of that and even our exports you're seeing us making giant strides for instance the health sector in the US there are lots of Nigerian if you cannot export the farm produce we can export the people you go there and you find out some hospitals the entire shift is made up of Nigeria doctors and nurses and all those Texas like Nigerians let's even talk about our entertainment industry that is a big export here in Nigeria we're winning Grammys we're winning so many awards we're on billboards we're getting recognition left, right and center you're hearing them play you're going to be so happy I'm always look at Amazon look at all these the Netflix all of them are trying to get into the Nigerian market they've come here to tap into the Nigerian market and only what is big for a very long time if you hear of a very big movie that is coming on it will have either a Nigerian actor maybe even though there are residents wherever they are a Nigerian actor or something that will touch Nigeria so that when it comes to Nigeria it will resonate well with the people so I think Nigeria is a country that we should be proud of and tell the world that we have arrived that's right with the touch of Gra Gra we're here with Nigerians and that is the way to go we should stop talking down on Nigeria internally we can fight our politicians we can say a lot of things that's what happens at home you can't fight but you don't go out there and spread your debt in public at home you can say this is not right this is not what you should do and I think that's what we need to do as Nigerians have a united front and then work together to make our nation better to that point where we're satisfied we know that we've worked for this not running away not having to slander our country not even being part of the problem because sometimes people are salient partners in certain things for instance people are corrupt in their offices it's not only the politicians right now so you're trying as much as possible to make Nigeria better we already know Nigeria is the way it is okay fine how do we go from here but you see the entertainment industry for instance that we were talking about is an industry that has next to zero influence of government on it so they're not giving them money so on their own they were able to flourish so if you have the conduce period of the Nigerian government and if we get to the point where we don't have to wait for the government the government will be looking for us because if you find out you are no longer relevant you'll be thinking of ways to connect with the people but now you come home and we'll give you chief tensi for stealing money look at the entertainment industry you hear that they go there and they win awards and stuff and the government is congratulating them because you've gone there to you've gone there to make a name and they're ready to congratulate you so that's what we can do at some point when you start doing all of these things we're trying to flourish by ourselves the government has no choice but to dance to the tune and say we're so proud of where Nigeria is going and then they want to plug in because there's always that thing when you see that people are thriving you want to plug into that and we're just hoping that I'm excited for 2024 this is the last Thursday in 2023 I'm excited for 2024 and all of the things that are to come with it it would not tarry Nigeria is already great it's my country I love Nigeria all the people who are trying to bring us down well this is Nigeria I don't have that craze of Jack Bar maybe my children will go but I don't know I've always told myself even when I was young that if I'm going abroad it'll be on my own terms I will have to go there do what I can do that will take me there should give me the way with all to come home anytime I like so it shouldn't be that because I'm looking for transportation to come from UK to Nigeria and I can't have it that's why it will take me 10 years let it be my decision to stay one year, two years without coming home but I'd always like to know that it's within my grasp alright let's go on a short break and when we return we'll be looking at what the national dailies are saying but first let's look at the weather stay with us