 Welcome back. It's still the breakfast on PLOS TV Africa and we're going to be looking at the papers right now. What is happening in our country and beyond? What are the topics that we need to talk about? What are the things that really precar interest today in the papers? Let's begin with the Guardian. We can see 40 days to go. FAKE approves over 100 billion Naira contracts. Yes indeed. And more from the paper, athletes officials panic as national stadium goes, national stadium legals floodlights collapses. That was because in the aftermath of the rain that fell yesterday, I don't know if the rain actually directly caused it, but it's sad. 20 years on, family relieves memories of Adeife, Akiola, Akin Deko. Our excess crude account to down to $474,754 says fact. That's a paltry sum. In this age of increased oil demand or prices rather. Crack widens in APC over alleged misuse of 30 billion Naira, zoning concerns, a total shell to end gas flaring as stakeholders decry industry loopholes. Those are some stories on the front page of the Guardian. Let's go to the next paper. Insecurity, local rice price jumps by 200%. We also hear that rice price scores from 173 Naira per kilogram to 521 Naira per kilogram under Buhari, despite government's intervention. That's a report from the National Bureau of Statistics, the NBS. And rice farmers, producers, experts blame rising inflation, insecurity, others for rice woes. We also have this report here that Lagos mob burns a BRT bus as driver dies in the crash. And El Rufi raises the alarm over insecurity ahead May 29. Ogunfather chains and staves two children to death, his own children, two to death. Substandard materials, quarks caused banana island building collapse. That's the report that is coming in from the experts. All right, that's what we have on the punch. Let's go to the next paper, Daily Trust, with the following headlines. High fertilizer prices threaten wet season farming. Really very important story that the paper is focusing on. Death toll hits 151 as Lhasa fever spreads in 26 states. Lhasa fever seems to be a constant. It always gets attention and coverage. I thought he had gone. It's still around. 3,290 inmates on death row, correctional service. Buhari returns from Saudi Arabia as Sudan crisis forces flight rerouting. Oh wow, that's a very, very good one because those guys are not playing at all. 40 days to go. Buhari's government approves 1.53 trillion Nara for 11 road projects. This paper puts its headlines. Banditry 308 killed, 746 kidnapped in Kaduna in three months report. And Tidu asks police to probe Adamawa election controversy. Interesting. The final paper. Okay, we'll take maybe the independent. The independent has the story saying that Malami admit a frustrating 2.4 billion dollar oil revenue probe. That's from the House of Rebs. They may issue arrest warrant to cause their appearance. That's what they're threatening. And they also have the story. Less than 40 days to go affect okay's billions of Nara road contracts. There is a story saying why Buhari didn't intervene in Adamawa-Gooba-Pole controversy. Nigerian army deploys troops in Guinea-Bissau. Election petition, tribunal grants Jando prayers to serve Somolou GRV via substituted service. Tinabu asks police to investigate Adamawa-Gooba-Pole saga. And then federal government declares Friday and Monday public holidays. The things that is making me laugh. Let's begin to bring in our guest this morning, architect, politician, father, husband, as many things as they can. Good morning to you. Thank you very much for joining us today, sir. Good morning. Really nice to be with you guys. Yes, yes. I think we need to give you an award for your fashion sense. Yes, indeed. We have to craft that award. The breakfast award. Yeah, we'll just do something. So, architect, let's start with this one from the Daily Impenet. Because I would like us to look at what the legacy of the likes of Malami and the likes of the finance minister will be when this administration leaves. Because these two always seem to be linked with controversy. And I'm sure you have noticed by now I like to focus especially on our finance minister. Malami Ahmed, frustrating 2.4 billion Naira oil revenue probe is what the House of Representatives are saying. It's gone to the point where they may have to issue a rest warrants to cause their appearance. What exactly are they hiding from? You know, we run a country where we really don't understand what governance is. We have not learned to draw a line between politics and governance. As a matter of fact, we run a country where what is politics is a race for state capture. So that when you get in there, it is this primitive accumulation of wealth that is what drives you and not to give the best returns to the people by way of proper and prudent management of the resources on the behalf of the people. Once you understand that, the mindset, then you can draw a parallel between a dog and a cat. A dog is primed to bark and a cat is primed to meow. When you bring a dog and you are irritated that it makes too much noise, the problem is not the dog, the problem is you. Or you go and get a cat and you say, you're not scaring the people. A cat is not expected to scare the people. The people that we bring into office, look at what has just happened in Adamawa state, they are not people who are coming to manage to serve the people. They are people with complete ulterior motive, which is state capture. And if that is what they're coming for, then you should expect that what they will be doing at all times should be like how they can get money, how they can get money, how they can get money. How you now get angry that they are getting money instead of serving the people. The problem is not with them, the problem is with you, who collected money from them to put them in office. Please give them the latitude to enjoy what they paid you for. We've just finished the election. Now what's the parallel here? How do you tell me that you paid as much as $200 million to consultants or whistleblowers? Brother, if you are expected anybody to come clean on that, then it's as good as telling me that maybe that mind line bridges up for sale. Because not going to happen. Are you going to explain that what sort of consultancy, $200 million? Not going to happen. They are not going to tell you. And they also know that you yourself in the legislature, how serious are you? What do you really want? If we call you as a brother, relax. You know, you have some 40 days to go. What do we do about this money and bury this case? I pray they never ever try that because that case is not going to be buried. Let this administration go. The documents remain. The next administration, this case will come up because they are going to have major issues with funding and finance. That they are going to look into past records and see to what extent they can recover as much as been looted. And if not that they will also want to have their own share of the, you know, the, you know, the bite at the pie. So really, that matter. Let me ask you a question. No, not really ask a question. You know, this thing came up about two years ago, if my memory serves me right. The whistle blow at this issue came up about 2010. 2020, I think. Why is it that 40 days to the end of the administration, it becomes so important for you to bring up that matter? I don't know if you guys can resolve that redone for me because I can't seem to get it. Many of them are not coming back. I then I'm trying to summon those who to come and harass them enough to have a share of the pie or what, I really don't know it. Maybe you guys can help me out at your end. Well, I think your question says some things about, your question is answers itself. You know, but it's amazing. And it's going to go before Yanko comes in. I'd like you to talk about the apathy of Nigerians towards the performance, the actions, the scandals involving some of the government officials. Because I mean, in some other climes, sorry to say, that by now, in fact, way before now, people have been calling for the head of this finance minister. I mean, look at Keme Adeyushen, who was asked to leave because she had some issues with her NYCC. So there is no comparison in terms of performance, in terms of delivery, in terms of every standard that she measure a finance minister by. There is no comparison. And it's scandal after scandal. And I keep saying it on this program. So maybe somebody needs to do a compendium of all the scandals involving Zena Bamed on her own, Aboka Malami on his own. And then both of them together. It even got to a point where in the fact, the likes of Timmy Presilva, the likes of both, most of her had to oppose certain payments they wanted to make, all right, to accompany a huge amount of money. So it's always money, money, money, payment, payment. Let me, let me, brother, brother, let me tell you something. For you to remain in a system, it either, it must be that you are contributing to the system. For you to remain in this current system, it must be that you are servicing the system. There are one, two, three ways you service the system. One is that the public says, oh, this guy is so competent. This guy is doing so well. This guy is, you know, they hail him. Once in a while you have people in an office that don't want to call any names, who just come up and they're like, they're really good. The second is that you probably have certain political values that you bring to the system. And they know that losing you is not in their best interest. The third is that you are the oil, or that, you know, that lubricates the wheel of progress. Okay? In which case you are the financial drain pipe or the financial, you know, inflow pipe for them. Now, when we look at finance and Malami, we ask ourselves, where do they belong? And they bring in such great values to the system such that the system cannot say, oh boy, now this won't be our shining light to see the public seem to like them. I don't think that is the case. Now look at the controversies surrounding the two of them. You realize that to a great extent, to the best of my knowledge, if my knowledge memory serves me right, a lot of them have to do with money, finance. Another one has to do like, on the legal side, being able to create a safe haven or on the financial, not financial, on the legal means to sustain the system. So these two people seem to be people that they, when they say jump, they say, how high? Okay? Because the finance minister herself, I think she is very unfortunate. The reason is that we had Madam Okonjo in Weala, global citizen, global best seller, global reference point. And when she left, we were like, who will be able to like match that? At your shoe came and in all fairness surprised me because I honestly didn't give a shit. I was like, mm-mm, okay, just watch and see. But she pleasantly surprised me. She kind of stepped up to the plate and she really, really impressed a lot of people. And she must have been taking decisions that were antithetical to the wishes, the whims and the caprices of the system. As a result, they look for yake. NYC. Hey, yeah NYC, sorry, NYC and they kicked her out. And who did they replace her with? The juries out there, you know. So you're saying in a matter of weeks, this thing might die, matter of days, it might just die naturally or death. You know, these guys are on their way out. And you know, I find anything is really curious. And I really want Nigerians to wake up to what I want to say. We need to manage our expectation as are today because there are certain signs that I'm finding very uncomfortable. I'm talking of APC on APC, not the position now. APC on APC. There are certain things that are quite unsettling to me as an individual. I'm sitting down, I'm trying to really find out what is going on starting from, not even starting from way before, there was something that would make the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Somebody who is not a little child, somebody who's been ahead of state before, somebody who's contested three or four times before he finally got this, and somebody who is doing his second term, somebody who should understand what the law is to finish voting and carry his ballot paper and show it to the camera, to the whole world. He's not even pretending and go say, oh, okay, maybe he was upset, mind he carries and shows to the whole world, CEO, now APC I voted for, CEO, I voted for APCO. That tape should go and be watched again and people should look at it again. Now, immediately after that, you find an election, the result that is so bizarre that till tomorrow, INEC cannot explain what's going on. They say go to court. Right now, if we had to look at proceedings strictly from legal standpoint, you know that there were problems. So we're asking ourselves, where are we going from here? And all of a sudden from nowhere, somebody said they say, oh, they want to do APCO, they want to do a military incognito, they want to, and who is saying this? The director, SSS, of all people in the world who understands that you cannot do an interim government except through a certain process. Even when you want to, as much as try not to imagine the other option, it has to be by the command of the mandate charge. So really what is going on? And now at the twilight of the exit, they are now awarding jobs as if PDP took over from them or AGC took over from them and they're like, let's get what we can while we can on our way out. Instead of a brother handing over to a brother, it's seamless and to crown it all off. We don't even see demand that they voted for. Brother, the time has gone for us to wake up and smell the coffee and ask ourselves, where are we going from here? I'm praying so that there will be peace in the land for the sake of you and I. Okay, I'm glad you've mentioned the fact that they are living and they're still making humongous awards of contracts to people and we don't know even whether they're going to follow that through because we've seen the ones that started seven years ago, eight years ago, still continuing and we're not seeing any headway to that. But let me go to the other story which also gives Nigerians concern. At some point in this country, the borders were blocked, importation of rice was stopped. A lot of other things didn't come into the country and the presidency or the government of today were saying that they want to revamp the agricultural sector and they pride themselves as being one of the governments that has really, really changed the face of agriculture by funding and everything that needs to be done. Yet we're seeing the story that the price of rice, which is a staple in Nigeria, has risen to 200% and I begin to wonder what actually did the government do or what did they not do that will make people now buy rice at a price which is more than 200%. Let me even tell you see, we live in a very, I don't want to use the word interesting because really there's really nothing interesting about what's going on. We live in a very curious times and system and society. Let me remind you number one, we are supposed to be self-sufficient in rice. Number one. Number two, we are supposed to have banned importation of rice, okay? When you put these two together, let me will not go for that. Number three, it is commonsensical that production comes from, the returns comes from the investment. It is when farmers have gone to the farm, they have found that at harvest time, they harvest and then the produce is made available. It is just commonsensical. But I want to ask you, where do you get the produce from when the farmers are in IDPs? Isn't it just too easy to extrapolate and know that there will be no harvest? When there is no harvest, there's not going to be products. When there's no products, the prices are going to rise. So if we are now getting 200% rise, I mean, is it rocket science for us to know where we came from and why it is where it is? And that while farmers, while men slept, while people in government forgot what the essence of government was, and they were running around on how to make money and they couldn't care less, insecurity was hitting us left, right and center. They've not been able to come and sit down and bring up policies that will stop insecurity that will make for peace and return farmers to their farms and give them the necessary things so that at the output time we will have these things available. Number three, all borders are supposed to be short and importation of rice is supposed to be illegal, but enter a new supermarket in Lagos, or Wio, or Abuja, or Kano, or Katina, enter any supermarket. Please tell me how much of local rice you have and how much imported rice you have. And can somebody tell me how all the imported rice found their way into the market when it is supposed to be banned? What is going on? It's kind of, let me help you, let me help you. You know, all of a sudden, all of a sudden, all of a sudden, this camera, right? All of a sudden the reports, you know, the statistics, you know, indicated that small binning republics, small intelligence sites and population, all of a sudden overnight became the largest importer of rice in Africa. You know, beating the likes of Ethiopia. You know, Nigeria is not importing rice anymore. So, you know, Ghana, even Liberia, Liberia is into a lot of rice. And so that, I think, I don't know if that answers your question. How did it answer? When you take the volume of imports, extrapolate that against their own consumption requirement, please tell me where the differential goes to. Thank you for helping me. You know what Fela called, anyway, this is not what Fela talked about, but it's part of it. Fela said, government magic, but maybe this one is rice magic. You know. It's food, not just magic. You don't pass magic, it's food. They have Rakadab rice. Yamgul is my brother from Crossroads State. You know, we both, we both crossroads the inside out. You can talk to people who are rice merchants who bring in rice through the Fomahakwa view, which is Nabakasi, the government, you know. And they'll be telling us how they work hand in glove with some of these customs guys. In fact, one told me that she knows a customs officer who is a major trader of imported rice to the North. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Hey guys, let me tell you something. This thing we call customs. One day, they will arise a pharaoh who knew not Joseph. One day, God will bring somebody who is ready to fix this country. All the cardilers. It does not, I don't know what DSS is doing. You can trace so many things to a very defined source. But we are keeping quiet and we are running this country as if it doesn't matter. One day, I don't know how it will make God will raise somebody that will interrogate the system, weed down the bad eggs and allow Nigeria to breathe. Question is, if God brings that pharaoh, will we accept him? Because obviously, Nigerians have their own definition of a pharaoh that can or a Moses even that can take them to the promised land. So will we accept this Moses if he comes or if it is a pharaoh? Let me tell you, let me tell you about, let me just take a second and tell you about Nigeria that people don't know. Nigeria, in my opinion, is a client nation for God, is a nation where there is a hand of divinity that people don't quite reckon with. There was a time that we had a man called Abacha and we really didn't believe, I mean, somebody called me from U.S. and said Abacha was dead. I told him to drop the line and not call again because I couldn't believe it. I remember very well, very, very well, was a landline. I never ever thought that Abacha had taken so much hold of us that he was like God. But do you see, he was just taking out one day like an anticlimax, boom, and that was the end of the story. We thought that if anything happened to MK or Biola, oh, this country will go to pieces, blah, blah, and Biola just died and boom, we moved and achieved nothing happened. Coming to recent history, there was a time that they said, Igbo should leave, face of October. If they don't leave, face of October, blah, blah, blah, if faces of October came and left, nothing happened. Then there was a man called Good Lord Jonathan that was going against the quarry and people will say, oh, six months to election, people had left the country because they said, wow, this is a, and what happened on election day, President Jonathan just made one phone call and it ended as if nothing happened. There was a man called O.P.J. They said he was going to go for third term and the thing was so much, one morning I just watched on television and they just took a decision and what happened? Boom, third term just fizzled into thin air. One day, Nigeria, look at the earthquakes, look at the natural disasters, look at all those, it was paid from everything. Look at what some of the things that have happened in Nigeria, 100 of it would have cost and this country would have blown to pieces but we're still there, there is a hand. I don't know how long we can take the risk of pushing that hand but one day that hand is going to stand up and restore this country because Nigeria has a place in the global scheme of things and when that day reaches, God will do it and no man will do anything against it. That day will come. All right, I hope you don't be... No, my name is Ezekiel, I'm Michael B. Yeah, the prophet Ezekiel. I hope you won't be accused of waging religious... We're religious, but let's not go there. But we have to go. But the final one, this one is a sad one, I've been struggling to look for stories too, some few good stories, but I can't find. This one says excess crude account down to $474,000 according to FACC, $474,000. So there's our own excess crude account that they wrote to Jonathan to share and then we have 40 days to go, FACC approves 100 billion-era contracts. So I saw another report that says over 1 trillion... Yeah. You know, 1 trillion-era. Over to you, sir. You see, there are two things that just makes this... I had always prayed that President Buhari will exit on free, fair, credible elections that will make us to forget everything is done in the past. But I feel sorry for the family of the president because when he leaves office in about 40 days, what will come? I'm really because of the very silly, stupid, idiotic, nonsensical, unsensible election that they gave us called the presidential election. I think that that man will look back in very, very bad regret. Why am I saying this? If you look at the policies, all the indices of development, we are on the wrong end of it. That is number one. Number two, the level of borrowing is unprecedented. That's number two. Number three, excess account depleting. So the big thing is so much money has been collected, we can't find where the money is going to. And even at the twilight, when they should be thinking about the restitution or really like stop taking to find something that will just make them exit in it. In the same glance of bless of glory, they are just breaking everything to the last minute. I hope they will stop and think because that excess account thing is just nauseating. And I pray that God will, maybe in these 40 days, 40 has always been a very significant number from the Bible times and everything. I hope that from today, something will hit the system positively. They will wake up the veil will be off their eyes and they will say, look, let's just for whatever is worth, start to do the right thing. 40 days is enough for them to rewrite their history by the grace of God. Okay, well, we have to wrap it over at this moment. We'd like to thank you, Mr. Ezekiel Nyaitok, for being a part of this show. It's always a pleasure having you, even though, like you said, you just met me for the first time. How are you doing, boys? Thank you, thank you so much for being here. Thank you, God bless you, thank you. All right, maybe tomorrow we'll find some more sharing stories on the phone pages. Yeah, well, let me just say this. I'm from Cross River and where I come from is a very agrarian area and I don't know why the federal government is doing what they're doing because rights should never be a problem here. Oh, no, come on, you're going to fight. I'm also from Cross River State as well. You should know. I'm not head of IAD Rice. I thought you were going to chuckle or choke. I'm head of IAD Rice. There's rice in Cross River State. What are we talking about? So I don't know why the government is doing this. They're putting in money to do what? When fertilizers cannot be bought. One of the stories that we read here is talking about fertilizers skyrocketing. When the chemicals that are used, the herbicides that are used, that used to be bought for like 2,000 Naira, being bought for 5,500 Naira, how do you expect that rice to come down? So even the population that can still go into their farms cannot even buy the things that will help them plant the rice. Those, and that simply can go to their farms in peace. They will be right back. But I don't know if the government did something about giving fertilizers at this country's price to farmers sometime ago. That's just talking. That's just talking. That's just talking to your friend right now. All right, we'll take a break when we come back. We'll talk a damn hour, a damn hour, a damn hour. Stay with us.