 Welcome back. It's still the breakfast and plus TV Africa and we are set to do justice to the headlines on the pages of the NICI press this morning. Jilly Johnson, senior lecturer, the Nigerian Institute of Journalism is our guest this morning on off the press. Jilly Johnson, thank you very much for your time and good morning to you. Good morning. Good morning, Kofi and good morning to our viewers all over the world. Thank God it's Friday. Yes, TGIF. An afternoon one. Yes, same to you. Last time we had you on the program it was a way back last month. So thanks for the wish and I wish you a fantastic month as well. Let's start with a look at the headlines on the front page of the punch this morning. It's a colorful paper and of course a picture there of the gentleman, the young man who was found guilty of killing Ini Umoren. And this is a picture taken of him in court. A big one there. This life has been caught short. That is a young girl has been caught short unnecessarily. And then also this young man also now has his future up in flames. You know, he's meant to serve two times. One is life imprisonment and one is death by hanging. Of course, as we played a video there earlier, he attempted to escape from court and the authorities he sent on him and beat him to pop. That's what the report said and dragged him out of the court. It's unfortunate. I wonder why young people will get into things like this. 21 years old. Really sad. All right. More from the paper and the big story there. A weakest camp condemns PDP's anti-South posture six redress. A weakest camp condemns PDP's anti-South posture six redress. The writers to that PDP cannot have BOT, a party chairman, others from North. Weak is loyalist PDP cannot have BOT, party chairman, others from North. As is a democratic party. We had heard to our constitution says a PDP spokesman and Lamedo back. Weak is reconciliation. Weak is men demand equity justice. The writers to that story. World Bank commits 8.5 billion dollars to Nigeria falls 6.7 trillion Naira subsidy. Page 19 has details. We won't allow one block Buhari's impeachment. It's coming from a senator. FG to generate 160 billion Naira from call and data attacks. We had some notice of this some days ago on the program. Tinibu Shatima, a babacher biting finger that fed him, says shitu. And more from the Le Panche Acquirement Jobseeker's killer to die by hanging. Caller people hang self-fulfilling examination. Side one. Legos policemen, sheriffs invade house, destroy 500 million Naira property. And more states to procure AK-47 as insecurity worsens. All right. Let's go over to the nation this morning. And headlines on the front page of the nation. The lead story. 2023 PDP can win without Wike Atticutel's party's BOT. PDP can win without Wike Atticutel's party's BOT. Buhari lost reverse. He had won 2015-2019 run-up. Raises poses at meeting with candidates on details of that meeting between Wike and Atticutel right there in Abuja. Lalong leads APC's presidential campaign council. Kayamo named interim spokesman Musawa deputy. U.K. court adjourns hearing in Iquemadu's case till October 31. Terrorism has not affected food production. Government saying that they created 3.6 million jobs. And KK Meke, Falari remains or your APC choice for governor. Or show APC heads for tribunal over governorship. Pull our headlines on the front page of the nation. Federal government, Google, partner to block subversive YouTube channels. And petrol importation. We can't compete with NNPC, says Ipman. We can't compete with NNPC, says Ipman. Over to the leadership on Friday. The big story on the front page of the leadership on Friday. Six weeks after running mate discord in PDP, Atticutel finally meets Wike to resolve lingering crisis. And the writers to that set up harmonization committee. PDP, NWC passes vote of confidence on IUX VP appoints Melae Ibuwala as campaign spokespersons. Temple names Lalong, DG, Kayamo, spokesman. More from the leadership on Friday. Sierra Leone, NWC passes vote of confidence on IUX VP appoints Melae Ibuwala as campaign spokespersons. Temple names Lalong, DG, Kayamo, spokesman. More from the leadership on Friday. CSO's kick as FG moves to revive defense company. Ganduja will sign death warrant on Hanifah's killer as commissioner saying that given an update. Equal model to remain in UK detention till October 31. China fires missiles in unprecedented drills around Taiwan. And killer of Akwaibom Japsika attempts to escape after death sentence. Some of the headlines on the front page of the leadership. The final one this morning. Daily trust with the lead story. Oshiba Joe to military. Account for security expenditure. Oshiba Joe to military. Account for security expenditure. Of course you have an infographic on the progression of budgetary allocation to the Nigerian military, the Navy, Air Force and Army since 2015. And it has assumed historical and record breaking proportions as it has been seen even before this headline. Now the writers to that story, it says insecurity or security apparatus must be ahead of criminals. Canvases increase in local production of arms. Non-transparent military spending can create war economy expert. All right. More from Daily Trust. Long unveiled as APC presidential campaign DG. Atikoo we came meet to agree or agree to resolve differences in eight years after raising $20 million for safe school initiative FG unveils new plan. Speculators count losses as now gains $70 to the dollar in three days. Sun kills that for marrying second wife in Suleja. Asso strike. Caduna Vasity insists on resumption. Lecturers adamant. Of course Governor Erofa had had some strong words for them some days ago. And FG to Google. Deny IPOB access to your platforms. So headlines on the front page of the Daily Trust. Gina Johnson. Good morning once again. Let's start with the big one on the Daily Trust's front page. The vice president has not really spoken about major national issues since his loss at the APC presidential primary. He is saying in this lead story by the Daily Trust that the military ought to account for the humongous security expenditure. What are your thoughts on this? 712.5 2 billion Naira spent a supplementary budget since 2015 to death. Unbelievable. Unimaginable. Just imagine that money has been invested in the economy direct investment into the national economy. Or this amount of money was invested in building a house structure or in view. Or this money was invested in education or the health care center. And the unfortunate thing is that we are spending such a amount of money. This is just a supplementary budget. There is the actual different budget which they have not. Look at it. Then we begin to wonder what is really going on. This is federal government. If you now look at the money that has been spent by state government on defense and security in the last 7 years. And then you have to what individual Nigerians have paid as ransom to secure their lives and property. And then you know that what the experts are saying, they are just playing to the government. It's already a war economy. Nigeria is already at war. We don't need a suitor to tell us about this because this nation that is not at war. That is spending this huge amount of money on security. If you put all the figures together then you'll be shocked. When I saw the headline and I looked through the program, the first thing I did was just to share this on my platform. And just a while. What? 7.22 billion plus in 7 years. I just remember Benaz Fela's old song. And yet we have not solved the security challenges. It is practically difficult for you to travel by rail. It is practically difficult for you to travel by rail. In fact, you are not going to save within the vicinity of the greater capital territory, which is Abuja. Now, we are, you can see all over Nigeria, we all see the winds. It's been said not to be done because this should not even be coming from the vice president. This should be coming from the National Assembly in the oversight function. For them to ask questions, we have given you all the resources that you required. Everything the military has asked for has been treated expeditiously by the National Assembly. And Nigerians have not queering. Whatever a month government has required for to prosecute the war on terror. However, I am getting the result that commensurate with the investment we are making at war on terror. It's a sad situation. I've told, look, on this issue on the war on terror, I asked my students to develop their mind because they are trying to, they are all coming journalists. Just watch the Lord of War, watch the Lord of War movie, and then by Nicolai Cage. And then you understand, you follow the money and you know what goes on with this type of money. Alright, alright, interesting. Let's stick with the Daily Trust and look at that story from Kaduna State where, you know, it says Kaduna University insists on resumption of lecturers, resumption rather, lecturers element. And the paper says the controversy is through the resumption order of the Kaduna State University as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities of the School have refused to resume classes despite the threat of losing their job. Now if you remember Jelly Janssen, the paper also states it here. It will be recalled that Governor Nassir Arafai a week ago are threatened to sack the lecturers if they fail to resume classes because they had no dispute with the state government. So I know that some state universities have been ongoing, you know, with lectures and activities, especially in the southwestern part of Nigeria. You can look at states like Akiti State, Akiti State University and so on. Aso in Kaduna State is saying, the Kaduna State University is saying they're not going back to the classroom. You know, so this is a problem. What are your thoughts on this? And then the whole debate surrounding the state-run universities and their lecturers with the federal government also if you remember some days ago saying that this pay rise that the Nimig Briggs Committee had recommended 180 percent. The federal government saying we can pay 100 percent increase. It has nothing to do with state government, state-run universities we can't dictate to them, leave them out of this and also kicking. So this has been an ongoing debate. Over to you, please. Well, the governors who sack them, fire them. That's magic. We run a federal system inside and then when they got employed, they got employed by the state government, not federal government. It's a state institution and not a federal institution. And then if you treat a federal system of government, the Kaduna State University's lecturer had no business. Don't even ask a strike. Because it's something that has to do with institutions by the federal government. Their own negotiations should do with the state government. And if we are not engaged in any trade war with the state government, they should go back to school last week's session. Like we pointed out, most of these state schools are in session. It is pathetic to note that universities are on strike for whatever reason. Universities should not be going on strike. Medical doctors and medical practitioners should not be going on strike. However, we have found ourselves in a solid situation whereby government cannot keep to that agreement that government itself signed with this university unit. My take on this, and this has been a management, is that we really need to practice federalism in every aspect and every sector of our lives. And government needs to diverse its investment in federal institution. It is the correct above my brother. But give subsidy or whatever, let each institution run as a semi-autonomous dependent body. If the universities that are training the labor force for the economy cannot be self-sustaining, then they have no business being a university. That we might take for us to solve this crisis. Crisis needs to run strike and there's government needs to have a fund where schools can assess, but these schools should be run like schools are run in the United States of America, in Great Britain. And then the salary structure shouldn't be the same. And appointments should be generalised. We appoint you for four years. It depends on productivity, not like appointments which you have in Nigeria. Nigeria everything goes upside down. That's the challenge we have. Why should a professor in Lagos be earning the same salary as a professor in Kauranga, or with a professor in four years in further university in Nigeria? If you do be earning the same thing, there should be comparative advantage. Cost of living are different. Let these schools compete with one another. Let government finally allow this decision to strike. If you operate in university and you have a business administration, you have a business administration faculty, you have a faculty of economics, you have a department of economics, you have a department of business administration. You can't come up with template on how to generate revenue. How would you want to help? Sorry about that. I'm sure your Zoom was interrupted. Don't call me again. Jilly Johnson, are you there please? Say apologies. Hello, Kofi? Yes, you are saying. Kofi, I hope you can hear me. Yes, please go on. We can hear you. Yes, Jilly Johnson, we can hear you. Please go on. Why are we trying to get Jilly Johnson back? I'm sure his Zoom was interrupted. It happens to everyone that you have a Zoom and then a phone call will come in at such a time. Let's stick with the daily trust. Jilly Johnson, are you there please? Another story from this paper happens to have a business twist. Speculators count losses are now getting $70 to the dollar in three days. That's a quite huge one. I don't know if any currency in the world has gained such a percentage in a short amount of time. But it says it's few days after security personnel, these are daily trust rights. Few days after security personnel stormed several BDCs, that's Bureau de Change, or Forex Bureaus, in Abuja, Lagos and Kanu. The Naira has continued to straighten on the black market, straightening to $640 to the dollar. For me it's sometimes strange that we're quoting the black market as if it's the official exchange rate. I don't know why we still keep quoting the black market if that is not what is being used to do business around the world. But anyway, so it's gone down to $640 just days after this raid on Bureau de Change hops in Abuja, Lagos and Kanu. The paper writes that record at the parallel market last week, the Naira traded at $710 to the dollar with a new rate indicating the Naira's increase of $70 to the dollar in the amount of days. Although there is a local and global dimension to the pressure on the Naira, the demand for foreign exchange of goods and services has remained constant. The paper writes, since Monday, August 1, the dollar has strengthened against the U.S. and Naira rather has strengthened against the U.S. dollar significantly and more easily in all the face-sets of the foreign exchange market. The Nigerian currency currently strengthened rather on the official market by 0.03%. The settle at $428.88 Naira to the dollar on Monday according to data on FMD QOTC. So it's strange. Ginejans Naira, there please. All right. Anyway, the exchange rate at the official market paper writes, appreciated on Wednesday, 3rd August, 2022 by 0.34% to close at $429.2 to a dollar as against the $430.67 to the dollar recorded on Tuesday, 2nd August, 2022. The opening indicative rate closed at $427.9 a Wednesday, 3rd August, 2022 from $427. Naira, $75.00 to the dollar recorded in the previous trading session. All right. So this is what the paper is saying. It says furthermore, an exchange rate of $444.00 Naira to the dollar was the highest rate recorded during intra-trading before it settled to $429.00 per dollar while it traded as low as $414 per dollar intra-trading day or intraday trading. So it's quite interesting. For me, I would wonder why if we have an official market and official rates, why we keep seeing the papers quoting the black market. Everybody's talking about the black market. It's a parallel market and it's not an official rate. It's almost like the parallel market rate has become accepted as the official rate for the Naira and the official rate is not used by the citizenry. However, if you want to travel, you go to the banks, you want to transit international business. They don't use the parallel market rate or the black market rate. It's the official rate. So I wonder why we will be in this situation. Of course, you can blame people who don't go to the banks to withdraw or to exchange Naira for dollars or to get their dollars because both of the banks will tell you they don't have for daily use. They can't give you. They don't have. So that's how people go to their bookie on the street and say, hey, give me Naira for my dollar, give me dollars for my Naira and that's how it works. I don't know if it's possible for the authorities to clamp down on the black marketers and basically just shut down that market. Maybe the fears that it may put pressure on the Naira because then the people who would go to the black market to get the dollar would have to turn to the banks or the BDCs and can they get them from the BDCs? The BDCs as well. Are they exchanging the Naira at the official rates or are they exchanging the Naira for dollar at the black market rates? Well, most of them do the black markets. I can tell you for free. Yes, I can tell you for free. Most of them do the black markets. So it's quite interesting to see and let's see what happens at the end of the day. If the efforts by the authorities rating BDC hubs in Lagos, Abuja and Kano will yield any result. All right, we'll take a short break and we'll return with more right here on the breakfast on Plus TV Africa. Please stay with us.