 Hello, it's another edition of Plus Reports, a compilation of the stories and events that made the news recently. Welcome, I'm Jacinta Obuco. We are starting off with this report on the controversial 5G network. What view do you have about 5G network? Of course, there are diverse conception and opinions from different quarters, but the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission Professor Omar Dambata has said that the FG network has no harmful effects on human health. Professor Dambata said this during the budget defense section with the Joint Committee on Communication ICT and the cyber crimes of the National Assembly. Contrary to reports in some quarters that the 5G is dangerous to humans, the executive vice chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission Professor Dambata has a lead all fears. He says the electromagnetic emission from the 5G network has an adverse effect on human health. He added that there is no scientific evidence to date suggesting that 5G poses any risk to public health and safety. Senator Oluremitinobu sought this clarification on the danger or safety of the 5G network at the budget hearing. If this is speaking, I want you to reassure Nigerians about the safety of this 5G and there is concern of a particular high risk, extremely damaging malware called flubot. So maybe you can explain on that so that Nigerians will be assured that their safety is guaranteed. As for the concerns by Nigerians about 5G, we share these concerns and we went to Great Lens to explain that whereas these concerns are justified but the facts on the ground do not really lend credence to these concerns. One, we have tried to sensitize Nigerians about the safety of the network, I mean all the technology itself, the 5G technology. We have sensitized Nigerians even about the spectrum. The 5G spectrum is non-ionizing. This is a statement, a categorical statement made by the International Commission for Non-ionizing Radiation Protection where they say the 5G spectrum, the very one we are about to auction, is perfectly safe. It is not harmful to human beings and there is no evidence whatsoever, no medical evidence from the World Health Organization indicating any correlation between this spectrum and the health of citizens using this service. However, the NCC insists on its 97% readiness for the implementation of the 5G network in Nigeria. Well, maybe one needs to have everything that is also needed for proper orientation and awareness to drive home the point there on FG network. The House of Representatives Committee on Navy said it is ready to support more funding for the Nigerian Navy to improve on its activities. The committee also condemned the spillover of projects by some contractors handling Nigerian Navy projects. They added that there was need for open and legal recommendations for those and more windows in Nigeria Navy. It's a yearly ritual for all government agencies to defend the budget of the previous year as well as make proposals for the coming year. To this end, the Nigerian Navy appeared before the House Committee on Navy to give a general appraisal of its 2021 budget performance and a proposal for 2022. The chief of Naval staff bemoaned inadequate funding in the face of rising responsibility for the Navy, which he blamed on the envelope system adopted by the Ministry of Finance. The Nigerian Navy is statutorily charged with the responsibility of defending the country's territorial integrity by sea. Safeguarding her maritime resource has been mainly preoccupied with her policing roles, especially countering the threats of crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalization, and piracy, including internal security breaches, and asymmetric threats in the form of insurgency and terrorism amongst others. The naval boss pleaded for more funding to enable the force carry out its constitutional duty, which are protecting the territorial waters, stopping piracy, as well as bunkering amongst others. Elisted fleets renewing capital development, fleet support, and welfare of its personnel as key areas that must be addressed fast. To effectively tackle these threats in the nation's interest, the Nigerian Navy needs to budget for the acquisition of appropriate platforms, equipment, and infrastructure without ignoring personnel welfare. Honorable Yusuf Gagdi assured the Navy of the support of the House of an Improved Budget in 2022, but he added that contractors delaying Navy projects must be profitable. The Committee observed with pessimistic views the splits of projects against a great time by some contractors, including some that span beyond three years period without the sign of completion handover to the Navy or concrete work in progress. Henceforth, the House of Representative and the National Assembly will not hesitate to call to order any MDAs, and in the case, in this case, the Nigerian Navy, where it failed to checkmate the airing contractors whose stock in trade is to waste taxpayers' money by taking for granted the delivery of public goods and services within specified time frame and quality jobs. For a 2022 budget, the Navy proposed over $200 billion. Out of this, $25 billion was released and for fleet renewal $8.5 billion approved. Concepts and organizations $4.3 billion, capacity development $2.8 billion, fleet support $2.2 billion, operations and logistics $500 million and welfare $7.2 billion. Some stakeholders have stressed the need to reopen conversation that could produce the needed solution to the various ethnic, religious, political, and separatist agitations facing Nigeria. The stressed the imperative for all consent to embrace dialogue in search for needed peace in the Nigerian polity if the country would cement its challenges and take its pride of place under the association of progressive nations. The score was made by the South Seats Citizen Summit for National Integration, Peace and Security, with the theme Reopening Conversation Rebuild Trust held in Port Harcourt River's state capital. Declaring the summit open, Chairman of the governing council of Nigeria, Institute of Public Relation Mokhtar Sirajro urged the youths to be mindful of those who found the ember of hate and discord in the country. In his opening remarks, Chairman of the River's state chapter of Nigeria, Institute of Public Relations and the state commissioner for information and communication, Palinos and Serum described the Nigerian problem as a unique one that can only be solved by Nigerians. On his behalf, the former vice chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Ndua Lale, listed the functions of public relations to include creation, promotion and maintenance of goodwill, stressing that there is need for sustained dialogue on national unity. There is a need to undertake a holistic reform of the River Police force and the entire international security system and institutions within you who address the development functions by the general project with its interagency rivalry and a coordinated approach to international security. The summit was agonized by Athanajro, Institute of Public Relations, in conjunction with other stakeholders like the National Orientation Agency, Nigeria Union of Journalists, National Association of Women Journalists, among others in the South-South region. To religious tolerance, in Nigeria, religious tolerance as a means for peace is expedient. The federal government has been advised to provide adequate education for Nigerians and give each region what they deserve by merit if it wants to end the spate of insecurity. Gathered at this hall are Muslim faithful who came to celebrate the Holy Prophet Muhammad in Mankind as he had preached. Worried about the essence of humanity, speaker after speaker, built their minds on some challenges faced in the nation. Professor of Islamic Studies and a convener alike were unanimous in their call for religious tolerance and youth education. But those two things are very important. Respect for time and exchange mutual trust. If Boko Haram people or Bandis of Lani, they want to recruit one million people today, they will get from whom? From the youth who are roaming the streets, who have no education, who have no hope, who have no future. The Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has described him as messy to Mankind, not just messy to the Muslims. If you follow his teachings, they won't be cheating. They won't be injustice. So it brings religious tolerance. And that is why we are calling people to come for this program. The spelling believes that religion is responsible for the rise of banditry and other forms of insecurity. Other speakers said Islam only preaches humanity and love. They also pointed the government in the right direction to go. One of the governors had said that you don't negotiate with Bandits. And that is the standard of Islam. Unfortunately, I have read a lot of articles in the past trying to blame religion for the problems that we are having. The problem we are having has always been in existence before religion. What religion has come to do is to modify our character and then try to manage the situation that we find ourselves. Well, religion has never been an issue. And it is not an issue. What is the issue is humanity living together in peace. For those of us who maybe are in our 50s, when we were young, very young, in this legal state, there is this camaraderie between the Muslims and the Christians. If we are going to come up with solutions, we must come up with a communal approach to solving Nigeria's problem. First of all, we need to identify the priority needs of people and give it to them. Education is a priority need that must be given to every Nigerian, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or creed. The general consensus here is that if Nigerians live together and embrace one another, irrespective of religion, there will be peace in Nigeria. The search for religious tolerance in the world has become particularly pressing today in promoting peaceful coexistence in a religiously plural society like Nigeria. We will now go on a short break. We will be right back for more.