 The Commonwealth Games are back and how well will Team Nigeria fair? We assess the chances of Nigeria's Falkenets also ahead of the forthcoming FIFA under 20 women's championship looking at the squad and the team list. And today's New Super Headlines have some quite interesting headlines. We'll analyze them ahead on the program. Good morning to you. We're back with a breakfast right here at the Plus TV Africa. It's a portfolio of interesting conversations this morning taking the business angle and the sports angle with interesting analysis and guests. We implore you to stay where you are. Grab a cup of hot chocolate or coffee or whatever it is. Mine has the Plus TV logo right here. And you can enjoy the program in the comfort of your home. My name is Kofi Bartels. We usually start the program by looking at what's trending in the social space and we call it a top trending segment. And we're beginning with something that has really, really taken our attention over the past few years and has generated a lot of discussion and heated debate amongst Nigerians both for and against. And that is the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra Group, I.P.O.B. Mazzi Namlikano. All right. The new story and the current debate is centering around the demand by the Indigenous People of Biafra Group, I.P.O.B., which he leads for Namlikano to be released immediately from detention. They're demanding his immediate release from the custody of the Department of State Services in Abuja where he has been for some time now. Of course, he was extradited back to Nigeria. Some will say he was extraordinarily rendered back to Nigeria or by force to the country. But he's been in the custody of the Indigenous People of Biafra Group, in the DSS custody right now for some time now. Now, the I.P.O.B. is saying that their demand has become necessary because of the threats by terrorists to take over Abuja and the entire Nigeria is what they're saying. And this has, of course, given them some concern for the health of their leader. They want him back as far as these threats go. They feel these threats are real. Now, let's look at some more of what the I.P.O.B. is saying. They released a statement yesterday through the now very popular Ima Pavel. Some should call him Ima popular because he's in the news a lot. He is the publicity secretary or the head of I.P.O.B.'s media publicity department. He reminded the federal government in that release and the security agencies in Nigeria that the United Nations had mandated the unconditional release of Karnu. He also added that the appropriate compensation should be paid to him without delay because he committed no crime against Nigeria and her sovereignty. A powerful went on to say on behalf of the group that the closure of public schools in the FCT showed the federal government had less control of the security situation and they're saying the federal government in their view can no longer guarantee the safety of Karnu in detention. I'm sure they're looking at what will play out if these terrorists have their way and are able to take over Abuja, for instance, what will they do to Karnu who has been very vocal and very critical of the terrorists and indeed the northern part of the country. Now, this is what they said in their letter. The attention of the global movement and family of I.P.O.B. has been drawn to the sudden closure of all the government public schools operating in Abuja because of the threats from terrorists groomed by Fulani people to take over Abuja and the international. These are his words, so we're just bringing them to you, Weberton. He went on by saying, quote, I.P.O.B. therefore demands the immediate release of the leader, Mazi Namdi Karnu from the DSS Dungeons, how it puts it in Abuja by the federal government and her compromised DSS, he went on to say. He went on to say also, quote, we are reminding Nigeria and her security agencies that the world through the United Nations Rights Group has mandated for the unconditional release of Mazi Namdi Karnu and their proper compensation paid to him without delay because he has committed no crime against Nigeria and her sovereignty. So they're saying Abuja is no longer safe now for their leader. You know, schools are closing, we need him back. I mean, you know, the discussion has been thrown against like you would expect it to be. He also had some words for the trial judge, the judge in his treason case talking about my lord, the Honourable Justice Binta Nyako, also calling on her and the jurist to know that Karnu's life is in danger while being detained in the SS custody. Of course, they can look at the Kujie prison attack, the jailbreak where even someone who has been in jail over drug peddling allegations from a super cop, Abakari, he could have been affected either positively or negatively by that jailbreak but thank God he wasn't harmed and he also refused to escape. Some of the other inmates were able to make their way out of the Kujie prison now. The question is, is the DSS detention facility as poorly guarded and unprepared, will they be unprepared as unprepared as the Kujie prison officials? We don't know. What we know is that DSS, Nobi Nigerian Prison Service, the different bodies. But the threats are real. Different messages flying on social media last night, as a matter of fact, flying around social media last night saying that there was an imminent attack in Abuja also in Lagos but these reports unconfirmed some of the messages flying around social media. We know which ones have been confirmed. For instance, an attack on soldiers near the Zuma Rock on the road between Niger State and Abuja. So these are fears that are real. Now, Ima Parfal also went on to add, quote, Bintanyako and her jurist should know that Kano's life is in danger while being detained at the DSS custody in Abuja. Again, she should know that these terrorists attacked the Niger Defense Academy at Kaduna, the watering in college, Jaji in Kaduna, the Kujie prisons in Abuja and other security facilities in Abuja. Therefore, the DSS facility is not immune to attack by these, what they call, these are his words now, the state, you know, sponsored terrorists, he says. So some are saying, you know, what this could be a just a way for the IPOB to see if they can sneak in one using the situation on ground to the advantage. Some have argued that if there's any danger, the best thing for the group to do, because the case is still ongoing, in the courts, the federal high court in Abuja is to maybe transfer the case to maybe Lagos, all right, and move him to Lagos, you know, somewhere in the southwest where he might feel safer, that could be an alternative. So it remains to be seen if the trial judge, my Lord General Abuja says, Bintanyako will accede to their request or demands to not just transfer him to her, but rather to release Kano and ask him to go home and then pay him compensation because the field of Abuja is not safe. I doubt that that will happen. It's never happened in a court case. What you see is that they transfer cases, you know, to other locations. It's happened especially in political cases, post-election cases. You have the cases moved. Maybe they say the judge feels unsafe or the state is not safe. Maybe that's the state the election held in. They can move that case to Abuja. So let's see what happens. Justice Bintanyako acced to the demands of IPOBA and say, oh, I've dismissed this case. Kano, you don't feel safe in Abuja. You are free to go home. We're not just allow you to go home. We're going to pay you money because a UN group says so. We don't know. We'll see how that pans out. All right. Let's move on to another one. This is quite interesting because not too long ago a new law was signed. All right. The new agency was formed as far as the health insurance programs in the country was concerned and, you know, transiting from the old regime to a new regime. We're told that the federal government has concluded plans to kickstart the implementation of a long-awaited compulsory health program. All right. This is a compulsory health program in order to make quality health and affordable healthcare services accessible to 92 million vulnerable Nigerians. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustafa, made this disclosure known when the delegation from the World Health Organization led its country representative, Dr. Walter Moulombo-Cazadi alongside the executive secretary of the organization to pay him a curtsy visit in his office. That's the executive secretary, rather, of the Nigerian Health Insurance Authority. This is a new organization, all right, that has taken over from the SWA regime of the Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme, the NHIS, and Nigerians are hoping that with this new one that President Buhari has signed into law, things will change. You know, some have said, can anything good come out of Nazareff with this one? But let's see how it goes. The signs are there. The World Health Organization is very interested in seeing this work and they've gone to, you know, have discussions with the federal government, particularly the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Let's see how it goes. Let's see how it goes. Now, the SGF said that a signing into law of the National Health Insurance Authority bill by President Buhari signaled a new lease of life to the health sector, which would make universal health coverage accessible to all the nukes and crannies of the country. They want to take healthcare to every part of Nigeria. And the National Health Insurance Scheme didn't really achieve what it was meant to achieve. So this is one that one is hoping will do the magic. It's very important. You look at countries all over the world. In the U.S. they have what you call Medicare. You know, in the U.K. they have what you call the NHS, which we've seen prominently in the fight against COVID-19. It's been everywhere. Even the footballers have also been, you know, putting the stamp of the NHS on their football jessie. So this is when we hope that, you know, Nigeria will have something that a world can also see is working for everyone. I mean, the cost of private healthcare is not really, really easy to afford for those who are in a vulnerable segment of society and government needs to do something to help them. All right. So we'll see how that pans out. Is it just about words to the World Health Organization or are they going to back their words with action and get affordable healthcare, much needed affordable healthcare to what they say a 92 million vulnerable Nigerian. Some people feel that the 92 million is just an under assessment of the number of people in this country that need, critically need help in accessing affordable and quality healthcare. Let's move on. People are still talking about the plan. So the thoughts going on and talks going on amongst or in the corridors of power in the federal government of Nigeria to ban commercial motorcycles in the country. Operations of commercial motorcycles in the country as a way of nipping terrorism in the but, you know, after previous federal executive council, national security council meeting, rather, the Attorney General of the Federation, Miss of Justice, made a presentation to the press. He spoke to the press and said that these are some of the things they discussed that national security council meeting number one, banning the operation of commercial motorcycles in Nigeria, a public called Okada. And number two, banning mining activities for now because they say that the mining activities increase terrorism because these guys are interested in getting the minerals. And also when they get the money from, you know, trading in these minerals, they are able to use the funds to fund their terrorist activities. Number two, you know, banning the commercial motorcycles they feel that these motorcycles aid in the logistic movement and operations of these terrorists. And of course you can see in the previous reports, even in the attack on the Kuji prison, it was said that 300 terrorists came there on motorcycles. I don't know how they were able to count them, but I mean, I'm sure somebody just did a general assessment. So a Nigerian civil war veteran is also an elder statesman, Alhaji Ahmed Adoke, has joined, you know, the debate. He has cautioned the federal government over those plans to, you know, slam a ban on the use of commercial motorcycles as a means of transportation in the country. Ahmed Adoke is also a human rights activist. Yesterday in Abuja, he explained that the reason that used by the federal government to justify the planned ban on commercial motorcycles or motorcycle operations are across Nigeria. This is a nationwide ban. He says it's not only ridiculous, but it says it's an admission of failure that the government has no solution to the insecurity challenges in the country. So he put out a statement. He issued it to journalists. And in that statement, he warned the federal government not to actualize the planned ban on occurred riders on the ground that the multiple negative, what he calls negative effects would be too much for the nation to bear. What are these negative effects according to Ahmed Adoke? Now, he says that jobs will be affected. You know, the cost of transportation could also go up. He's talked about the teaming university graduates who have been forced to the labor market because of, and there are no jobs there, so they have to, you know, some of them have to ride commercial motorcycles or maybe invest in that business just to survive. He says this will impact negatively on them. You know, the teaming youth of Nigeria who have taken to a cutter riding to keep body and soul together, this ban will have a negative effect on them. You know, he said that Okara is the most visible means of transportation, you know, for market men and women, as well as civil servants, to just help them keep up with the social or rather the economic realities in Nigeria today. He talked about economic hardships, you know. So he says using insurgency, using boundary tree and terrorism as grounds or reasons to impose a ban on the use of motorcycles as a means of transportation, he says that he claims that this will not be acceptable to Nigerians, is what he says. Now, the last part of his statement reads, or his statement reads in part, quote, last Friday, 22nd July, Nigerian Daily is in other media outfits, he says, where I watched with the news that the federal government of Nigeria was considering the ban or banning the use and distribution of motorcycles as well as mining activities in the country. He went on to say in that statement, quote, the news followed a press statement issued by the Attorney General of the Ministry of Justice, let's go to the important part of his statement, quote, he says, it is very clear that the use of the motorcycles by terrorists bounded Soboko around to the scene of operation falls into the semi-final stage of the operations. He says, meaning that they can be checked at the early stage before the execution if the intelligence unit of the nation's security outfit is effectively utilized. He says, quote, several questions that linger in the minds of Nigerians are, will there be no other means of transportation available to the terrorists? That's if this man is carried out. He says, it is not possible that terrorists can even strike at their target without the use, or is it not possible that terrorists can even strike at their target without the use of any modern means of transportation? He says, again, weighing the economic implications of the federal government's decision on the ban of motorcycles, there is no denying the fact that across the nation today the use of motorcycles for commercial purposes has become a major source of employment and livelihood for needy Nigerians. So he says government or its agents sometimes go into negotiation with the terrorists, meaning that the government cannot deny knowledge of where the terrorists are hiding, he says. He says, for instance, the terrorists behind the Kanduna train attack released some captives on two different locations after the payment of heavy ransom. Is it not, how does the Nigerian security apparatus could not locate where the rest of the captives are kept in the bush for their release? He's asking. He says, is it not in this country that terrorists or bandits are photographed with their captives release video threats to the helpless and yet the federal government has failed to act to rescue her citizens? These are very, very seriously begging questions being asked by Ahmed Adoke. He's saying it is incomprehensible to listen to President Buhari that he is eager to leave office, meaning that he is no longer keen or has become helpless in the affairs of Nigerians. Adoke says, then let the president Buhari resign and hand over to his vice. Undoubtedly Nigerians are tired of the rampant cases of killings by terrorists, bandits and Boko Haram. Ahmed is not far from the sentiments and feelings of let me say most of those who have analyzed this situation have commented on this idea the federal government has put out considering this ban listening to most views that have flowed after this announcement by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice I think majority of those who have commented on this feel that the federal government is not getting it right on this one. It may to be seen if the advice and the views of the lights of Adoke will bring something to bear, will impress all the federal government and President Buhari himself to have a rethink and not consider that nationwide Okada ban. Let's take a pause at this juncture. We have an interesting analysis of the headlines in today's National Daily up next when we return from this break. Please stay with us.