 It's still the breakfast on Plus TV Africa and it's time for us to look at the papers. We call it off the press. The papers are quite interesting and you can, you know, predict some of the stories that make the front page this morning. Tunde Kolawale joins us this morning via phone. It's good to have you Kolawale. Happy New Year. I was going to say Merry Christmas but we're in 2023. Happy New Year to you too. Wish you all the best in the New Year. All right then. Thank you so much for making our time to be with us this morning. Let's take a quick look at the punch. The punch says PVC is 6.7 million uncollected in 17 states. That's very, very worrisome. INEC targets market. And we're still here talking about endorsement and what have you. Imagine 6.7 million piazzans not casting their votes in all of this. It's a lot. Then we move away from the board caption but we have the writer underneath. You say INEC moves to increase voter card pick up in states and plans massive sensitization and that should be what it should be including political parties at this point in time. Civil society organization. Everyone, you know, should be at the verge where, you know, everybody's encouraged to pick up their cards because that's the only way they can go ahead to cast their vote. 14,000 people collect PVC daily in Lagos. Yaga Africa laments poor awareness. 22 trillion are alone to attract additional 1.8 trillion Naira interest. That's what Buhari has quoted to say, the president of the federal republic of Nigeria. Railway debt servicing gobs 246 billion. Railway debt servicing gobs 246 billion Naira. And just before we move away from the punch, the more interesting headlines, China COVID-19. Federal government fears spread and 16 countries impose restrictions. I'm not sure I want to get to that point, right? And let's not even say that we're going to impose restrictions just before February. You know what that would mean. Again, you find why I declined to marry terrorist commander. Train attack victim is quoted to say, as you protest as federal government withholds union dues. And you have a million speed farewell to the football legend Pelle as he's been laid to rest. Reps won EFCC again, selling asset to looters as seen this morning on the punch newspaper. We take our attention from the punch. We take a quick look at the nation now. The nation says, APC, PCC, obese backing by Obasanjo, Edwin Clark, Wiccans, PDP. Like similar endorsement in 2019, there will fail, says Festus Kiyamo, and elections or your PDP crisis widened, marking the pro-article group test strengths. I look to you Nigerians be wary of fake and be wary of fake ad hoc officials, peace targets expansion to United Kingdom, India, Israel, and orders. And we're saying, let your services be smooth, you know, in a home country. Why 23.7 trillionaire CBL loan must be restructured by the president. President signed 21.83 trillionaire of a 2023 appropriation bill into law, and Tunibu deserves credit for Lagos transformation. That's what the governor of Lagos is saying. People have argued differently that, hey, what are we saying? Song Walu is quoted to say that's on the nation newspaper this morning. Republican loses vote for speaker. That's in the United States. That's the much we can take on the nation. Let's look at another paper, and that is the leadership. The leadership says, or be endorsement, you don't own key, you don't own key to Asarok, Attico Tells, or Basandro. You don't own key to Asarok, Attico Tells, but I thought, you know, all of this was over. President, the vice president was upon a time, you know, back and forth. Beware of politicians who think they're above Niger, Tunibu tells Muslim leaders, or term endorsement, or will be confirms crack in the G5, where intakes will unveil choice. That's a candidate soon. That's what we case saying. Edwin Clark's back or Basandro on support for the Labour Party flag bearer, and this conversation continues. Now, we still have another caption here, says, troop kills four terrorists and recovers weapons in Kaduna, apprehension in Imo, as gunmen raise police division. This is an attack on, you know, police officers across different parts of the state is really, really a major concern, especially as we inch closer, you know, to the elections. Federal government to deploy technology against terrorists in the South East. How can this things be? Is it possible with that yield and a result? Attackers of my convoy may not, attackers of my convoy not, iPops says, O'Hakim, okay? Pension foreign assets raised by 1.2 trillion are in the 2022, you know, budget or plan. Economist slave father boring as President Mohammed the Buhari signs 21.83 trillion our budget. This what you find this morning on the leadership. Now, just before we have to the color will he share his thoughts, the daily trust is before us. And he says, nine months after resignation, Adamo carry, now she is seat still vacant in the Senate. Constituent laments and tackles, Ionic vacancies treated as APC's internal affairs. That's what lawyers quoted to say. I can't comment on the matter until what O'Korea is saying. How ICT will shape Nigeria's 2023 election startups orders. All your PDP leaders assures a tickle of victory full and a group backs ex vice president. Buhari signs 2023 budget queries 1.32 trillion era and started by the National Assembly. And the big question is, I mean, if the president finds that the budget has been parted or the National Assembly did whatever it did, why did he go ahead to sign it? Is it that we need just to go ahead and say, hey, well, let's continue with the budget cycle of January to December. This is some of the questions that are begging for answers. National Assembly gives conditions to reconsider stands on federal governments boring from the central bank of Nigeria. Atom, Edwin Clarkbacks, Obasan Dros, endorsement of Ubi, Ionic wants on fake ad hoc staff recruitment portal. Ritualist invader gun community exhumed 40s calls, too many issues. And that's it this morning on the daily trust newspaper. I mean, let's quickly have our guest join us. Tunde Kola Walei, many thanks for joining us by the way, he's a legal practitioner. Thank you so much. All right, then let's set of which of the headlines. Let's leave it very open to you now. In trust years, we went through the pages of a national dailies. Quite maybe we should start with the endorsement of Obi, but can I wish upon a passenger. I've seen a lot of people criticizing the use of one of the passengers. Of course, clearly supporting the Obi. I've also seen people like chief manager saying it was the right thing for chief manager to have done, that is to support the what the president's comment 2023. And the truth of the matter is that we should allow people to have their preferences, also campaign for their preferences as president. That is what democracy is all about. The situation in which we will be to shout down with echo and excite individuals for having their preferences in this election is not empty for democracy. What is important is that we are citizens to have our pbc. And when we do have our pbc, vote for the candidate of our choice, not to mind who is recommending and who is not recommending the other person. The beauty of democracy is that they are all electorate or every individual out of service, armed with their pbc. And then they should let their voice be heard by voting for the candidate of their choice, which is not by shouting down a person. Other persons also have a right to decide that this person or that person is their candidate of their choice. It shouldn't be a thing that we should try and do. Well, but you know the concept of endorsement is a universal concept. It probably might not be written, but we see it in even in very developed democracy, just like you have stated. Everyone has a right to say, hey, this is who I'm supporting or this is who I want to support, including yourself. But we understand, you know, where this comes from. But I'd like you to also add that of, you know, shortly after the former president endorses, endorse Peter R.B., then you have another endorsement from a South-South elder statesman, Edwin Clark. How do you respond to this? Should we see more endorsement as we had, you know, close to the elections? Yeah, honestly speaking, part of the challenges we have had as a nation or part of the thought coming of this democracy is that these who are only shy to identify with the candidate of their choice are not saying that should not be the situation. In some other claims, especially like in places like here, people are not shy to identify with the candidate of their choice. In fact, they're not only going to condemn for such a candidate, they also find ways and means to really finance those candidates. And so that they get into power. But here, we want to bury our heads in the sand, like the ostrich, pretending that we are not a concern. The endorsement of Edwin Clark and not a full opinion is also a welcome development. The other statesmen have the right to adopt or recommend or whatever or endorse whatever candidate of their choice or to endorse would be an order. But he does not have the power to really force us to vote for him in 2023, if actually we don't want to vote for him. The more endorsements we have, the better for us. That is the virtue of democracy. Honestly speaking, we have too many times and too long and now only career politicians who decided to become all occupied, some of these exhausted offices. And that is the reason we are finally at best in the situation we are today as a nation. The ultimate is moving forward. But if we have to put, if we have the political mood, if we have to call it a step back, I have studied this person as a citizen, I have looked at his manifesto, I've also looked at what he has done in the past, and I've also looked at his corruption index and order. I think he can move the mission forward. He does look at me as a member or as a federal representative member or as a senator. Then would you seek out a member for such a thing? A member who has to do whatever is necessary to make sure that he gets into power. But it's just when circumstances get into power, some of these groups are endorsing this support and order. We also sign as a lever which will begin to hold the people accountable when they don't deliver on the dividend of democracy on whatever manifesto that they are pulling the people of Nigeria. So both as a clerk, as you have just gone back there on the right track, or coming out openly to speak as a neck, or governor will be, and then endorsing. Other people also have candidates who feel like they try with any other candidate. I encourage them to come out and endorse those candidates. He will go out in the Antelope and come there for them. That should be, I mean that is a bit of democracy. Well let's turn our attention to the punch now. The punch says that 6.7 million uncollected PVCs in 17th state and INEC is making plans to move to the markets. I'd like to ask you, are you worried about this figure? 6.7 million persons in 17th state have not collected their PVC. And of course some days back in Lagos, we're talking about 1.6 million persons who have not collected their PVCs. What exactly could be responsible for this kind of figures and statistics? Absolutely, I am worried. And all Nigerians should be worried. 7 million is a considerable figure. And you will not believe it, that even 530 DC can make a whole world of difference come between 2023 elections. So when you have a smoke of 7 million or 7.5 million people, there's nothing connected. It should be a thing of contact for all Nigerians who want this election to go smoothly, free and fair. And for the best of the country to emerge as a nation. I should think there are a lot of problems with the distribution of these things. Well, if you find out that when you go to some of these centers, where the PVCs are to be collected and others, those things are not organized. It's a very chaotic process and it's a very scientific way to collect the PVCs. Whereas I should think, if I may cross-organize a war effort, they should even be able to deliver these PVCs. So they all might try to do whatever they think they can put them for the collection of these PVCs. Why they lump the PVCs and dump them as I may call these local government centers to beat my imagination. Because apart from voting, the PVC is also a very useful means of identification. It could also be used as a kind of intent for measuring what the population of the country is all about. But as it has always been, INEC has not added the distribution of these PVCs the way I manage to do it. Who has transplanted them into the way of the INEC distribution strategy. There are too many times when politicians know that their political opponents have stolen one particular place or the other. They find the way to. Oh well, so unfortunately we have been disconnected. But we're looking at the issue of PVC and its collection. And the fact that 6.7 million persons or PVCs have not been collected because they're not owned by spirit, human beings own them. So you could rightly say 6.7 million persons have not collected their PVCs in 17 states. Should the conversation not move from all of the endorsement and the back and forth that we have with the political parties have the political parties really done enough because they also have a responsibility as to creating awareness and encouraging voters to go out and ensure that they're registered at a time where registration was ongoing. And now where the face where we're collecting PVCs that should end on the 22nd of January that's for 2023. So we really did not have time if you ask me and it's quite unfortunate. A lot of persons will be disenfranchised because there's no way you're going to do this. What can be done? How far can we move this figure away and get people to get their PVCs? What can the parties do? What can INEC do? I've been told that we have Tunday Calaweli back on the line. Tunday, thank you so much. Now my question is what exactly can be done to create the awareness, get the people to get their PVCs? Make it very possible because just like you have mentioned there's been several outcries especially for leaguers where they complain that it's very possible, it's difficult. The process of collecting these cards are very difficult and that's because the empire, those who work there has made it very difficult to some extent. There are too many bureaucratic process or what have you. So but is there anything that can be done in how many more weeks that we have before the elections? Well there is, for example it's not impossible that in some of these places they can separate the R&D PVCs, I mean alphabetically, wherever those things might be based on order and then get some minor coefficients. We can sit and look with government officials and the security agencies for example, where people come to do senders are in order. If you have R&D them alphabetically are in order. We can be calling out to the names of the people who are coming forward to pick the PVCs. You can also through the landlord association identify the streets where some of these PVCs belong to and order and through the landlord association and the community leaders get the PVCs across to the people who may have them and of course we also have to destroy the politicians who try to frustrate the collection of these PVCs. Sometimes when they know that their political opponent is strong in working and there is a very high registration in those places that are in order, they find ways and need to really make sure that these PVCs don't get it to the hands of these people who will use them and then both to get their political opponent elected. These kind of politicians have to be identified and then destroyed it from the point of spanner into the width of the high network. And more importantly, just like you have said, there's a little greater awareness on the part of the people. Nearly shouting on the social media and making us on the pages of the newspaper does not translate into getting into office. I would prefer the presentation of the community or the senatorial of the president candidate. It is the only way we can achieve our internal objective of getting the good reporting to power is to really be on with our PVC. We're caught very early on the day of election both to our different political time, both to the candidate of our choice and not necessarily making us on the social media and then on the pages of the newspaper and television and the radio. The time is not too short. The message are coming if you're worried. If we, if I make is committed to really ensuring that these PVC get to the ratified amount or those who have been registered for them, if these people are not hostile, the patriotic politicians can also act by ensuring that they give us this support to all the people who have registered for this PVC and that the PVC get to them. We will be careful not to allow the situation that we are seeing some part of the country now and we will be able to buy not the PVC and buy not the, I mean the PVN team and back of the people who have registered for all the people. How do we have, how possible? I mean, all these PVC will be able to put them on the election. Palawale, that's a lot of, that's a lot of, you know, that's a lot of statement. I mean, that's a very strong one. When you say that politicians are buying PVCs, how do you buy a PVC? How is, how? From some of the reports that are read in the papers and all that, it's been said that it's a modern part of the country. And the person who came out with these divisions are commenting later and then asking that people are going from home to home buying PVC from the 3,500 Naira to 2,500 Naira and also asking them to disclose their VVN identification or means of identification, their bank identification and also the PVN identification code. The reason why the alarm couldn't have been turned off from the street purpose and all that, they must have had some concrete information before they begin to raise their alarm. Well, I don't know how, I can't release Tunde Kola Walei. I mean, if you look at it to be very honest, we understand that we don't operate a very perfect system, but you know, that's, you know, so much to phantom that PVCs have been bought. Let's not forget that we have the beavers, the technology that has been introduced and we know that this technology works with the thumbprint. So you can't have another person going to, you know, the pulling boat and using another piece. No, the way it's done is this. The way it's done is this. They buy the PVC and then the means of identification and keep the PVC with themselves. On the day of their election, those who own those PVC and what have they, the party will call them up, give them more money and make them share to some vote. That it is this question of the people that are giving them money that they've been voting for. It's not a thing they're going to ask some other party to go and use those PVC and to vote on the election. It's a difficult, it is the people they have bought the PVC for that they will probably add them to some nice places, who ask them, give them their money and make them to share to some vote and order that they will vote for whoever may have been buying the PVC from them. I would remember the purchase of voter. It's not a new team. We saw it happening in Kiti. We saw it happening in Nundu. But this would be another dimension of it. If there's anything to go by, that's what we're saying. If this is anything to go by because, I mean, we haven't been able to verify all of that information. But however, we hope that the relevant quarters, especially Aynak, would look into this issue, some of this complaint and this allegation that has been raised by the people. And just like you have mentioned, looking into it because it's totally absurd if you ask me. But so moving forward now, let's look at another paper. It's the Daily Trust newspaper. And it talks about the president signing the 2023 budget. He queries 1.32 trillion error inserted by the National Assembly. We're talking about padding of the budget now. Why would the president go ahead to sign the budget when he knows it's been padded? What exactly is going on? Well, the budget in our own plan has become a mere ritual. Another document that with your kind permission, I would say card is no wish. Since the president, since the general public became president, and even down in the time of Yara Tua and then Dr. Gulo Juneta, we see that this is our number one in Yara. This is budget handmade. How many of those budgets do we strictly add to? Do we strictly implement our knowledge? You know, to the best of my knowledge, our budgets are not implemented up to 30% of what is contained in those top ones. People, the budgets are supposed to be real top ones, backed up by law, which ultimately should be strictly added to and implemented effectively. But at times, it has to be found out that those budgets have become merely trapped in this part of the world. We have also seen a mission which has been set. And the National Assembly, as a part of the budget, added a lot of things into those budgets that the presidency of the deputy of commerce is interested in. Yes, it is true that the National Assembly has the power to do whatever they can do with the budget. For example, even if the presidency sends a budget to them, they can't decide for now or not to determine everything that the presidency of the deputy of commerce is interested in. And then put in a fresh thing into those budgets, but on the condition that whatever they are put in there, it's not for their own pecuniary benefit. It's born out of maturity. It's born out of whatever the fact is and the information that they do have this disposal. It's born out of the fact that they want the country to grow. They want to develop the country. They want the country to move forward. They want the country to have a very healthy economy. That is the only reason why, or that is one of the reasons why the National Assembly, for going ahead and thinking of the budget. But in our situation, most of the time when they think of the budget, when they ask for it, it is for their own pecuniary benefit. So they have so-called constitutionality and for them to be able to award contracts and for them to be able to go to some of those limitaries and for them to ask for kickbacks, to ask for contracts based on what they are interested into, into the budget and all that. I am not sure. I am not too persuaded. I am not too interested in whatever budget it is because it contains a thousand number and I think that it is becoming richer because it never ends. Furthermore, where is the money or where is the resources to really execute a 1.5 billion budget with the situation we are in our heart today? The world that we depend on, very little is being produced. The little that has been produced has been sold. The ones that get into the market are not selling at the price that we think the other nation sells because of the world situation in Ukraine and then because of the decision of OPEC to make sure that oil prices don't go beyond a certain level. And of course you are now aware that the U.S. is taking a lot of measures to make sure that the prices of oil could rise to such a skyrocket in the international market simply because they want to also use it as a weapon to cut Russia from being able to wage war on Ukraine. So in a lot of matters in India, the value will be financing those budgets borrowing from the central bank of Nigeria and then borrowing from the international community. Whatever way it goes on, now or not, this budget is never likely to be implemented as the other nation did. In fact, I want to say it is a budget of bankruptcy. It's also a budget of debt management, if you have permit me to say. Once the government uses power in May 2023, I suspect that whatever person in the nation that come in May 2023 might be coming out with a new or a different budget. And that is going to be cannot and suitable not just to the resources that we have in our hand but also to the needs and aspirations of the Nigerian people. Some people have argued that the budget that we have is quite slim. If you look at the population and that we should anticipate more allocation in the previous years that we will come. But it's also unfortunate, just like you have mentioned, the fact that we don't have what it takes. I mean, our revenue cannot even fund the budget. So we will be borrowing to fund this budget. And if you also look at what we'll be borrowing for mostly feels like it's consumption because the National Assembly in its own will and power has decided to increase our location from 59 billion to 258 billionaire. And that's a lot. You don't want to even begin to consider all the factors. The fact that we'll be spending more in the cost of running governance. But it's what it is. And we can only talk like I'd say and hope that those who call the shots would do the needful. But quickly, as we inch closer to the elections, and this is not even new because we have had situations where police stations have been attacked. And now, should we be worried that there's been a lot of attack on police stations, especially in the southeastern part of the country? There's also a prehension in the most status, government, race, police, division. Koala Wale, what do you make of this, you know, pattern? What do you make of this behavior? And what does this mean for our elections, especially in the saddened part of the country? Honestly speaking, I read in the media people not going to go to the others. Of one and three on a first, who is said to be a protequist of of Nandekano, saying that they will not allow elections to hold in the southeast. I hope that these attacks on the police stations in the southeast and the attack on prominent a position in the southeast is not geared towards revealing the election in the southeast. I also want to find out the situation in which policemen, in which business officials, in which soldiers and others are being killed and maimed on a daily basis. For God's sake, that is anarchy. And nobody who has his mind or his head on the soldiers will support the kind of kill that is going on. We also need to take note of the fact that iPop over time have said that they are not responsible for these attacks. They've also, you know, vividly said that they have no plans to disrupt the elections in 2023. So who are these persons perpetuating this evil? I agree. I agree that we've been having this kind of tools from the southeast. Like I said, one NEPA, we've been, I think, this NADO or NEDENNA, who is said to be the deputy of Nandekano has openly said that they are not allowed to vote in the east. We are out here in Nigeria. I have also seen the iPop people issue the press statement saying that they do not support what the men who is based outside the country say that the nation will not vote in the southeast. So there is not impossible that the factions in iPop in which the organizations are broken into one in support of the nation holding the southeast and then the other factions working very hard to make sure that the nation does not hold the southeast. You will remember people of the nations like the Bukwara, organizations like ISWA, are sometimes broken into two different factions and then the different factions will be carrying out a different agenda and what are those? Whatever it is, it is, you know, to start killing security people. Security people who are just ordinary people, who have also gone there to any living, neither by being policemen, by being police officers, they are human beings by cause, who have family to have responsibilities, who also have the right to live within the Nigerian society. That's their life, mean terminating without the due process of law. So that should be condemned. Look at what happened to Governor Haki. He was shot not in long ago. Four policemen for God's sake, not their life in that attack. This kind of visitation should not be controlled. And too many times, advise the iPop people that if you adopt the mantra of Gandhi, which is a non-violent, it is possible for the countries to achieve whatever objective of iPop to achieve whatever objective, without shedding the blood. I also want to say to the Nigerian people, there are two rounds of making rights. The campaign that the Nigerian people are also carrying out in the south, it should not be the way it should be done. Too many times, youths are being killed in a very, very class manner in the south. And I want to say that the people in authority should be at least what happened in South Africa. When Mandela and Goa campaign for their independence and all that, after that in South Africa, eating King Mandela, they ran them up, they tried to cut the country into jurisdiction, and then they put him in prison. And that something year later, Mandela got his freedom and then began to, to, to, to, and then left his country as a president. If the apartheid regime in South Africa has been killed, all the M.C. officials and some of these other people who are indecisive or independent in South Africa, if all they would not have independent in South Africa today, and South Africa would only have to come the white man, the colony on the African soil. So, stop, stop the genocidal campaign against the iphone in the south. Let's also organize the referendum in the south. That is the way it should be. And then even referendum all over the country, wherever, I mean, and all the different parties will campaign in support of whatever puts in the hold with regard to the referendum. If the people want independent in South Africa, win the referendum. Stop it. This is not the referendum. Stop it. Impressive, like, became the organized referendum. Impressive, like, to recognize the referendum. Impressive, like, not that, you know, the referendum are organized purely out of the college to gauge the same parameters. Well, you, you have raised, you have raised valid point as to, um, you, you have raised valid point. Colour Wale, you have raised valid point. It's not possible. Tunde Colour Wale, you have raised valid point as to allowing the people, I mean, um, they have a right to say, we want a federation. I, as an individual, have a right to say, I don't want to become part of this, you know, this entity called Nigeria, even though the unity of this entity has also the union or this entity entirely has been queried because to say, the agreement that brought us together, the centurion has expired. And then, you know, it's like, what do you call it? They say it's an illegal entity. But, you know, that's a conversation for another day. Valid points that you have raised. Well, mostly it's about the fact that we're still together as a people. And if we say we're still together, then we have the government who saw responsibility to ensure that the rights and that's why government exists, that lives and properties are protected. And including that of these police officers and what have you. And so it's really, you know, worrisome. It's very disturbing that you have non-state actors overwhelming state institutions and nothing is done. It's like, you know, we're just moving on and it feels like it's becoming a norm. Everybody's just acting like nothing is going on. And that's not really good. So what happens, especially when we know that our elections are usually policed and militarized? So what then becomes of it? What then becomes of the protection of the lives and people in this region where the police's, you know, facilities have been attacked and they're being killed? Who then is responsible for protecting the lives of the people? These are some of the consents that we have. Thank you so much to the Kala Walee for being part of the show this morning. We wish you a very wonderful... Yes, please. We wish you a very wonderful 2023. Thank you so much. All right then. That's the size of it for us. And off the press, we'll take a breakdown. And when we come back, it'll be time for us to look at our first major conversation. Would us take a quick look at the power sector when we return? Please stay with us.