 Okay, we're glad to know that you're still there and watching us. This is the breakfast on PLOS TV Africa and it's time now to look at the headlines on our dailies. Okay, so we're going to begin with the daily trust. Daily trust will be the first newspaper that we're going to and Daily Trust has as its biggest headlines the renewed rice smuggling threatens local production, renewed rice smuggling threatens local production and the writers they are contraband, floods, leaguers, other cities. Women youths import through Benet, like Niger Republics. It's dangerous. Minas won. Presidency, mom on land border policy. Alcoborua won't be scrapped. A Greek fund said that. Okay, we have also down there, Tinobu to security chiefs, you must deliver and then we will take another one presidential tribunal admits EU selection report against INEC, Tinobu. And then, okay, now we also have why I'm still involved in Kano governance that's according to conquest. So, okay, that's all we will take from the daily trust this morning and we're moving on to business day. Business day newspaper is our next port of call. And the biggest headline there is Oro Saye report to test Tinobu's cost cutting champions. Okay, you can find that on business day. Stop designations for Nigerian travelers and soaring, amidst soaring affairs, okay, people are still traveling by air. So some people is a surprise. So we also have absence of witnesses tall INEC's defense in obese petition and business activity hits three month low on subsidy removal. Okay, we'll move from business day to the Guardian now. The Guardian newspaper leads with economy awaits Tinobu's fiscal direction as uncertainty trails FX liberalization. The Guardian newspaper is where we are on now. The next story on the Guardian is APC crisis governor's NWC Pali ahead of NEC meeting and then police won against use of orderlies as servants. No consensus on principal officer's election as Senate resumes PEPC admits EU report CNPP backs observer mission as TMC NOx federal government and INEC. Okay, we'll move on to the punch newspaper now. The punch newspaper will be the final newspaper for today on the show. Okay, so the punch leads with retired general set agenda as Tinobu meets service chiefs. Riders are criminal activities going down, Tinobu picked best hands according to Ribadu. Retired general acts service chiefs to cooperate one against interference. Then we also have CBN intervenes as more POS operators implement rate hike. Energy leader PDP writes a pub you other over nominations and electric vehicle NNPCL plants feeling stations charging ports. Good news. Then down there we have UTME top scorer dad declares daughter innocent innocent demands probe a single mom's Legos business man circulates more. Okay, that's not a story that we should be looking at. Okay, but that will be all from the newspaper headlines and we're glad to be joined by someone who will help us make sense of all these headlines that we have read out today. And that is Mr. Chris Kendi Wando member of the Chattat Institute of arbitrators in the UK is talking with us from Legos. Good morning and welcome to the program Mr. Wando. Good morning. Thanks for having me this morning. Okay. Let's begin with what concerns our belly as tomorrow tomorrow infrastructure like the former equity governor will say rise rise is a staple in Nigeria not like when we were growing up when we were able to eat rice only on Christmas and New Year and maybe East dive your your parents are well to do but rice is a staple now and the federal government has tried a lot to make sure that local production is heightened. But now that the borders have been opened renewed rice smuggling threatens local production. That's what the headlines say. What is your take on that? Yes, rice moving. The following is that the rise of this mobile respecting what despite the closure of the border. We know that this rise coming through to the back. You know that Nigeria has some of the most porous borders in the world is organic. We just have about three to four or five designated and known border points that we have over 300 orders illegal entry points into the country making Nigeria one of the porous. But it's not only to Nigeria because it really United States have the sort of that they have border issues. If you look back the campaign by the president of the United States, you see what we do with the border. It was going to be there. I worry about to the market. Let's go from the U.S. And stop it. We may go from assessing the U.S. So the issue of border has not to be Nigeria. And that's the difference between them. All we do here is that the loop or have a holistic way of doing things and also use technology to the fullest. We don't deploy any here. But what it is not to the issue of the rice. The fact is that whether close the border or not, rice will always come in. But the reopening of the border would not make it more legal for this imported rice to come in. And also that is going to affect production of local rice. But the fact that we ask ourselves are we sufficient enough? Do we produce enough for local consumption? We have about 100 million mouths to feed and that we eat. But how well have we been able to use the local prices? Also look at the prices as it were. What is the price of the local rice compared to the one or third? So, but I think the government should do everything mainly for the local production. A lot of states are going into this production. There can be states for war. And we went into the collaboration with Lagos state. But not Lagos state. It's collaborating with that state. Particularly on that. It's a Lagos rice. It's just like a bunny. Remember, if I collect the rice, it has to be described from entities where we are kids. That's what we find out also. We find a lot of stone in that rice. It was something that we've come to. But then you also look at the rice that we use for our father, which has also become a new menu in our courts. So, we can only get the only way that you can discourage the flooding of such rice is that yes, if you increase the tariff on the potential and make it very, very expensive. And what's to make it expensive? That means that local rice can be able to compete effectively with imported rice. Or else, then we are back to what we used to describe. That's the local pressure. Okay, Chris, let me just say something here. Because I'm like an insider. Because you said abakliki rice has been known to have some stones and all that. Let me explain some things to you and the government that is maybe not looking at this. Abakliki rice was milled by local rice machines, very small machines, that even at this moment go for less than a million naira to mill. It doesn't have the capacity to select the stones or the broken ones from the long grain and all that. But now, with technology, like you're saying, there's some other machines that are also coming out that they call distona. So, you do it in a small machine. You take it also to a distona. And it comes out without a single stone in that rice. I'm saying this because most of the rice that they call abakliki rice actually come from where I come from, from Ogoja in Cross River State. Because they had that cluster of mills, these rice goes from Cross River to Abakliki and they take all the credit. So, now, what I am saying in essence is that the question the government should be asking is can we produce good enough rice for the consumption of Nigerian populace? The answer, if you ask me, is yes. But has the government done anything that will show that they want us to produce this rice for consumption in Nigeria? I would say no. Because now, the inputs, farm inputs are very high because of maybe the dollar or something, I don't know. And then, there's no mechanized farming in very many places. At least in a village where I come from that can produce up to like a million bucks of rice does not have even one tractor that will plow the place or harrow the land for them to plant and all that. So the government should be asking themselves what have we not done rather than are we closing the borders or what will make our farmers to sell more or how can we stop the importation of rice? In fact, when the rice floods Nigerian market from the Nigerian farms, I'm not sure anybody would want to go and import rice anymore. So I just wanted to point out that even the Bakliki rice, there's a possibility of processing it without stones. The Ufaada rice, there's a possibility of processing it without stones. And effortlessly, for less than 2 million Naira, you can have that meal in almost every community that produces rice. But is the government doing it? No. Anyway, I'd like to talk as a farmer. Quickly, I'll tell you that whether Bakliki rice is okay or not, I know that's yours. No, call it Bakliki rice, it's fine. We have to put it in true context. If you produce Ufaamoy in my village, I will call it Ufaamoy. If you don't blow your trumpet, nobody will know. So that's the fact. I will also tell you that I prefer this Ufaamoy for the Ufaada rice. The Ufaada rice, if I go to party, I ask you which rice do you want. I would say keep the Ufaada rice. I go to restaurant and most of them ask for Ufaada rice. So what we all need, as I said earlier, is the government intervention and the government to look up on this. And don't forget, and that is where Ufaada is. This goes back into corruption. You know how many billions and billions of Naira that the Central Bank of Nigeria said that it gave out to farmers for rights. Do you remember the video? I'm sure you remember this. Who are the people that received that money? They didn't receive it in my village, at least. Nobody. I'm sure you didn't receive anything. With this money to certain individuals, who call themselves farmers, and they just go away and trade with it. This government didn't do much. The good Lord Jonathan administration, under former minister of agriculture, who is the president of African Bank. I'm sure you remember what he did with the rice. Marvelous world. Exactly, that we had so many respects. The last eight years of Buari was fitted away. They couldn't consolidate on that, and that program collapsed. So just closing the borders and saying, I'm not going to sell what we need to do for the government to produce more, so that I have enough to eat. And not only eat, but also, most of us, we're exporting the rice to Ghana, to West African countries, and other parts of the world. After all, the one we're buying, is it not important? Not to Thailand and the rest of them. We don't produce enough, and put it in a good shape, and also export, and that would be a good income for this change, and not for us. But most of our government don't think, they don't just think it up, that's the problem. Oh, the cap is just lying somewhere, and they don't want to wear it, because... No, no, it was Yates! Okay, all right, now let's go to a little bit of politics. The presidential tribunal admits EU's election report against INAIC and Tinobu. Remember that the federal government has debunked that report, or have condemned the report, that's the word to use, that the report is nothing to write home about. That it is just a lazy dex job, as they called it. And now the court has admitted that report as something that is usable in court. I'd like your comment on that. EU said, we missed it. We missed the point where we could have gotten it right, because of XYZ that they mentioned, that the federal government came and said that whoever says that this election was not free and fair and the best election in history is just dreaming. What are your comments? It's not just the best election. It's the best election we've ever had in our life, but it's the worst election. Let them convince themselves. The fact remains that, when I saw the statement by the spokesperson on the EU report, I laughed, and I bet, especially what you expect from the government to say, if the situation changes tomorrow and it was the APC that lost the election, they won't say that that report wasn't what the paper and sheet it was written on. They also, they will hate it. So that is how we wrote it. But it remains that the EU did a very, very fantastic job. Currently, that report is well-detained. Which one are they disputing? That INEG transmitted the result, presidential election results as timely as it said it was going to do. Or that there was no balance and that people were not prevented from putting in certain areas like Lagos and some other parts. There are so many things that were captured. And there's nothing that I said it. I've only said that there's nothing that the EU report has not been said before now. Even other observers agree with the situation which is made up of CSOs, Nigerian CSOs headed by the situation headed by NOB came out with a damning report. We don't need any report to be able to know that that election was flawed and one of the worst election we've had in recent time. The president and the government can also beat this just and say that this is the best we can we have. That's just like an Austrian president he said. But if it's not admissible the tribunal or the conduct accepted it. So it is admissible and that is what the court has done. And beyond that, also at the tribunal forget that there was an adjournment because INE could not be able to call some of the witnesses who were supposed to call certain infractions. So the tribunal has to be. And also the APC the level party has been able to produce the job and has finally done its own submissions and now it is for the APC and the government as well as INE to open its defense and that is what is supposed to happen. But we cannot, the cases are the tribunal or the court as it were and we cannot talk much about it. Let the judiciary do the need to. And the measures that the Indian don't have in the judiciary and the judiciary has a ample opportunity to be safe now and if it doesn't then it's going to be a disaster because as well as it's supposed to be the last hope of a moment. Let it be seen that justice is not only seen to be done but administered. I would also add that the issue of technicalities should not be paramount in this issue. Not just because of technicalities but because of the truth with so much evidence that people are going to present. But let's not drop the gun. It is the duty of the tribunal to either upgrade or nullify the election as it were and it has a certain period that has given a constitutionally to do their job. Unlike before that it's just open-ended. It has a certain period within 90 days to come and deliver the job unless what happens. A lot of things could happen within those 90 days. But now seeing what is happening in the courts like you said the Labour Party has dotted submissions and everything that has ended. Now it was a turn for the APC and the president and whoever is involved in INEC to do what they needed to do and yesterday I think they went to court and said there were no witnesses and things keep happening that seem to be like the other side calling these. Do you think the 90 days that was given will be met? Do you think these issues will be addressed within those 90 days? The 90 days is a circumstance that tribunal has no power in any case to extend that 90 days by one second they have no power. The judgement must be delivered on or before 90 days after that 90 days that judgement must be delivered. So they have no... So if anybody that refuses to present his witnesses in law we work with evidence and that is what the judges determine their cases. So if you don't provide enough evidence to stop your case then that is a problem. So you are supposed to present your witnesses and present certain evidence and you are looking to do that. It is left for the God and as I said we cannot jump it down. Let us leave the trial in their job we as analysts cannot look at the judgement and we look at areas where we disagree or agree with them but as I repeat the 90 days is a circumstance and there is nothing in it that can be affected. But the 90 days are for the PEPC, right? After that judgement there is room for appeal and all that. There is a possibility to be dragged to four years or more. So what do you suggest can be done? What do you think will be done to put a stop to that? No. It won't drag for four years. A lot of things have been also looked at the new electoral arts and certain professions on electoral matters even at the state level. In this situation we have governorship election results that goes on trial and dispute. And for years it drags but as a presidential election this would drag for almost one year I remember but that can all good. The Supreme Court also is the public centre of this and they know what the loss is they know what it is. It cannot drag for that long and so it is not going to be business as usual you will see real time judgements on issues like this. So if the presidential election tribunal finishes its job and they are not satisfied you will never say I can go to the Supreme Court and I can tell you that. You know what the Supreme Court do these days they are going to give their bodies but they might not give you they will not give you the full content of their body. They will say that in the latter time they can do that after a month or two but they have to keep their judgment. So this is going to be done in real time. So it is not going to be like for years and it will not happen again. I have already said I personally have already said and I have already said on this program that we need to take it with our electoral heart to make sure that we put in place the situation where before any governor or president is running they are done with the issue of courts. So who comes into the office comes in fully ready. We saw what happened in Kenya. It happened in Kenya. Ruto was taking to court and by and within a month or so a judgment was given and the president resumed and he knows that so we can do this by pushing our election a bit forward. Probably we have an election about seven months before inauguration and so that we can leave all the court the ability to be able to settle all this issue because it has always happened that whoever comes into office look at government level or state level or even the presidential level they use the instrument of office to be able to work most of this judgment and be able to influence it. So it is better to get it sorted out before anybody becomes either a governor, local government chairman or even president. It is advantage there because we have only three years of administration in any government in Nigeria. The fourth year is used for election and election hearing. So I don't know will that not be cutting short the time that people concentrate on administering the state as they should. So which is worse to leave it in perpetrality for the four years that we talked about. You also talk about that it can drop for years. It will leave it for perpetrality and don't forget that apart from that it is also a distraction as you said. So if a president or governor is being dragged to court almost every month for three years that in itself is a distraction because it doesn't even know the legitimacy of his office whether to be able to sit on that seat at the end of it. So why is it we just get it right, make sure that all this is sorted out within a certain period and we don't with the case that when you resume you resume and you go ahead with your job without any distraction from any angle. That in itself will be the day for me and look at even the national assembly it is the same with the national assembly and the state has the same people. You see that a senator will be in the Senate after about two years a judgment will come that will remove him you remember what happened even in the same part you remember what happened during his time that he was removed after about one year or two years after he was the mandatory leader in the Senate and he was removed after about three years so why don't we just get it right and make sure that all these things are sorted out which is why we should maybe to create more tribunals not just we should create as many tribunals as possible there are so many judges that can do the job and just get them to get this done within a certain period and we'll get it done and governance will start. Talking about choosing people in the national assembly PDP has written to the Senate president on the issue of minority leader whatever the contents of the letter is but the thing here is that I don't know what you feel about the PDP as an opposition party because right now someone to take up the minority leader position is a problem some camps are talking about Tamboal of Sokoto State and others are talking about Agongjariwe of Cross River State to be the minority leader they're still fighting within the PDP what are your comments? First and foremost the President has absolutely nothing to do with who comes the minority that is exclusivity of minority parties we are talking about PDP is not only the minority party in Senators Labour Party has Senators we also have Senators from NNPB you have Senators from SDP I guess you also have Senators from YPB so when you are talking about the minority the problem within minority is that they have not agreed to share the offices not just the PDP minority parties have not agreed on why some once we call sharing of the offices the PDP say oh we are in the majority I think PDP has about 8 or 9 Senators so we have enjoyed so those are the issues that is one, two is also the we pay what we call it article of it the Senator from your state of course somebody that is being pushed forward by the J5 I have come out to say that nobody has spoken to him I have listened to him twice on two national TV stations saying that nobody has spoken to him we can not spoken to him nobody that he does not have any interest in becoming the minority leader of the Senate but if his colleague in their whole in a decide to say okay he will listen to them but for now it is within these minority parties to be able to sort out their problem I am sure they will say they are talking about the minority party it is an interesting problem that EPC had in electing his own president of the Senate that despite all the intrigues and working by the president and the endorsement by the Senate that someone like Senator Yari was able to gain about 46 Senators out of 109 46 of 49 out of 109 Senators that is despite all the intrigues that means if the president has not intervened and the party has really not pushed there is a possibility that Aqabao wouldn't have gotten the presidency of the Senate so that is what the politics is a very dynamic don't listen to these politicians don't listen to what they say they have a way of settling their issues before you know it you just hear them their eyes happy and they have got it sorted let's just leave them to sort out their problem I am sure that you know now the eyes happy two of us will come back again as journalists tomorrow to start discussing so my brother don't help them on the trip okay thank you very much well that is where we wrap it up on this segment of the show this morning thank you very much thank you well that was Chris one new member of the Chartered Institute of Obitrators in the UK he talked to us from Lagos State we will take a short break when we return we will be looking at our first hot topic stay with us