 We're back with the breakfast and plus CV Africa. At this point we'll be looking at the pages of a National Daily so we call it Off the Press. Ambrose Ibuki joins us this morning. Thank you for joining us Ambrose. Good morning. All right then. Yes, good to have you. We'll start off with the leadership newspaper and looking at the leadership it talks about the 2023 elections. 2023 polls consent as INEC tracks hundreds of PVCs to individuals according to that report they have been arrested and apprehended. Two persons found with 468 voters card in Sokoto that's Kano. So the question will be how? How did that happen? We're prosecuting them says electoral body and promises seamless collection of PVCs. PTLB supports oil exploration in North East. Abuja Kaduna train service won't resume today. Wow, that's what the minister is quoted to say. Well, that's the much we will take this morning on the leadership newspaper. Let's go next to the punch in newspaper with the following headlines very interesting ones. Fuel scarcity NNPC petrol price without subsidy is 400 Naira per litre marketers. This NNPC petrol price without subsidies 400 Naira per litre I think the marketers are referring to what they get from the NNPC which is by far the sole importer importer of petrol into the country. Right as to that oil firms struggling with subsidies government cannot be Father Christmas Ipman NNPC NMDP RA keep mom not a word from them since they queues resurfaced over 30,000 filling stations face shortage. More from the punch and this was something that he promised to do and he has done it. A delicate reverses or yet all us appointment says action malicious. I think if you recollect he appointed 30 permanent secretaries barely 48 hours to his departure as governor of our ocean state. It's talking about or yet all more from the punch. Election results nationwide e transmission possible says telcos. Saudi bound trafficker conceals cocaine in sandals and Yuletide and CDC wants a possible COVID-19 infection rise. Some of the stories on the front page of the punch. Well let's quickly take a look at the Daily Trust newspaper. The Daily Trust says anti-money laundering SMEs decry registration huddles. Accounts opening process for straight in business owners are saying and banks reject applications. SCU ML procedures not cumbersome ESCC saying finance ministry denies budget padding. Impoters kick as cost of containers from China increases by 2.6 million Nair and Kaduna Abuja train federal government shift resumptions. Moss fair hike. INEC a Boeing office raised 340 ballot boxes others destroyed. Change of batten name as a delicate takes charge of Oshun and that's it this morning on the Daily Trust newspaper. The punch has a following headlines a big one there 2023 another attack on INEC office raises concern over polls 2023 another attack on INEC office raises concern over polls IG orders CPs to take action. Commission seeks probe into attacks on facilities you know quite a number of these attacks popping up in recent times. This quite in custom services top offices seek tenor extension so it's not just the national assembly service commission we've seen these tenor extension ambitions. We have more from the nation a delicate I will strengthen security boost workers welfare. Tiddable most experienced candidate says Ayade that's governor of Cross River State. Azura targets 3,500 megawatts per generation. Morocco's win over Belgium thrills a very welcome second win for an African country in Viennese World Cup federal government bans export of raw gold sex plants on way in Ibadon can other cities and see what comes out of that and at this point we will welcome I guess once again Ambrose Bokeh thank you very much for your time let's start with that big story on the front page of the nation and talking about the attacks on INEC offices you know nationwide with the paper saying that an attack on another INEC office yesterday has raised fresh concerns over the safe conduct of next year's general election. So what I thought something this is something that play here Ambrose Bokeh or things like just itinerant attacks. First of all let it be clear that so many people are afraid of the giant strikes made by INEC towards the 2023 election with the deployment of technologies like the beavers. Equously is becoming clear that snatching of ballot boxes during elections or top people have cast their ballot papers can no longer hold it's almost a point and exercise a fertility because it's where the results will be transmitted as the polling units. So with this electronic transmission of results the next years who do not want also have credible elections are dividing new means to towards the elections and ensure that the election is rigged even before it is held and that is why you are seeing a lot of these attacks because it is not everybody that wishes election to be credible free and fair there are some elements in the polity that favors you know the old ways of regain of declaring voters that are more than people in the voters register of ballots as snatching declaring fake results and the rest they are increasingly getting frustrated or the fact that these negative activities may not be able to happen again so they are assaulted to bunny INEC offices what they hope to achieve is to see where they can cause some maximum damage to INEC facilities especially the technologies the beavers which they presume is housed in INEC offices with these attacks you can see that a lot of voter scouts will be destroyed and then a lot of you know the instruments for work that INEC offices may also be destroyed so that is the new attack system and with this the security agencies should tighten you know more security as the INEC offices especially the state offices in the capitals and also see how they can present INEC offices from getting attacked in local government it is a big cost for concern and all Nigerians especially security agents should rise above the board and ensure that these attacks are presented but should be concerned for the safety of INEC staff and the safety of electoral materials in next year's election going by what we're seeing playing out over the past few months for every election in Nigeria we're always concerned about that because as I just said some people do not want credible elections to hold because if it happens they are deprived of the negative ways in which they get things done so what INEC should do is to ensure because there's a paradigm shift in this 2020 election the materials for elections are more sensitive before the election you know before now before what was happening is that the electoral materials especially the ballot papers are more sensitive after the election because people go to snatch them and their stuff pick uh uh ballot papers and then the cleric resource but now because of beavers and electronic transmission of resource from the polling units one the people the evil people will do is to devise the means of seeing how to hijack electoral material before the election as the electoral officials are moving to the polling unit and that is to be where health care security should be deployed so that as they're moving the beavers that are moving the uh ballot boxes and the rest they should make sure that no security is provided there's always fear of attack on INEC officers during election because ours is a democracy where talkery and uh electoral violence still holds sweet so uh there are fears as usual but when we deploy the correct tactical operation to ensure preventative strikes they will ensure that uh such attacks are minimized okay let's move away from that although i have wondered and continue to wonder why uh we haven't been on top of the situation acting very proactive despite all of the recent attacks that we've had probably will not be the first in 2022 has happened over the years and we're still here so there might just also be another attack in recent times i mean this this we're just saying but um on the punch newspaper talks about fuel scarcity nmpc and petrol price without subsidies going to be 400 naira per liter this is according to the marketers and maybe we're talking about the pump price now not the black market also just during the week you have the old marketers saying that we should anticipate buying petrol at any price i'd like to show your thoughts on this first of all Nigeria has no business buying petrol or PMS at above 40 naira or 50 naira second of all it is a failure of for successive governments especially in the last 25 years that we cannot refine our own crude oil in Nigeria when we were refining our oil in Nigeria in the 70s and 80s even to the early 90s or mid 90s where we do full refining of petroleum products in Nigeria where we had our three giants refineries who are reported called katuna there was nothing like subsidy on petroleum products because we were refining them here the petrochemical industry earlier mentioned uh where came up because of that ask on that is the specialized company also came up from uh that and manufacturing offsuits you know products from auxiliary products from refining petrol provided thousands of jobs we have no business with uh subsidy then because we're refining locally i want to people to understand that the subsidy in petroleum products we are talking about is a function of the government's failure to refine products locally so what they do is they spot crude oil go to another country same let's leave refined products and then bring back those products refined products to Nigeria and ask Nigerians or first Nigerians to buy those products at international market prices so governments that were responsible governments over the years felt that we have failed our people we were supposed to refine locally but we are not doing it therefore we have to question the effects of the volatility of the differences between the international price and the local price in which our people were supposed to buy therefore we need to subsidize because the disparity the international price and local price is a function of failure of government so government know it's failure of the citizen and that is why it started subsidizing petroleum products is the price of petrol products in Nigeria so having said that i reiterate and i said it in September 4 that subsidy must remain because the citizens cannot bear the brunt of failure of government to refine petroleum products in Nigeria now the problem is not subsidy because even the greatest nations of the world subsidize the citizens subsidize healthcare they subsidize agriculture they subsidize a lot of things we are free to you know compare prices or perform prices in america in other countries we have not provided infrastructure do the americans run geronq well in their generator do they use petrol or produce do they have what they do they have one means of transportation the way we do here but what could be responsible for you know the shortage that we're experiencing in different parts of the country at the time shortages are voiced by marketers always there's a system to it the shortages are during christmas time during festive time it is it has become a normal for us to make petroleum spoilers scarce and then you increase the prices the problem with subsidy is not the subsidy it said it is the fraud in the subsidy instead of call them find an excuse to remove subsidy are putting the citizens in hardship the government should find a way to remove the fraud in the subsidy because that's the one we are having so the question the answer is not to remove subsidy at a time it is to remove the fraud in the subsidy until the government is able to have functional refineries or agenda policies that ensure that we have modular refineries and investments in the refinery sector by individuals there must it is the duty of government to subsidize petroleum products for its citizens because it has failed to define it locally therefore citizens have been you know very passive about this I remember when people were trying to remove subsidy in 2012 there was a lot of riot against the government of Jonathan and then it was reversed it's unfortunate that we are keeping quiet from 65 from the 65 to 99 to 145 to 165 we are not buying at 200 over 200 Naira and some people say have the ability to tell us that we 400 Naira what has been the increase the income of the average Nigeria so but again the negative citizen is not silent that's not outcry anywhere so the people will do all they want to do and get away with it back to who we are. Ambrose let's move on to quickly to another story a very very sad situation indeed the next one I'd like us to talk about take your thoughts on this from the punch in his paper um yesterday uh Oshebo and other parts of um Oshebo State were gogged as the the new governor a dedicated dancing senator and now has become the dancing governor having been sworn in as the governor of Oshebo State following his victory in the elections but he made a promise before he became governor uh just over I think on Friday he promised to sack all of the 30 uh permanent secretaries appointed promoted by the outgoing governor who did so barely 48 hours till he left uh uh office well he hasn't sacked them but he has reversed the appointments um what are your thoughts on this looking at what the civil service rules say. Well first of all he's not the dancing governor yet because he has not danced so I see we're calling him the dancing senator. All right. But for it is only uh it's only commonsensical that he should reverse such appointments because it is evil that you are living office in this 48 hours and you must promote people in the civil service. Why didn't you do that in your first year in office or second year in office or even third year in office? You waited 48 hours to hand over you now want to cost crisis for the incoming governor. I mean politicians to stop this kind of things. It is uh it is not uh more it's not even ethical to do such a thing that you are handing over in this 48 hours you suddenly increase uh promoted that mass number of people not to even the small position permanent secretaries where is the appropriation in the budget for for next year? Did he put it in his budget for next year? Appropriation bill for such promotion? Where is the money going to be sourced from? So it is good that the governor even made the announcement that those who have you know collect that appointment will be sacked but I think he has been advised accordingly and it is okay by the way he has reversed it. So we look forward to a better option. We pray for the citizens of Oshun state. I will we wish Governor Delake a successful tenor. The county you know overall you know believe is that having coming from the well-to-do family uh that we should not be a grabbing uh person but rather use the connection of the family the wealth of the family the experience and private business and other things to better the lots of people of Oshun. So we wish him well and we all shouldn't be better for it. Okay uh less quickly delving to the issue of the elections 2023 polls the association of telecommunication companies of assured Nigerians uh that the deployment of biometric voter accreditation system and electronic transmission of result for the 2023 elections uh are possible with the quality of telecom architecture available in the country and so the possibility of having that result being transmitted but I'd like to ask you with the current reality of you know uh tele services that Nigerians are receiving including yourself from this telecommunication companies do you think that uh that this is really possible? Nigeria is ripe for electronic transmission of results. Nigeria is ripe even for electronic voting. I don't I don't know why they need to include the electronic voting in the electoral art of 2022 but Nigeria is uh you know ripe for it. When I say electronic voting doesn't mean that everybody must vote through the electronic means even in the United States where they are doing electronic voting in a massive proportion. People still do physical ballots balloting. So uh would I have that mixed breed that I can sit in my house and vote just like the way you know I you know uh changed my polling booth uh polling unit and uh transferred my uh card my voting card from Leggos to Enugu. I did it uh in the comfort of my sitting room. I didn't need to go to Ineco fees or whatever and it was successfully done. I transferred it from Surulere to GRE in Enugu. So that is how you know these voting things could be done so easily. So such technology is available and they are available. Why are we not being able to do that? So for people who are saying that we are not ripe for near transmission of uh electronic transmission of results I think it's false. No no but um Ross okay that's not the that's not the issue right here uh the the issue is that you have the association of telecommunication companies assuring Nigerians that with the architecture that they have on ground that they will ensure that uh we have uh a each free transmission of results and what a view. And I'm saying that if we juxtapose that with the quality of services that we're receiving from this telecommunication companies uh do you think that that's even anything to go by? Should we believe what you're saying? Yes it's something to go by. We know when they are short answer we know it's working and most five of Nigeria. But the services that you receive from this uh I know that you patronize I don't know what uh you know company that you use but do you think that with that? Well we are having this interview via works it's still not via data. We are having this conversation now video as if I'm your studio through the quality of the fidelity of transmission and communication of four g and we are opening it to the five g there are three g working there are two g is on places and the transmission of this result are not basically serious they are not video they are just pictures that will not take a lot of uh uh mega space and then there is no local government or local government or local government in Nigeria does not connected to the uh national uh uh gsm uh architecture and nobody says that it's not send the truth where you go to the villages a lot of the village is have the POS system where they have new transactions it is powered by uh by telecoms when we with ussd codes and all those things even during the time of uh uh addition of agricultural minister we remember that the farmers were giving forms that they were using in the rural areas in the thick bushes to communicate whether the fertilizers are fertilizers are giving to them uh uh they were giving forms and so this technology can work and we can start it and then begin to improve on it but uh it is mysterious to say that uh because of the fidelity of some glitches uh that are a component uh communication in Nigeria through the gsm that we cannot transmit uh the electronic transmit result well this part of Nigeria's can okay so i like the fact that you say most part because i have you know been involved in monitoring these elections especially in these very remote places and one of the challenges is having you know a smooth connection just to try to have uh communication is usually almost impossible because we don't have the presence it is not everywhere and that's the truth what what happens sometimes is that you know there are in general places where the next one is not in every almost every part of the country but so so how do we now transmit the local pet headquarters you see nothing is cast on if you have those places then they'll move to the nearest where the local government headquarters to do the transmission we cannot have an effect situation but we cannot discuss a progressive method of doing things because a few people will be affected then so what we can do is there's no network to move to the closest place where they're not mostly most local government headquarters have network so you go to the nearest place and transmit your electronic only your idea is that you don't start having people going to polling units or collision centers and other results so you go to the nearest space that you have that can push it to the line that can center a little bit central database so does within that period does it not allow for compromise because it's supposed to be an instant process well if i isolated if we can risk isolated cases as against not using it at all and risking the entire country so these isolated cases the percentage is minimal well we have to call it a wrap down thank you so much i'm proceed okay we have to go we appreciate your thoughts and we look forward to sharing it as we proceed in the course of the week thank you very much for having me all right we'll be back and of course we start with the first major conversation and we'll be looking of course at the issues surrounding the Chief Justice of Nigeria and his association with the g5 group of governors led by yes and we can stay with us over right back