 Welcome to The Advocate on Plus TV Africa, where a panel of five discuss five thought-provoking topics. Here we call a spade a spade, and like we say, no holds barred. I'm talking about the real big brother in Nigeria. Shola points out a spotlight on the growing discussions on the issue of value-added tax. Adebola is explaining to us clearly the difference between feminism and misandry. Tolu is asking if we are broke because we are sick or vice versa. And finally, comfort speaks on the human cycle and need for healthy living. It's an array of topical issues, spiced with seriousness and laughter. Don't go anywhere, we will be right back after this break. The real big brother. Most young people are entwined in the popular show because it's something they actually understand. It's also very quite straightforward, but the real big brother in any country is politics. You don't have to like it, but it will always have you in the diary room, engaging you regardless of what you think of it. Most people blame the below 35s for the reason Nigeria is the way it is and attribute their focus on the reality show to the inaction of politicking. But if they are young, they've asked what is politics. Some will say, someone in Abuja. Others might think, someone in Babariga or Agbada. To some's mind, posters will come to it. It's hard for some 18-year-old to relate with the constitution and how it affects them. I think it's a bit much, asking them. After all, when I was 18, all I wanted to do was have the latest 50 cent CDs. Let's be honest, for the older generation that blames them repeatedly, if we did our jobs, they wouldn't be so lost in translation. They're youth of Nigeria. The real big brother is politics, but what then is the world called politics? Politics is made up of too much to place in a conversation, but its cardinal points are governance, which is how, of course, an elected government handles its citizens and its policies. Political parties, which are, of course, vehicles to a political office. Influence, which, of course, is what's exerted to cause people to make decisions. Power, which is the use of political will. To solve this problem, the onus is on us ahead to stop the knowledge of everything and our transmission of knowledge being nothing. We must first educate. The level of politracy in Nigeria is poor, and we must learn to make political literacy attractive. Next, we must participate to imbibe a culture of practice and teach little nuggets like, do you know local government elected representatives like your councillors and chairman don't have immunity? So if they defraud any of you in a contract or with something else, you can sue them and they'll actually go to jail. We also need to stop telling them elections can be won on social media. If we do, we will enable them to be bred just exactly like us. Finally, we must allow them, that is the use of Nigeria, the freedom to choose. While enjoying the reality show, we could maybe teach them that politics could be as seamless as the show if the foundation laid for it was solid. Lastly, we cannot discuss the future of Nigeria with the Jurassic Park of the country and of course the Jurassic Park, you know what I mean. Inclusion is everything. There's an aziki way in all of us. Age is a perception of wisdom in Africa, but vision will create the Obama of Nigeria only. What were you saying? Because this conversation is what we have been saying all this while, that we have failed and in failing, we haven't carried the, as you said, the below 35 along with us. And so because of how the Jurassic Park is, let's be fair or honest, the youth are lost in escapism. I'd rather be in that sphere. Does that make it right? No, but I don't also want to talk about the helplessness of the situation because even you and I, who are somewhat educated, political wise, at least you've thrown your heart in the ring. I'll give you kudos. I haven't bothered to. But I have my PVC, so I'm part of the political cause. I'm doing something. I'm serious about how do we, we have been emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, everything better than this country. How do we, even we, who are supposed to teach them, how do we rise above that to help the next generation? And honestly, I'm asking because it keeps me up at night, really, because I have a younger generation and I'm bringing up as it is, but I'm helpless. I feel helpless. The truth is, I think somewhere along the line, we are actually forced by that, those Jurassic Park, to think we are helpless. And the only tribe, because they know they have imbibed that thought, that knowledge and that process, that we are helpless into us. If we instinctively stood up, there would be a problem. This if has been going on for a while. You know how they say, perception is stronger than reality. Right? I think that's a big factor in this case. Because you can't give what you don't have. Right? If you think about the fact that these people already believe, I mean, for instance, something as simple as an election, there's already the belief that, you know, votes don't count. So because votes don't count, people do not vote. People do not vote, then there's no election. So because that perception is really strong, until someone starts to deliberately change the perception of the younger people, nothing will happen. Because they don't know. And you can't give what you don't have. So they need that information. They need that reorientation. I, for instance, you know, start talking about voting. I'm one of the corporates, because I had the perception. But I'm very clear now, having seen things happen around. Sorry, my alarm always goes off. Even my phone is off. Sorry. So I just start from, yeah. So I, for instance, I'm a corporate when it comes to elections. Right? And because the perception is so strong, but I've now made a deliberate effort to say, you know what, if it's that one vote, let it count. And then if another person joins me, another person, then before you know it, we're 200 or 5,000. We're 200,000. We're 1 million. And then we'll start to make a difference. So I think it starts with that education and reorientation. Talking about people joining forces, remember what happened during the NSAS protests? During the NSAS protests, a lot of people came out to speak. People slept outside, made sacrifices. People cooked for each other. Everybody came together. But at the end of the day, what did we, what do we have out of it? Nothing. So I just believe the NSAS protests, I wouldn't call it, I wouldn't say it had no impact. But the desires of the youth in that protest wasn't fulfilled. We do not, and at the end of the day, there was a lot of issues. We had a tribunal set up to make inquiries on all that transpired. So how many youths today are willing to come out to stand for justice? Like to say, we don't want this anymore. A lot of people would rather sit back and watch because they do not want to die for Nigeria. Actually, it's not even worth it to die for this country. So nobody is willing to make that sacrifice. We know countries, even Ghana, Ghana, yeah, had their period where they had to go through that reform. So how many Nigerians, even young Nigerians are not even willing to make that sacrifice. Those who have made the efforts in the past, all efforts proved abortive. So that's my own opinion. I had the opportunity during the answer stand to sit down with quite some people high up in the legislative system. I've never seen them so scared. Do you know what was the flaw in answers? The poor understanding of politics and how it works by the... Because the truth is, the number of people that were out were enough to take out the entire legal state House of Assembly to recall the entire legal state federal representatives. But because they were looking at something else, if they did that, you would have triggered massive recalls of state House of Assemblies across. And once you've recalled, and this is constitutional, once you've recalled the House of Assembly, in between a governor is zero, it's down the road, and this would have totally changed the whole game. And we could have... You don't need to wait for a whole election to take out such a system. But they have implantarity. Come on, recalls are hard. Don't try it. That's what I had to say. You shaped the fact that you brought out that point. And this is where then you would also say it's the responsibility of the youth. It's their responsibility to get educated. But you see, because as you said when Miss Jurassic Park, and there's a lot going on, they've allowed the externals to distract them. And so escapism is the best thing. This is the best way. You would find them in their droves, but where? In the wrong places. So what makes... How would I put this? Why aren't they angry enough? I think that is it for me. Why aren't they angry enough about the leadership, the politics in the country knowing full well that they are in the majority? I think for me that is where the question should be. Why aren't you angry enough to use your mass there? I think she could address... Okay, she should tell us. Why aren't you people angry enough? I'm still putting my thoughts together. Okay, so for me at this stage you were talking about even knowing your local government chairman when we were growing up it was part of your exam. You had to know the states and the capital and then the governor. I don't think anybody bought us anymore. So that deliberate action too by the government has been taken away because it was part of the curriculum. You had to write the exam on it. So it became part of you as you grew up that you knew about your country, your state, what foods were eating there, what were the traditional ceremonies and all that. We grew up knowing all those things. This generation doesn't know anything. You know, in closing I like to say something. I said something one day on the media and on the show and then I said local governments don't have immunity. And people were shocked and some people were like they are going to check the constitution and I was laughing because they actually don't and something most of us don't know. Anyway, up next is Shola on the issue of taxation. Stay with us.