 All right, welcome back. In case you're just joining us, you are on the breakfast and it's time for us to take a very hot sip from a very hot cup of tea or coffee because it's time for Off the Press. Chris Kenjewando, member of the Chartered Institute of Appetrators in the UK, is joining us right now here in Lagos. Hello, Chris. Good morning to you. Good morning. Thanks for having me. Am I right to say you are in Lagos right now? Yes, I'm in Lagos. Thank you very much. And happy birthday to you. I wish we could sing, but we can't. The voices are gone. We used to have voices that could sing, but no, not today. Happy birthday, Chris. Happy birthday to you, Chris. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. All right, so let's go straight to the punch newspaper and it leaves with Abuja Land. FG may revoke land allocations, the merely 6,000 buildings slums. While the ride is there, illegal buildings must go down. We can tell ministers and ambassadors others. Slums in Nyania, Apo, Idu, 27 hours may be affected, residents, but minister. As a right in front there, we have a picture of the ministers who were sworn in yesterday in Abuja. So let's start with this statement from Muki. Chris. Yes, yes. I didn't as much as say, as the deputy minister to Kandai beat, take his time to study the situation. It's just less than 4 hours on the seats. He needs to come down and take his time to look at the groups and look at whatever and over and over to the minister and to meet with his team and then from there he can start working. He doesn't have, you know, Abuja is in natural states. It almost has the status of states. So it's not just a ministry. So you still have to constitute what they call them secretaries in FCT, which is the equivalent of commissioners to the state. So he will take his time. I don't think this is time for us to start giving orders. Yes, I will tell you before that the Abuja master plan has started very, very much. The last two administrations really dropped the ball and I mean the administration of Jonathan Gulo Jonathan and I was in Abuja about three weeks ago. I was shocked by what I saw. That is not the Abuja. I give them Abuja for close to about eight years during the passenger time. And I know what Abuja used to expect. Abuja is a complete mess now. I flew in in the evening and you can't believe that from the airport or to the Mariah Duaway, which is the airport route to the town, to the city center. You don't have street lights. We'll be to so many countries. Just even our and see what a crowd look like or go to Washington or go to other countries and stay capitals and you see what they are. But that of Abuja master plan, especially the last minister, the man practically did not. They call him KIV minister. You know what KIV means? Keep in view. That's what he does. He passed to him just put KIV and just passed on. He used to, at least he was one of the worst minister that ever decided about the FCT. But so if there's any distortion to the master plan, building of illegal buildings and rest of them, then definitely the decision has to be made so that we can go back to what it used to be. That is the failure capital territory. What I'm just saying is that, yes, yes, okay. Yeah, hello Chris. Yes, Newsome Weekends hit the ground running as Newsome Weekends. Okay, yeah, Chris, we kind of lost you a bit there. That's the audio. I was just saying to Nyambu that Newsome Weekends hit the ground running as Newsome Weekends. I wasn't expecting anything different from him. He didn't disappoint. He didn't disappoint. And he has started the... You saw what he said yesterday. He said some people were dancing and he was referring to the BDP, some B2DP. He said that the president wrote to all the practices, governors to nominate candidates as ministers and they heard it and that he got the permission of the national chairman of the DDP and all other stakeholders from him. So what I'm saying is that Abudia knew the reverse. It's a different ball game. So let him take his time to see what is on ground. Then take decisions that we... Whatever decision he takes, it's going to affect all Nigerians, unlike reverse states, where it only affected the people of reverse. That's what I'm saying. But if there's any distortion, you can rest assured that we can deliver. But to all him also to deliver, he must get the parking of the president. If he doesn't have the parking of the president, I can tell you that's not what he can do. Because most of the people that he's talking about are very powerful. You have the ministers, you have generals, you have all sorts of politicians and the rest of them, as governors, who have encroached on land in Abudia. So except the president, Shinobu gives him the kind of power that Obasanjo gave El Rufai to be able to do what he wants. You know that Obasanjo gave El Rufai an unfit power to do whatever he did. And that was why El Rufai was able to achieve. So the ability for Wike to achieve whatever he wants depends on also the power given to him or granted and the parking given him by the president. I agree with you, but for President Bola Tinubu to put Enwike there, I would like to think he knows why he did that. Because Wike, everybody knows Wike for who he is. He's rugged and he, as I said, he did the ground running as Wike. There have been divergent views on how he has started, something he should calm down just as you have said. Read the books. What's in the records? Find out what and what is there and what he should address and how he should address it because of course Abuja is not just about the roads, the structures. You have health, you have water, you have other things to consider. But then that is Wike and that's who he is. Now we want to contribute to that. Well, it's Wike you are saying. I'm not sure there's a contribution to that. But like Chris said, he has to have the buy-in of the people that make Abuja thick because whether we like it or not, Abuja is a property of cultures, of peoples. So many things in Abuja that if you say Abuja, not be reverse, it will also be a very critical factor. And if Wike, because he just talks like a dictator, if he takes that to Abuja, it may not work. But I don't know, like you say, like we know, if a small child, like my people say, if a small child comes in the morning to challenge someone who is bigger, there must be an elder hiding somewhere. Alright, so let's read some of the other headlines here before we move to the next newspaper. You have right on the masthead, FG may raise $17 billion from oil asset sale. That's from JP Morgan. You have government to revive Ajalkuta Steel. Umahi plans road inspection. You have bought Chairman MDs by additional 145 billion Naira bank shares. And underneath you have, I want to reunite with Boko Haram husband. Older teenager confesses taking part in over 40 robberies and maybe arrest 10 oil thieves with over 100 jericans. Chris, you want to talk about this story on the cheaper girl that was rescued who wants to reunite with her Boko Haram husband? Well, it's quite unfortunate, but I want to understand the human relationship. Love, whether forcefully or forcefully. Once a man goes into a relationship with a woman, irrespective of whoever he is, along the line they have to bond, they'll get to bond, and I think that's what has happened in this case. Don't forget that most of these girls were just young girls that were in secondary school that never knew men, vegans and the rest of them before they were packed away by Boko Haram. And you come to realize that those probably were the first set of men they ever met. And because of their relationship, they had children for them, they believed to get there. And then they spoke to them to bond. So if some of them say that they miss their husband, it's not that of this, because they're not just their husband, they're also the part of their children. So I was not surprised. And they said that, there's a particular one that said that she has two girls for one of the commanders to think that one died. That is not the first time. Those that were rescued, or those that came out in the past also said, sometimes they want to go back. But that is the situation, that is the situation and ourselves. And it is what it is. But the fact is that, I still believe that, we drop the ball on this issue. So many of these two girls would have rescued and would have been allowed to come back. Not as many as close to about, if not about 20 or 80 or close to 100, as they were the Boko Haram terrorists. And some of them, we are married, they will be vulnerable. The terrorists are not that conscious, they may not be seen as. So that is the situation, as it were on that. So I am not sure. And nobody should be surprised. You know you are a mother. Of course. You know the bond between mothers and their children. So here it is, but whatever, that aspect of it is something that one cannot be put in touch. Indeed. But it is good that to see that they were not killed. The important thing is that, it is good to know that they were not killed. Because the belief is that probably most of them will be killed and messed up. I know some of them would have also died because of where they are. But the fact is that we have seen some of them coming back or being rescued. Means that most of them are still alive. Only that they are the custody of these terrorists. You know something you said Chris, very instructive, very strong, is that we dropped the ball on this case. This children should have all been rescued many years ago, when this incident happened. They shouldn't have been left in the hands of these bandits. And I understand that this husband that she is talking about has also been caught. But you know they were separated because he had to be handed over to the units in charge of profiling those bandits that are captured. Yes, she said that the husband is a repentant Bukohara leader. So he is repentant. He is no longer present in the course of Bukohara. So let them do their profiling and if they find out that he is repentant. There are so many hundreds and hundreds of those of them that came out in the past that have been given amnesty. So this one would not be an exception. What do you think now that you've mentioned that word amnesty, what do you think of the amnesty given to these repentant Bukohara people? It's like going back to the since most of us condemned it when it happened in the past. I'm afraid that is not the best way to prove. Here is point A for whatever anybody says. If you are found to have killed people willily, then the law should take its course. The issue and they were comparing it with the Niger that are militant and you say it's not the same. It's not the same. Niger that were fighting for a cause. They were not killing people. They were already posting pipelines and for a reason. And once that issue was addressed there was nothing like that again. But what was their problem? What was their agitation? Where were they killing people? They were not only killing innocent people. They were helping them. They were ripping them. They were killing soldiers in their hundreds. So at the end of it, when you see somebody that killed your family or killed your father and everything, a thousand times the government said they are keeping you amnesty. What happened? And that to me was not good enough. But in the reason of the government, that is what they decided to do. And we cannot question that. Personally, I'm afraid that is not the best kind of amnesty. You know, as much as, yes, well, just say no, they were better. But they are supposed to have started jet time. At least. Starting jet time. As in deterrence. Because they killed people. Because there were also instances of that. There were some instances of that. Some of them were for me and the rest of them. And there were some that they went back. They went back to join Bukaharam again. And they continued from where they stopped. So best. That is in the past. I don't know how this government is going to handle this. But that was what the Bari government was needed for. And that was why the soldiers, the soldiers at the point was also on the rise because people were not being given the necessary punishment that they deserve. They just, they bring them out and they say they reform them. They will give them SIM card, give them money, and ask them to go. We leave them to go back. There was a particular one that was arrested. And at the point, when he came out, he was even going back to kill certain people before going back to the bush. So this is not about the Christianity and where he said, oh, God has for me, God has for him. No. There was a statement by Putin, by Vladimir Putin. I'm sure he must have seen that statement. What is not a materialist. It is a yes. Our duty is for you to, for us to say it. Our duty is not for God to kill. We said be to wear because we are there for give you or let you go. But we are going to do what this is doing. Yes. Okay. I'm sure he must have read that. Yes. Yes. I've seen that. Yeah. Their only is to send you to God. You know, God will. Yes. We send you to God. So it is not for God to forgive you or let you go. It is his duty to send you to him. So that. Okay. Well, we've seen, that is a Stockholm syndrome where people want to get married to their captors. They want, they fall in love with the people who kidnapped them and all that. We've seen it, not only in Nigeria, it happens everywhere. It's human nature. But right now, it worries something in the nation newspaper, but the small headline there, up top left, is that Nigeria's net foreign reserves is at $3.7 billion. That is according to J.P. Morgan. What do you make of this? Well, we ask the congregation how nice is that the country needs and no matter what we have in our region and that is how inasmuch as it doesn't touch the purpose of an average Nigerian, for example, the life of a Nigerian. Yes, it's good for us to say but the fact remains that you need to live to be able to enjoy the benefits of your energy and that is the situation as it were. Presently, Nigerians have a serious problem, food crisis. I had a new minister from Nigeria to say that agenda is full $133 million Nigerians at now calm down calm down without this before we have all the promises made and the rest of them so why don't you just take your time most of these ministers they are just making no chances without thinking through what they are saying because at the end of it you come to realize that what you know when you prepare to go to the market in the morning there are certain things in your mind but by the time you get to the market you don't have to find that the prices may change and the rest of time so you have to take some of it those are part of the instances that I remember in the last session where some services were appointed and one was given another and said that it was within one month that he was going to work with the Boko Haram and within weeks they attacked and kissed so many sweaters so and I believe he let them take their time as for the results I don't know how did the president save one trillion Naira from the removal of subsidy and that the effect is going to check that the president made a broadcast talking about the palliatives to now Ninjas have not heard Ninjas have not heard the effect of that palliative prices of goods rising the treatment is out of the reach of people and so many other things so I think that what we just this one and that the effect is that how is it affecting the lives of Nigeria is that going to reduce the price of bread is it going to reduce the price of rice is it going to reduce the price of goods or is it going to reduce the prices of tea and the rest of them the staple foods most Nigerians cannot go to bed to feed them most of them go to bed properly before you go to 1 0 1 to bed with and that is a problem that is not 1 to 1 I always see the minister of Agriculture coming in and saying this is the roadmap in the next room this is what we need to achieve to break down the prices of rice this is what we are going to do to break down the price of dairy They are at the perjury of oh we are not going to have to increase that is why they said that the market process is good that the protocol finally will come back on stream. We need to see tangible solutions to some of these problems. I'm not just debate brandishing because that will be here in since 2015. I'm not carried away by that. Yeah, well, we have just touched it. The other headline there still in the nation newspaper is how we will implement Tinobu's agenda. And we've seen the riders there when the Cabinet members lay out priority areas and President demands performance and urges restoration of faith in government. From we keep pulling down buildings to better I do bringing 130 million people out of poverty to the Minister of Information saying they will not tell lies to defend the government. And so many other very, very loadable statements. How much do you believe? How much faith do you have in all these statements that they're making? You have touched on it, but let's just talk a little bit more for emphasis's sake. You know what I say in local palace, I also call in Ishak Raghura. You know Ishak Raghura. Ishak Raghura. Yeah, so what we are saying is Ishak Raghura. When the Jews are down, you come to see who can. I want to give them, since I have an open heart, and I want to give them the financial benefit of the doubt. I want to be an optimist as a Nigerian. I want to believe that they have what it takes to be able to get out of where we are. I want to also believe that most of the things that they're saying they are going to do it. But when I can sort the promises that we make to Nigerians in 20, 20, 19, and how it banned that, they have my heart sinks as a Nigerian. I don't tend to be a total optimist again. I become a pessimist. So about that, we will not die to Nigerians. He dies in New Wave, fine. The Minister of Information is a publisher, is a publisher of Blueprints in New Wave, and is a third journalist. And I hope you will be able to. He's just wanting for him to wish, and he's not wanting for the government to have the equipment, if he wishes to tell Nigerians the truth as it were. And those, his august, don't want Nigerians to hear the truth. There's nothing he can do about it. No, he can resign. He can resign. It's not in our character to resign. How many don't resign? But there is something he can do. He will just choose not to do it. But one thing we've seen is that even those who critique governments, once they get into that corridor of power, once they join the other side, they become government apologists. Thank you, my sister. You know what he's saying that he used to say now? That's the way you are. That is the situation we face. Yes, table manners. Yes, I give my brother that he can resign. That's not a long reason. But I want to ask you, since 1999, what's your name? Just one. They just will not do it, but that is something they can do. But what you see, my worry is, even yesterday was the day that they were sworn in. Some of them got to know their ministries yesterday because there was a reshuffle meant even before they started. So I'm sure these people will study the ministries they have been given before they can come out with a blueprint because we've always said this. Why not just tell these people what you are likely to be if you pass the screening of the Senate so that all that time you will use it to formulate a policy or have a roadmap that will guide you in whatever you are going to do. But they don't know. They never know. Maybe they are the ones that never know. They will need three months at least. Maybe they are the ones that do not know. No. They simply don't know. Because if they know, even the president for the first time since 1999, you see a president that has given a sample of folios to ministers and just 24 hours before they were sworn. They don't know. They don't know. But we will continue to say that that is the way to do it. They should be able to look at it. Because that will also assist the Senate to ask the right questions. To ask the right questions. Like the guy that is talking about the lady that is talking about lifting $113 million. How are you going to do that? Exactly. Do you understand what I am trying to say? And that is it. The minister of education who was the former vice chancellor of the base university where that is owned by the vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party. You know that base is owned by the minister of education who is the vice chancellor of the university. The question we have asked is how are you going to say to the issue of us through federal government so that we don't have this. So there is a lot of questions that we ask but we lost the opportunity. The only time that we ask them questions is when there is someone there when they are coming to defend their budgets. They will be forced to come. We have to pass on the gamers under the table and rest of them so that they can ask them questions. So we lost the opportunity as a best. I hope that the president has given them a marking scheme because that is what we don't want to do. If you are going to as a lecturer but you are going to be keeping a marking scheme these are the key areas we have to consider. These are the list you can foreshort of. And when you foreshort of that it will be sad. So many of them were there for 40s and 80s and they did practically not and they didn't do anything about it. So we must have a benchmark for each minister that if you foreshort of this then you have to go. And that is why I always say that the box talks on the table of the president the ability to perform and not be able to perform will also depend on their head which is the president. If he is going to make sure that the deliver on what he has asked them to do then I will just say that go and have a feeling that we are back to square one. Chris I totally agree with you at least after one year they should be able to assess them and say okay do you know where you are going with this ministry we have given you and either sack them or retain them and then I want to ask you Chris does the parliament not have the right or does it to ask the executive to make sure they attach portfolios before sending their ministerial lists so that they can thoroughly do their job their oversight function of grilling these people and screening them thoroughly to know if they have fit for the portfolios that you know they are supposed to be assigned to. Maureen this is the same parliament that tells some of them to take their bow and go. Let me answer that with you know it's not as all called fit for purpose it's very straight when you say something is fit for purpose that is not for you. But it also comes back to it is not just making a pronouncement we are going to have an amendment to the constitution that is more specific so it's not just what the parliament will just just like we said that you know that that's an amendment to the constitution same before like before that giving the president a timeline on when to present his ministers 60 days. It wasn't like that before the same thing with God knows so what we are not saying is the same parliament that are made as an escort when you are bringing the list of ministers that designate and touch the portfolios then it becomes law and the president cannot do anything about it but if the parliament will not be able to do that there is nothing the president can do what he likes and that is just his discussion he may or may not be able to not hold it to reach. Okay we should move to the next alright we will move to the next newspaper which is the leadership the leadership naturally is leading with the Tanubu and the minister's story Tanubu to ministers go to work Nigerians will tolerate failure but we are not going to go to that we have talked about that already so I demo I read Petitions NBA over planned that's another headline there that I think is interesting Chris what do we know about that well for that the Nigerian NBA the institute an investigation into three members of that session one is professor the professor that was accused of social harassment two is a baddest lawyer the lawyer the female that has chips on social media then third is the Adamawa suspended Adamawa wreck over behaviours that they said that it brings to the the association or the profession to repeat so that is just so investigation is ongoing and the two of them are lawyers and that is why the NBA is stepping in so I think they are instituting an investigation into the activities of that suspended wreck in Adamawa knowing fully what it is I went to announce the name of someone that didn't need an election and was trying to dam the consequences so he is just trying to hide behind his fingers but it is what the NBA to do after the investigation they come out with their report if they find him guilty probably they might suspend him today this is not the first time that a lawyer is suspended because some lawyers have been stripped of their essay and I am sure you know of that in Nigeria so that is the ongoing debate whether what they care you must be saying that they are stripped and try to smoke you and on social media she scored baddest lawyer and just I divided it over that whether she does aside her profession the business of anybody then the dean of faculty of law accused of sexual harassment is on suspicion NBA is also looking so those are the three three angles they are looking let's wait and see what they get I wish that they could also handle the issue where someone's husband was influencing some judgments and nobody seems to be talking about that anymore they are talking about that they are talking about the the Kachua the president of Kota Papel I am sure that the woman has retired I don't know what I have done about her if she is in service there will be some kind of they can also investigate that I understand the husband has gone to court to get an injunction to stop the ICPC normal normal injunctions all the time that's how we know you said it's happening why do you guys do this you people in the law profession should you be getting injunction no no no people in the law profession because I wouldn't give an injunction to someone who has been accused of something if you have the evidence you are sure that you didn't do that prove it and just let's get over with it but you go and get an injunction perpetual injunction do you remember the Petrol did the case of course I am sure you remember Petrol of course yes if that was when I got to know what perpetual injunction was perpetual injunction I better go to the next okay let's go on the man's head you have Taraba Task Force arrest 3500 illegal minors I find this interesting because we know different states in this country where illegal mining takes place different states in this country you have illegal miners who come here and cut away our treasures and the question I ask is where are the state governors when these things happen and that's where I find interesting what Delia Lakke has said that he's going to ensure that our wealth being filtered away through this because we've depended so much on oil we've not paid enough attention to the non-oil sector where we can actually get revenue from so Chris talk to us about this this headline I just have to agree with you you took the words off my heart and that is where the Minister of Delia Lakke has his way work out that is a sector that is totally negated equating with that of gas those are the two sectors that are making so much money if we look at our gas deposits if we are able to harness it properly we will make more money from gas than even this oil we are just discussing because our gas is one of the finest in the world and is most sought after this is why you see that energy is doing so well making so much money so if we are able to harness that area of gas then we are going to go there are so many countries in Europe in the situation with the war between Russia and Ukraine most of them are being start of gas because most of the gas they use is coming from Russia and because of the strong relationship between them and Russia they have been saying so if we can be able to harness that gas most of those things you see us my brother is from the south even men are from the south so you see those gas that you are playing in your everyday not money now there is nothing Chris is this over the years as a broadcast journalist we have discussed these issues on air and experts, energy experts have cried against this flaring of gas but governments come and go nothing changes, why? yes because we don't want to do this right thing do you know that there is a law against the area of gas management are you aware of that there is even the there is also issues of flaring of gas most of those companies find it much easier to flare the gas than combating them and when they play them they just pick peanuts in most countries you can do that you can't just do that and those are the kinds of things they don't do that is what Russia cannot do in the country that is what most of this air companies cannot do and that is why now we have a minister specifically for gas let us see what he is going to do do you understand, for the first time let us see what he is going to do so if he is going to stay there and sit there playing gas and not say anything about it you know before it was lopsided gas and petrol was lopsided so we find it difficult you have the onshore, the offshore so which is why I give to those to this government at least they are taking out of the post but back to the issue of mining before we can do much about mining they also have to think about the constitution because the right, forget whatever is happening in the state the exclusive right to these issues and mining it is an exclusive right it is the exclusive best only the better government can give basis for that even the states don't have the power so most of them are not because most of the things going on in the states are illegal but we feel that it can be decentralised and where the state and the federal government can help people arise to go into that licensing people, monitor the way it is done and do you know what is you need to go to church and see what is happening you need to go and see what is happening there it is so terrible yes I grew up in Plattestate now let's look at another thing quickly now because our time is up we go to Kaduna Governor Sahni slashes fees in Kaduna tessiary schools we hear as a result of the palliatives that have been given he has decided to make sure that tessary institutions pay less people in the tessiary institutions pay less So that's part of the palliative. So it brings us to the issue of the palliative, 5 billion to every state that will be given. And we've heard that 48% will have to be returned to the federal government. What do you think about the preparedness of states to even use this 5 billion as palliatives that will be beneficial to the people very fast now so that we wrap up Chris? My sincere opinion, I believe that there's money in new wastage, and that is my personal opinion. 5 billion to states, then you give a state that has 7 local government 5 billion and give a state that has 54 local government 5 billion. What will be that they be able to do? They are also putting it in the hands of governments who are going to distribute it among their supporters so it doesn't make any difference to me. So personally, I've heard that that will be challenging to something. And also remember that in this money have been disposed of most of the states, they didn't say anything about it, they kept quiet. But the federal government came out with the circular and the announcement that they have been sent to show. If the federal government hasn't come out with that, then they're just going to sleep and share it among themselves the way they should. For me, the palliatives, after promises and the rest of them, we're not yet feeling this thing. It's because the government is not in what it's supposed to be. There is policy so much, so don't forget where they started from. We're going to give them 10,000 Naira, say whatever amount they say they're going to give. So how many millions of people exchange their mind, state to go and get the register. After that, they change their mind, they can say, okay, we're giving this to them. At the end of it, 180 billion was disposed to the states and to them. Go and ask yourself, have you seen anybody getting anything out of that money? I've not heard. Probably they've not studied the postman and the rest of them. But there can be more police secret. I still believe that the best way to go about this is making sure that our refugees are working. If our refugees are working, then the prices of petroleum will come down. Then prices of wood, which is tied to petroleum will also come down. Except we do that, all this thing we're just doing is just trying to scratch the surface and refuse to treat the tree, which we see to treat the moon. We just add in plaster and just drop in whatever ory on a saw, it will not heal. That's my personal opinion. Okay, thank you so much Chris. It's always a pleasure to have you on off the press and happy birthday again, wishing you the very best of the day and the rest of the year. Yeah. Very much, I really appreciate it. I've been wondering if you could do that. Me too. Chris Gendian-Wine, a member of the Chartered Institute of Abitritters in the UK has joined us on off the press, as he always does on Tuesdays on the breakfast. Stay with us, we'll be back with the first hot topic. You don't want to go nowhere because Sarah will be joining us.