 Federal government ignores 17-year old concession fee debts, renews terminal leases. That's one of the topics we're going to be discussing on the program this morning. Also, work has threatened to withdraw from National Housing Fund over unremitted funds. Of course, we'll be looking at the headlines on some of our national dailies of the press this morning. Very good morning and thanks for joining us. My name is Nyam Gul Agadje. This is The Breakfast on PLOS TV Africa and today we're glad that you're there. Today is a Thursday, so we think business when we're talking all the issues that we're talking about. Even if we're talking about any kind of topic, we want you to be thinking business, especially at this time where everybody is trying to have different streams of income without necessarily making one to suffer for the other one. There are a lot of things that you can do now that we have the opportunity of the internet. There's so many things that you can do to get money while still at the work that you are doing. If you are, for instance, working in a media house like I am working and you're sitting in front of your computer and you have 30 minutes, there are things you can do in 30 minutes that will give you something that will be better than nothing. Like we say in Nigeria, at all, at all. So if you're thinking about anything today, think business as well. Get a business plan and you can have some other people that you will consult with and they'll tell you what you need to do. On Tuesday we were talking with someone who said that his company and so many other companies are responsible for funding startups. So if you have an idea, you take the idea to them, they work on the plan and give you a business plan that you can use and then they fund it and then they supervise you until you become as independent as you need to be before the hands off or they continue to be with you depending on your choice. So there are so many opportunities that are bound and we're hoping that you're going to take advantage of them and make sure there is no longer any complain. Yes, our country may be very difficult at this moment but we're hoping there's light at the end of the tunnel and if there's light at the end of the tunnel, adjust your eyes well enough so that when that light really shines bright, you wouldn't be squinting your eyes and trying to group your way as if you're still in the dark. Well, there are some things that are trended on the internet and everywhere else and some stories that are very interesting to us that may not form the hot topic for today. First of them is that it may feel as siblings, we draw a case against the AGF and the DSS. Remember that two of the brothers separately filed some motions to stop the DSS and AGF from prosecuting them. The Fundamental Rights Enforcement Suite that was filed against the Department of State Services, DSS and the Attorney General of the Federation at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, by the two brothers of the suspended governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Gadwin and Mephile has been withdrawn. That's what news we have had this morning. So Justice Emmanuel Oakway struck out their suit on Wednesday after the applicants through their lawyer informed the court of their decision to discontinue the case. The suspended CBN governor's siblings, George Mephile and Oakanta Mephile had filed separate expatriate motions at the court seeking order of the court to enforce their fundamental rights to freedom of movement among others by issuing perpetual injunction, restraining the DSS from inviting, intimidating, harassing and arresting or detaining them in relation to matters or body of matters which relates to the ongoing investigation of Mr. Gadwin, Mephile and or matters outside the constitutional and statutory mandate of the first respondents, which is DSS. However, the resumed hearing of the cases on Wednesday counsel for the applicants Grace Housani informed the court that the applicants separately filed this notice of this continuance of the case. The lawyer however did not explain to the court why the applicants decided to discontinue the cases and the counsel for the DSS Ibrahim Aouh who did not oppose this continuance applications by Mephile's brothers, however urged the court to dismiss the case instead of striking it out as requested by the applicants counsel. The DSS also, or the counsel to the DSS also demanded a substantial cost of 2 million Naira against the applicants in favor of the respondents and the counsel for the AGF Mae Mooma Lami Sheru also concerned or concord rather with the submission of the DSS counsel and also demanded a 2 million Naira cost. So Justice Oquay in his ruling struck out the cases and ordered that no cost should be paid by the applicants and we're just hoping that a lot of other people who have gone to the courts to get the perpetual injunctions will refrain from it as well and just go to the courts and prove their cases. A lot of people just because they have cases with the DSS, with the EFCC, with whatever body of enforcement agencies will just go to the courts and get perpetual injunctions. Some of them committed some atrocities as we would like to call them when they were still in office and as governors, because some of them are governors, as governors they had immunity and they could not be prosecuted and as soon as they left office that gave room for prosecution they went to the courts and got perpetual injunctions and we keep asking some of us that are not lenient gentlemen we keep asking why do the courts grant these perpetual injunctions if anybody is not guilty. They should just go and prove their cases in court. Because if you ask me where are you coming from and I tell you I am from Bansara, you know, Goja, local government and you say I'm not from Bansara, why would I go and get a perpetual injunction to prevent someone from asking me that. I'll just go to court, bring all the witnesses, talk to my village head and wherever I need to do and then make sure that it is proven that I'm from that community. So why do people get perpetual injunctions we keep asking but well in the wisdom of the court the last hope of the common man they give perpetual injunctions to people some of them who should be in jail get perpetual injunction and they are not in jail they are not even prosecuted at all some of them who could ordinarily just be set free because they will prove their case they just don't have that time to go to the courts and so they go and get perpetual injunction and just stay back well in the coming days we will know what is what and there must come a time when all these things whether perpetual injunctions or not something must give and then we will know the truth we can separate like my people say you separate the vegetable from the oil when you're cooking I don't know how that is but sometimes it is possible. We also have another story which is talking about the doctors in Ogul state set for strike on September 1 due to unpaid allowances and it's really worrisome why would doctors be owed why would anybody be owed the good book says a laborer deserves his wages around 450 doctors in Ogul state Ogul state owned health facilities are set to go on an indefinite strike starting September 1 due to alleged non-payment of hazard allowances by the government these doctors work in various health institutions labisee or nabanjo teaching university hospital general hospitals primary health centers and the ministry of health and health management boards the Nigerian Medical Association enemy issued a 21 day ultimatum to the Ogul state government during its annual general meeting on August 10, 2023 demanding the payment of hazard allowances dating back to January 2023 in a letter dated August 11, 2023 addressed to the governor and signed by the enemy chairman and secretary respectively the organization threatened industrial action if demands were not met by August 31 today is August 24 already Dr. Kunle Ashimi the states enemy chairman expressed states doctors frustration with unfulfilled promises by the government and emphasised the importance of hazard allowances Dr. Ashimi spoke of how the doctors at federal institutions are already collecting hazard allowance or meanwhile the state institutions have not and have been clamouring for it for some time now and we do not know why in a climate in a country where we are shorting or we are short on doctors or medical staff rather and these things are still happening hazard allowance I usually say this to a school for instance sometimes you find private institutions paying as low as 15,000 as low as 20,000 some paying 30,000 and some paying above that but the teachers who went to teach there were told you were going to be paid this much and they accepted and so they have no moral grounds to strike so long as this paltry sum is coming at the time it should come so that is what is called an agreement so if the government agrees to pay a particular amount as hazard allowance or as salary or as whatever kind of emolument they should honour the agreement whoever hires a laborer should be ready to keep to the agreement I even see in the Nigerian society sometimes you have maybe like a domestic servant or you have someone working in your company your private company and then you pay these people and then whoever doesn't come back to say thank you to you for paying them the salary of the work they did for you is sucked or given sanctions I have seen this many times and sometimes I have opportunity to cancel some people or to ask what was the problem maybe I am like a go between these two people and I ask what the problem is and the employer will say this person is not grateful he doesn't ever say thank you when I pay salary and I am like what do you say thank you to the person when he works for you and now you are paying for the labor that he or she has put in and if he doesn't say or she doesn't say thank you to you you suck that person or you give a query to the person it doesn't really make sense to me some people have argued that yes someone who pays you should be able to get that kind of appreciation that he deserves and I am just asking myself what kind of appreciation somebody works you pay that person is paying you the work you are paying the money for the work I don't know I don't see anything it's an emotional agreement I am doing this and you are paying me if you cannot say thank you for the work that I am doing I shouldn't be saying thank you to you it's just an agreement that we have and some people feel that because you are paying the cash you are the one who is making sure that person survives his life depends on you it doesn't work that way we should stop this mentality and that's why I have seen the other day I was passing through the third main land bridge the Oga because the Oga has been somehow and this Oga unfortunately cannot drive and so he was making calls and trying to get someone else to come and drive him from third main land bridge back home so you are talking down on your driver you are maltreating your driver you are doing a lot of things saying on printable things to your driver because he is a driver a common driver and you cannot even drive because you are the one paying him at the end of the month maybe 30,000 or 40,000 you think you are the lord over that person an employer is not lord over anybody an employee also is not lord over anybody it's a symbiotic relationship you help me I help you so let's stop this fact or this attitude where you employ somebody and you think because that person is helping them in their family you are a god don't play god so the government if they accept to do a particular thing should always do it and even if it's a private person you employ someone and you accept to do a thing or you agree that you are going to be doing XYZ then do it at the end of the month pay them their salaries give them their allowances and all that we cannot have a situation where people will go and strike again in a country where there are no health workers so doctors 450 in Ogun state alone how many do they have in that state that 450 will be disgruntled and then they will go on strike now the NMA nationwide is also talking about strike they are also talking about the fact that some of the agreements reached with the government are not being met do we keep recycling these bad behaviour all the time well I don't know how government works maybe there's a bog that bites the people that get into government I've seen a lot of good people gone bad but I do hope that there will be a revolution I'm not talking about fighting on the streets but there will be a revolution of the mind where people will begin to think differently and more positively and see that everybody is important and that a laborer deserves his wages whether it is ASU whether it is NLC whether it is NMA whether it is workers at the ports whoever is working deserves to be given their wages and you the person who is working if you agree to collect something XYZ do not ask for an extra except you really deserve it so if by after every three years you are supposed to be promoted and given more money that's a different case but you don't go there and say because at Christmas he did not give me a largesse which you didn't agree to before you started work then you stop your work that doesn't work that way as well so everybody should respect the agreements they entered into before they started working government respect people who are working for the government respect as well no matter who you are everybody deserves respect ok we are going to take a short break right now when we return we will start with the headlines from national dailies we do hope that you are going to be a part of that as well stay with us