 German of the all-progressive Congress can come to the government in Malibu, comes on the fire from young people within the party. They no longer want him, but we're talking to the leader this morning. We plan to remove pure subsidy. In this place, we'll be 5,000 Naira transport allowance to select Nigerians. Thank you. Now take a look at the newspapers this morning. Welcome to the breakfast on Plus TV Africa. I am Justin Acadone. And I am Messiah Boko. It's good to have you join us as usual. This beautiful, of course, it's a Wednesday morning. Yes, need week edition. Okay, so as usual, we set up with our top trending conversation. I mean, this is a conversation generating reaction across different platforms. So first on the list is actually the fact that the federal government is saying we're replacing the subsidy with a transportation fare of 5,000 Naira for 40 million poor Nigerians. And the big question is how did we arrive at the 40 million poor Nigerians? What did we use? How did we find them? Who are the 40 million poor Nigerians? That's the first question that pops up when I actually saw that particular report. Yes, mercy, you know, just on Monday we talked about the removal of fuel and electricity subsidy, you know, and we had a guest on the show discuss it in depth. And one of the things that he talked about, that was Peter, I said that one of the things that he talked about was the federal government putting appropriate measures in place. This is not the first time mercy. I know we keep on doing some sort of back and forth policy in the country. You know, he said we need, as a country that is, we need to put appropriate measures in place before, you know, these subsidy could be removed. So Nigerians don't suffer the biting after effect. And then indeed the federal government has come out. You know, that's the Minister of Finance, Zaynab Ahmed has come out to say that, you know, 5,000 Naira a month will be given to poor Nigerians. That's between about 40 to 50 million Nigerians. Indeed, you had talked about, you know, how this selection process, you know, would be, you know, made and how transparent it would be. You know, and he said that the amount of people, the amount that would be paid would actually be determined on who and who actually need such money. My issue right now is that what's the yardstick for, you know, poor Nigerians in COVID? Because practically the average Nigerian is actually suffering under the biting effect of, you know, repelling inflation. Let's see, we go to the market every day. You know, can I actually be adjudged or seen as one of the people who need money? You know, and again, that amount of 5,000 Naira is still in question. And how far can 5,000 Naira transport allowance go when, you know, the price of transport fares have actually hiked over time. And just how far can 5,000 Naira take a worker, you know, for the entire month? So it brings me back to the conversation of we're not really ready because when it has to do with subsidy removal, you find out that successive government have actually fought, have actually tried, you know, to remove subsidy and is always a struggle. Just like we had that conversation, you need to have a plan. And now from 1970, when, you know, the ideology was actually introduced, where government subsidized, you know, patrol and what have you, up until 1977 when it was actually institutionalized by that act. And then, of course, it was introduced by, you know, the former general, Lucia Genobasan, throughout the time. Now, my point is, I don't think that the Nigerian government has really been very sincere and have always had a plan because you always need to have a plan. It's not just, if you want to remove subsidy, it shouldn't just be that you just wake up and it happens. So I feel like this is actually a crashing, right? 40 million Nigerians, according to the latest report that was being made available by the United Nations, 211 Nigerians. And let's talk about how many poor people do we have? How did we arrive at that in the entire federation? Well, we have an office of statistics. 40 million. So my point is 40 million, just only 40 million poor people. And how did we arrive at that? Who is going to get water across the entire, you know, states of the federation? So it goes beyond all of this. We also remember when we had this conversation where, you know, this expert was saying there are all the things that needs to work. First of all, you need to improve infrastructure. Some basic things, some basic necessities that would make life very easy. And of course, it wouldn't be such a big deal. I don't think 5,000 era is going to solve anybody's problem. I don't even think it's going to cushion the effect of transportation, especially in Lagos. So how many peasants are we going to take each in? I mean, I was going to look at each state, 40 million. So how many are we looking at in each state? What happened to the rest? Indeed, you've talked about, you know, the federal government crashing as it were, as far just doing maybe a fire brigade approach because they have been reactions concerning, you know, that particular talk of, you know, removal of fuel subsidy. And then they are saying next year, by June. But then again, over time, talking about plants that is, over the years, the federal government, you know, has come out with some sort of alleviation or measure of palliatives to cushion some of this effect. There were times where mass transit buses, you know, were provided all in the wake of wanting to remove fuel subsidy. At the end of the day, you know, all of that were just pushed aside because the mass transit buses are there. But people are still paying through their noses to commute from one place to the other. So I'm actually saying that if government would do the needful, the needful will require taking care of the basics. And if you take care of the basics, you know, or the basic, then every other thing would actually fall in place. So it's not going to be rocket science. Suck the basic issue that we need to sort. I mean, issue of infrastructure, you know, let's all talk about the energy power or the power sector. So all of these issues out and much more. And that would actually be, you know, a thing of the past. I couldn't agree more. I don't know how 5,000 are, and I don't know if we're going to be able to do this. Well, somebody would say exactly a step. But let's see how... What step is that? Maybe baby steps, I said to her. Let's see how all of that, you know, plays out. Then again, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohamed, is in the news again this time around that he is a fault in the Lagos State and SARS report. Apprentially, mercy, a lot of Nigerians have actually been awaiting his comment since the leaked report. And, you know, so it's not surprising that he has come out to actually give his own, you know, reactions concerning that. And he described it as tails by moonlight. I remember, you know, following that particular program. To be very honest, it's not because Nigerians are waiting to hear anything different from him. It's because Nigerians are waiting to have fun with all he's going to say. And if you... Have fun? Yes, of course. You know how we make light of everything very serious and then we try to, you know, make a joke almost out of everything that's very serious. You need to see the comments, you know, in different spaces that the conversation has been generated. That's quite unfortunate. But let's begin to look at some of the basic issues that he has mentioned. First of all, I do not understand why Lai Muhammad will be defending the army. He's not... He is the minister of information and communication. He has not... No, because, you know, you are now saying that, first of all, you are not in Lagos. You are not at the protest. I don't know if you get the point. Now, those people who are there, a lot of people, we have different... We have people who actually were there who saw this thing's first hand. And we cannot just say that, you know, everybody will come up to start saying a lie. Why would people want to fabricate and put out fake news of what purpose is it? Why would they want to do that? Or maybe... This is not the very first time, you know... He bases arguments on the fact that it actually was on site. But we understand that mercy... I think we should watch and listen and hear him talk because we have a track, you know, as regards that will come back and will analyze some of the things that he said, you know, concerning the late Lagos and Sars report. Instead of sitting for all of one year, the panel who have just compiled social media tells that the moonlight on his side are submitted. Saving thanks to Yaskoff and everyone's time. That report is nasty. For the trial for fake news and the addition of his silent majority by a prosperous age more. Gentlemen, we have addressed some critical analysts, analysis of the report by the Corridor's few. One commentator, a lawyer, said the report is more questions and answers. Another commentator, a journalist, called it a disgraceful report but at the biggest panel say it's important allegations instead of restigating the allegations. Yet another wondered how a judicial panel would use the words massacre in context and equate such to a massacre. All these and many more raised right questions on that report. We salute their correct and refusal to recount but drape it a bit more that I'm screaming what says the report of the news. We do not intend to bore you by the handshift details of the circumstances. In-wears, inconsistencies and errors about the report. They are reputed in the public space. All right, that's the Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohamedi addressing a press briefing yesterday in a fulled in the late Lagos and Sans report. Merci. But like I rightly said, first of all, he wasn't present at the lucky tour gate when the protests happened and all that happened and those who captured this event live even though there were a lot of reaction which doesn't really make sense. How do you say that, you know, a video or a live video was doctored? That's number one. Now then secondly, you also have the fact that he's not a member of the Executive Council of Lagos State. I mean, he's not bad of Lagos State. He is a minister, you know, at the federal level, of course. He was sworn by the Constitution. He's not a spokesman of the military and therefore should not. I kind of find this, you know, very, you know, totally embarrassing. I understand you. And it's not really, I must be very honest. Why are you speaking for the Army? If they said the protests because this panel, it took almost how many? 360 days for this report to actually be submitted. And if he took 360 days, persons who were constituted, why don't you allow, you know, the entire process? I mean, why would you, you know, make such comments and saying it's fake news with all that's going on? I understand all that you've said, but then again, in as much as I might want to be playing the devil's advocate here, the thing is that there were actually some sort of errors and then some discrepancies and of course that particular report, or maybe that is his justification for saying that it is actually fake. In as much as the state government is yet to release the white paper on that, but a lot of Nigerians actually know what happened on that fateful night. No, see, there's a difference between saying something is fake and something has error. When you say something is fake, it's not original. There's no, I mean, it's like you just fabricated something. Because it wasn't signed. Of course, we totally understand that. Then we understand the fact that it's leaked. And we also understand the argument surrounding the fact that it's leaked because of the lack of trust. Yes, you remember, I raise a question as regards who should be a person of interest. You cannot be a person of interest in your own case. You cannot be the judge. You cannot be a judge in your own case. And that's what it is. So it's a situation where you have been indicted. You are the one setting up the panel and the report is going to be made known to you. So what do you expect? The fact that this, you know, so there are different school of thought. But my point exactly is that. If you want to talk about jurisdiction at this point in time, let the Nigerian Army, I mean, those who have been, you know, pointed, those who have been accused should come forth and address themselves. I don't remember the last time that, you know, the minister of information was made, you know, spokesperson of the military. So I... There's a spokesperson for the entire Nigeria. Of course. But at this point in time, I totally understand that the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, of course. But, you know, the military here has been mentioned in, you know, in detail. I mean, there are some names that have been mentioned. You have the likes of, I mean, Colonel Bello, if I'm not mistaken, among others. The point is, he shouldn't, you know, be defending the military. As much as I wouldn't want to hold brief for the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed. But then I just felt it would only be fair because Nigerians actually, these have to know the truth. We will wait for the white paper. And of course, all the members of that particular panel... And do you think that the white paper... No, the thing is that all the members of the panel actually have copies of the white paper. And even if, for some reason, the white paper, you know, is saying something contrary... Well, you've actually had the fact that some persons are complaining that they are listening that correctly. Yes, I am aware of that. Yes, the senior lawyer, you know, was talking about it. And one of the star witness, you know, was also, or star witnesses was also macheted. We are all aware of that. But then again, it's just a matter of these before we will see what actually is in Pandora's box of, you know, all the papers would see flying out and there would know who we should be holding accountable for all of those indictments. It's still the breakfast and plus TV Africa. We'll take a quick break and when we come back, we will be analyzing the front pages of several newspapers this morning. Stay with us.