 Thank you for staying with us now. It's time to look at what the national dailies are saying this morning And just check out stories on the headlines Joining us to review the papers is Chris Cain de Wander is a member of the Chattered Institute of Appetrators in the UK And he's joining us here. Well, I thought he would be joining us from Ivory Coast because Nigeria is playing But yes, he's joining us here from Lagos today. Good morning, sir. Thank you for joining us Thank you very much. Don't worry. What's the school? Tell us. You have missed two food. Tell us you missed two food and came back and a gelopras, which is the best in the world Tell us you missed that You have a point I'm going to be going into all of that But I'm sure you've heard the news about the import duties and the jump, jumpflation As Yamgoo likes to call it. But anyway, let's start with the punch this morning Nigeria's sick relief as states get 3.3 trillion Naira allocations It's the riders here are protesters lament rising inflation Governor's rally FG to avert food crisis Another one is states local government received 3.3 trillion Naira from July to December quality of life degenerating Residents says is this the case of everybody? Are you part of this? Are you part of the residents that are saying the quality of life is you know degenerating or I mean life is good on your side? The grass is greener, but I want to just know your thoughts on all of this and how you feel in particular See see question you don't want me You don't want me No, the grass might be greener on your side I think there's there's some people who you know, they're they're good. They don't they don't feel all of these things that we're feeling And I don't think that's what I'm my politician Namu's good to collect People yesterday families have been Because they bring free engulfments and you're having a lot of money or Letting out the money. You still have a little bit of hope everywhere your relatives are not rich Even those in town. That's it long distance. It is that I say fine So, yeah, they touch everybody. He touched everybody directly on that the situation of things is getting worse by the day and We're not even we don't even know where we're heading to the average cost of living in Nigeria. It's Especiating people cannot meet people. I'm not even talking of people cannot even feed Talk less of a clothing themselves and housing themselves You come around and sit on the daily basis how landlords and tenants have fighting Difficult to pay their rents and that is a please get out of my house. So it is it's not bad. So it is a long chain is the I don't even know how to put it but it parties that This are worse than a bag of rice cost about 70,000 I ran out. Yeah, I got fries. I'm sure you know about that Yeah, and so money and so many other commodities the basic Necessities of like which is food water Shelter And health go and see how much drugs cost now I've read parasita mother used to be you know, that's such a day used to set a hundred Naira If they are in those days, it's as much as 500 close to one thousand. So and that is it So everybody is feeding the pain feeling the pinch and them That doesn't seem to be a solution all we're bringing to Assurances assurances if you get better if you get worse than After getting worse and if you get better when will it be better? And that's the question. I've always asked when will it be better? No dollar dollar dollar It is more of an elitist thing Not how many Nigerians use the army. I just have dollars Some people don't even have as much as two thousand Naira in their pocket on the daily basis It's a family of five some children are out of school because their parents cannot even get give them Transportation to go to school. I'm not talking about paying school fees. So the different pocket one is to go to school I've transferred to go to school and that one is also to feed those children before they go to school So many parents are finding it difficult to send their children to school now. That is how bad it is Well, even then As we're talking about how biting this is Senate is set to raise customs five trillion Naira revenue target Maybe to something else. Maybe it will be 15 trillion Naira So anything that is coming through customs will have to be costlier and the ripple effect would be on the people Well, you know, it is not is easier said than done most often than not always find a way of trying to make things our people are situated and Yes, the national assembly presents the custom Tariff and also expectation in terms of revenues Yes, this is your beauty, but the fact remains that that also is going to add more problem to Nigerians Go and check out and average the cost of a vehicle Now I was thinking of changing my car recently and when I when I saw the prices I was saying about 15 million and I'm like I cannot do this. I can't I have to manage Yes, it's that bad because if you want to take an average The prices of skyrocketed So it is it is that terrible. So When you talk about the custom resin tariff and out that is not ahead not there for me because For me, the basic thing is that what Nigerians You know, Nigerians are the most patient people. The word Yes, I used to quit Nigerians generally like asna fans if I football fan Asna fans Come on committed Come on, mr. Chris. Come on, mr. Chris. Come on You're Yes, but you are the one of the most you have the most committed or like my one thing of My Really Now that all the doings is Because we'll be done because we'll be done and abuse religion as a weapon to be put to Now make sure that we don't even ask for our rights And that is how bad it has gotten to Nigerians don't even know where to turn to we don't even know who to ask We cannot even ask our our leaders questions. We cannot ask our related Politicians question. We cannot ask our government questions and we continue to rule on this particular coaster Take out since the result this government came in in me the quality of life between me Now I see how bad things have gotten Everybody's crying each the rich also crying the rich are also crying not only the poor The rich are also crying because the rich cannot even sleep because the poor are away. That is how bad the situation is Well, okay, so let me take one one more from here from the puncher And I would link it with the guardian So it says narrow weekends as at parallel markets rises as official windows So we're talking about the the the narrow to the dollar right now and then as you know most of Our building materials are imported. So now on the guardian. The major headline is building materials Label spike construction costs by 200 Percent what what's your take on all of this then there's another smaller headline here That also says poor citizens protest high cost of leaving Hardship in Mina ocean state. Well, I'm sure I was taking the lead in this protests And against the high cost of leaving. But what do you think about all of this? The the building materials that are skyrocketing the fact that import duty, you know, has been increased There was a jump in in less than 24 hours two different prices For the import duty right now. They are raising the the the revenue for them from five trillion naira So what is your fund? Yes, what's what's your take on all of this and which way? Well, how do we even move from here? Is there any lights at the end of the tunnel? Are we going to You know have some form of relief Anytime soon or this is just our new normal that we have to chuck in and just know that yes, we'll keep being resilient You know in my intro, I talked about the problem now that is the existing between landlords and tenants. Yes That's part of what I you know, I said it And yes, because I focus this is a part of the problem now because people cannot feed It's only when you feed that you don't think of having a shitter over your head People are finding it difficult to pay their rents as tenants In as much as I won't say I think the party means that the land or the also be the house For you to also collect rents to feed his own family. So It's neither here nor there If you cannot be able to pay the rent then they have to move on but you ask when they move on where they go Should they go back to their villages? We did we have the solution to the problem Is mountain and mountain a problem as it is Now we are looking at a issue. What are the materials for feeding off? for duty in how Beauty houses Why you need cement? Why you need blocks you need cement then you need iron That's iron rods and the likes you need planks Most of these things are locally sourced Planks are locally sourced Cements we have cement companies Manufacturing we have the poor you have the dangute debate and the rest of them But what is the cost of cement? I said last time I had I had a cement is almost about 6,000 Back now Know how many it is going to take maybe then iron rods We Put some Then we suppose we have if we have done and that is that is the failure of government If you know what it actually is known for the It happened it happened a Distant attack was it I've got it in them now. We have this This iron Iron rod or iron or This thing that I would use in Agia Yes, that is Agia. That's the name Agia Kuta still This was a recent impact by the former president Ushaka Basantio. He was even in military go and military president of the military Heard it in Niger in the 70s late 70s Where the Russians were contracted to build that Agia Kuta still If we have been able to follow that through We would have had sufficient enough Um Iron rods iron this things in Nigeria that we don't need to import in fact would have been exporting That is what used to be Oshubu rolling mill That used to be a lack of rolling mills Some of the younger generations will you bet? I'm sure my brother knows what's going on Yeah, I'm sure he knows Yes, these are all rolling mills that were built in those days in the 70s by the government To not even say we are military government But we will never be able to sustain this And everything went wrong and that is everything collapsed So now that what we do now we do more of importation of some of these materials And you are talking about the dollar the Naira to the dollar Where the dollar Naira to the dollar is our and I'm predicting that you're looking for social if here is not taking By the next one month the dollar is the Naira is going to be about two thousand Naira to a dollar The rate at which we are going Yes to that point because as of today it's over one thousand five hundred and it's still rising At a point in last week where we say oh There has been some kind of Maginal drop and then I was laughing as a maginal drop of two Naira or whatever Wait until next week and it is rising again I actually said what are the fundamentals? What are the problems? What are the economic measures we put in place like government to be able to make sure that this does not And that is why I said time and time again. Most often that won't let us leave the messenger and follow the message I think who abu baka has been ready to The former presidential candidate of me have been ready some fundamental issues. Who's nobody's answering? He said they are using him. Oh his opposition is because of which they said he has a fundamental question The NMPC Said that it's going to go to go road or collected three billion dollars From a foreign bank in order to cause you the effect of the sliding naira And he asked that money would have was taking what has been effect. What has been be used to Nobody's saying anything about that. NMPC is not talking the federal government is not talking three billion dollars And I mean so other What we're not doing in water is a pot and so you know My sister remember doing no bioma Yeah Yes In the super wake up today All the dollars Dispose of them They wake up again. Oh, what are you going to do now? Uh, that was breaking the dollars You know, no economic direction. No No Which has come out to say that Also to say I have said this So you can see the kind of Panicking measure that is being there doesn't seem to a direction and I asked what is the essence of on us Look at the security. I'm sure we're able to get to that one again The security is at the highest point that we've had probably that previous People are being killed. People are being kidnapped. It never has not come to houses to pick people It's not like before it's not that they would wait for you on the road. This time around they come to houses to pick up people Two of us were killed in a kid Should have not risked not promised Not risked you just kidnapped And the parents paid ransom and it has become the norm and every day you're shouting Oh foreign investment. We are going to see for how can you have a how can you have foreign investment When they at both way when they at both way And also the country is not safe for such who will come and invest in the country that is not safe Is a big problem. I guess well They govern of the central bank of nigeria. Uh, that's kadosu says forex reforms Is attracting fdi's and that is on the nation newspaper That's what he's claiming that the forex reforms are attracting fdi's. So maybe they have information that you don't have No, I have information they don't have I want to sit on the street. I want to sit on the dollar I want to see on the dollar today. I just came off code. We are asking him about why I came off from afghan And I say Dollar is not smiling and as it should by sister Dollar, no, they smile The dollar the the cff safe up to dollar is about 600 To uh to a dollar Nigeria is about 150 to a dollar. This is a west african country 1500 1500 not 150. Yes, what was a 500 to a dollar But we go to a buy here. It's just about 600 of their 600 of their currency to a dollar. So it's what they must So that is the whatever the Governor says is not that heavy for me It's just like somebody has told us that nigerians have this I think was it was it that no the one of the spokesman to the president Yes, it is a Nigerians have the lowest What's the quality? I can't even know what to say In terms of when it comes to the Nigerians have the cheapest foods The cheapest that Yeah, right. Yes. Yes. Yes. Nigerians have the lowest cut off. Maybe somebody that is beef. That man doesn't buy fuel He doesn't buy fuel Yes, now If the sky is before I'm talking of um, what's his name? This uh Payor or none of that he is beef where the speckle is beef where the house is living in abuja Is being paid for from a nigerian classes not his own personal course. So he can wake up to say also something So what about it? Rob not set up but say it is not that here not dead until replace replace all the dollar to the naira I would not believe him. He can continue saying whatever I want to say All right, let's take this one from the daily independent It says nigeria needs to borrow 21 trillion naira in 2024 to avert bankruptcy now There's a report that an average nigerian owes about 384 864 384 864 Naira, that's what we owe currently. So an average nigeria owes this from all of our debt And now they're saying we need to borrow an additional 21 trillion naira in 2024 to avert bankruptcy So that means obviously our debt is going to you know, even rise, but what's your take on this one? My sister, now you owe me and not owe anybody Bro, do you want to owe anybody? I'm not owing either Let me clear that one I'm not owing anybody I'm not owing anybody. Let them go. I'm not owing. I know my own debt. I know those that I'm owing And the nigerian debt is not part of my account But they must help you The syrup came out yesterday or two days ago to say that That we need to prove that over about three was it about 3.4 billion Dollars as a part of the money that we borrowed as loan from the IMF and other foreign United States that it was looted 3.4 billion dollars Yes, about 3.4 billion dollars and so I'm saying that that should be proved that the president To know which we will to prove that and that is how we roll most often They're not we just continue borrowing and borrowing and without having anything to show for it And I said it another for a yes With the newspaper everyone one of the national station that What we need to do now if our these foreign donors they should put a stop to all loans to Nigeria All loans that should put a stop to that and let Nigeria give an account of what they have done with all they have borrowed Probably the last eight years That will help us because I just we don't even know How they will tell you oh, what the money is this thing the construction of Uh What is it? If a Nigerian a second bridge and and is there Which other one they tell you the rare. Okay, the rare Which are many red the one from kaduna to The one from kaduna to abuja And um legos to a burden which other one So those are the issues Corruption has been so endemic in the system that no matter how you to stop it There are people within the system that was circumvented Imagine a former agf of this country That stole and this one is not alleged now stole 109 billion The case is still in court They are trying to have a flip again and is ready to return about 49 to 50 billion So after that one that means we're lying to go even about nine billion or what? Look at the the the the the We're corrupt minister of ministerial affairs that was supposed to be handling issues relating to money I have to have to be able to eradicate over the 90 See how much was stolen that somebody says she mistakenly transfer 40 billion From that account to account And we are seeing Somebody who is a minister and suspended though. Do you have you have a lot that that issue has has come that nobody's talking about it? I said it You know that I said you remember I said it You did on this program that give this thing another one week. You know he about it again And that is it. We have gone to bed now. Nobody's talking about that issue And that is how you do nobody talk about it. We just make the initial noise initial drag and does it and that is why at times I also blame us all the All the press journalists. I'm a journalist. I've been in practice for close to 30 years I'm a journalist and I know what I'm talking about most often They're not part of your problem is that we easily take our eyes off the ball and cut you with water Whatever news all the black countries They will mention that they see this Investigation through till the end on to get results. We have left that one We are jumping into other ones now. And that is what is making debate. Have you seen anything about better yet? at the humanitarian Affair scandal on the public of any Newspaper in the last two weeks or even TV stations Or radio stations nobody's talking about it. And that is it because most of and that is most of this This government officials because they not just back and back and shut and that is in the Onto we bring to continue to have hope people are comfortable and make sure that We make sure that they are persecuted and they so fast for their deeds Then it becomes what it is in as much as I know that this is still within the realm of allegations as well as That issue is concerned that what is being done the investigation point that I will raise What have they you mean that is taking them is going to take the one year to investigate that issue And they will not be able to come out to report on that That is the problem Anyhow, well, this is what we have to drop it here. We'll have to drop the ball here. Thank you so much for joining us Thank you so much. Mr. Chris. It's always nice having you on our program Yes, thank you very much for having me as I said I'm not going The average Nigeria not me. Thank you so much. Thank you. Yes, you too All right, we've been speaking with Chris King day one. Do is a member of the chatted Institute of Abitrators in the UK. They was joining us here in Lagos state We'll go on a short break. We've had the weather and when we return we'll be looking at a hot topic. Stay with us