 The UK boarding school's week is around the corner. We'd like to find out more about what this means. Please stay with us because we have a conversation on this all-important school's exhibition. And Nigeria Sports Ministry is to spend 1.480 billion on refreshments and others in 2023 according to details of the country's budget for the year. Are these expenses out of place? Please stay with us for a conversation on this. And now the press will bring you in-depth analysis of today's major newspaper headlines. You're welcome to the Breakfast & Plastic. We have got a beautiful Friday morning, a last edition for this week, and we're ready to give you interesting conversations. So please stay with us. Grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee or water if that's what you'd like to take in the morning and relax and have the best of a morning breakfast program on TV. My name is Kofi Bartels. As usual, we start off with a trending segment where we look at stories and conversations that have been trending online and we bring them on television to talk about. Well, the first one here happens to be a press release by the Independent National Electoral Commission. I mean, last night I was scrolling through my timeline and I saw the statement put out by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Don't forget the permanent voter card is prerequisite for every single voter in Nigeria. The exercise called Continuous Voter Registration has been on for some time and it was suspended. There was a deadline, lots of Nigerians, millions of Nigerians rushed to meet that deadline so that they could register to vote in the forthcoming elections in 2023. Now it's been time for the registered voters, those who are newly registered, to collect their permanent voter cards and that's what the Independent National Electoral Commission going by its timetable has set out to do. Well, the exercise started in Ernest and has been on. The commission released a timetable earlier, excuse me, for this exercise and of course it was expected to end on the 22nd of January 2022. Of course the ward level is where the distribution of the cards or the collection of the cards is on now. They had moved from the local government level to the ward level. It was on and was expected to end on January 16 but that has been extended to January 22 according to the Independent National Electoral Commission. The local government collection was on or the card collection of the local government level was on. This suspended it to take the cards to the ward level where it will be closer to the registered voters who could not make it to the INEC local government offices. Well, that was expected to end on the 23rd of January 2022 but it has been extended by the commission for seven more days. All right, for six more days I beg your pardon to the 29th of January. Let me read the excerpts. I can read the whole thing I will of the press release by the Independent National Electoral Commission. This is what it says, extension of timeframe for collection of permanent voters cards nationwide. It says at its regular meeting held today, Thursday 12th January 2023, that was yesterday, the commission deliberated on a number of issues including the ongoing collection of permanent voters cards PVCs nationwide. The commission is encouraged by the turnout of registered voters and the surge in the number of collected PVCs across the country. It says in some of the states as many as 100,000 PVCs were collected in the last five days since the devolution to the ward level started on Friday the 6th of January 2023. The statement continues. The commission is determined to ensure that registered voters have ample opportunity to collect their PVCs ahead of the forthcoming elections. That's for this reason, the timeframe for the collection of PVCs is extended by eight days instead of ending on Sunday 22nd January 2023. It says the collection of PVCs will continue until Sunday the 29th of January 2023. So that's for one more week. It says at the moment the period of collection is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily including Saturdays and Sundays it says as a result of this extension the statement continues. There is a consequential adjustment of the collection by location as follows. As we already said the ward level of course extended by one week from Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd January, Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd January. That's six days, six days. And of course collection at local government levels will resume Monday 23rd to Sunday 29th January. So it was to end on the 22nd of January and it's been extended. At the local government level it was to end the entire exercise because they were meant to go back from the ward to the local government level. Officers of I like to continue distribution was to end on the 22nd of January. Extending it so it's going to continue from the 23rd to the 29th. That is seven more days, all right? Seven more days, that's seven more days. Then we look at the collection at the ward level it was meant to end on Sunday the 15th of January, the 15th of January. So they're going to continue from that. So it's been extended from the 15th to 22nd. All right, so it will continue Monday 16th to 17th Tuesday Wednesday 18th and so until the 22nd of January. Now the statement ends with two more paragraphs. Please permit me to read those two paragraphs. It says meanwhile that the commission is investigating allegations of extortion by officials at some of the collection centers and inducement by someone's crippler's voters to circumvent the processes in order to obtain the PVCs. Those found culpable will face disciplinary action and or prosecution. Don't forget we've had complaints by Nigerians. It's been a subject of discussion and conversation on this program. We're meant to have INAIC spokesman yesterday, the Deputy Director of Information and Voter Education. He didn't show up. Faisal Sukhoi, Faisal Sukhoi, we're listening, we're expecting you. So hopefully we can have him soon. So I think the commission has done well to take at least one paragraph to address the complaints by Nigerians. But it continues. It says similarly, the commission is disturbed by allegations. The commission is disturbed by allegations. We can just see that on our screen one more time. Of discriminatory issuance of PVCs in some locations. It says this is against the law in all bona fide registrants. All bona fide registrants are entitled to their PVCs and to use them to vote on election day in any part of the country where they are registered. It says resident electoral commissioners have, I'm just going to go to the next page, been directed to ensure that no such practices occur nationwide and that immediate disciplinary action or to take rather immediate disciplinary action against violators. This is for the record, the commission has printed all 13,806,441 PVCs for all new, rather valid registrants as well as applicants for transfer or replacement of cards. Nevertheless, it says issuing officers should compile any complaints about none availability of cards and forward them to their immediate supervisors for the attention of resident electoral commissioners who shall compile and forward them for necessary action. So that's that. I think it's good that the commission has noted the complaints by Nigerians, both registered and unregistered. I mean, everybody has an opinion. Looking at taking time to address the issue of extortion, this is real. Anything we're doing in this country, especially when government is involved, somehow corruption will find its way into that thing. I call corruption the big C. Somehow corruption will find its way into that thing. And, you know, we say, oh, government is, government that buhari this, so I won't do that. Governor Iqazou is not doing well. But the thing is, yes, we have the government on one side, but the people are also a problem. And I think the people are the biggest problem because, look at this, they, I think Greg didn't ask any INEC official to collect money. So I sat down and said, hey, today, I have to make money from this thing. This is my almost job from here. And then they collected money to give people what is their right. What is their right? Or someone goes and says, oh, I am number 110 on this queue. Now, I go, come, collect this thing, make I give you shishi, I give you something. Put me, give me, put me first. It's from the people because they don't like to queue. They don't like to queue. They don't like to queue. I remember very clearly when I wrote my jam. You know, I wrote jam once. And I aced it, very simple. I went to get my results. A jam official in the jam office in the city where I was living at the time said I should give him something. So he shows me my result, you know. And that for me was one of the moments that really, really pained. I felt the pain for the country. I felt the pain for the country. I was determined not to give him a kobo, a kobo. And they were doing it to a lot of... So it's in jam. Okay, let's leave the education sector because I will talk about universities. National ID cards, should we talk about that? National ID cards that are meant to be free. Oh God, don't be so. They are meant to be free, right? National ID cards are meant to be free. People are paying to get national ID cards. It's an open secret. 2000, someone in the studio said to me, 2000, Karama, 2000. National ID cards are meant to be free. You know, and these people will have stood up and said we need to make money from this day. You know, and then they're making money. The president didn't send them. The governor didn't send them. The minister didn't send them. So we need to also realize that we the people, we are the biggest problem this country has. Before the leaders, okay? Before the leaders. Because if the leaders are going around, the people can say no. And you see some people who say, oh yes, yes. You know, so it's unfortunate. Then of course we look at the politicians. You know, the election, the commission also looked at people who are influencing their officials. You know, sometimes IPTII, you know, IPTII, because they go through a lot. There was an official of INEC, if you remember, I think last year, in Aquabomb State, who was taken to court by the commission because he sat down in a computer room, computer office, and was shifting people, you know, moving voters from one polling unit to the other. Maybe a politician paid him. Even if it's a politician who pays, I didn't know part of the people. You know, so we need to realize that there's a lot of work to do. You know, a lot of work to do. You know, I saw a comment on Instagram. What's the name of that Nolulu doctor who married two wives, second wife? You, you literally, yeah. You know, someone's talking about something about the country and politics and the politicians and we need to kick them out. You put up a comment on that post on Instagram. And this time I wasn't talking about women matter. He said, see, his foray into politics taught him a huge lesson that the people are the ones who most time, because he was saying, someone said, oh, don't sell your vote. Don't allow any politician to give you money. You know, why sell your vote for 5,000 Naira when, you know, if you sell your vote, you sell your destiny, your future four years when they come with money, you know, rejected or chop it. He said, see, most times it's not a politician who are looking for people to give 5,000 Naira. He said in his experience, the people are the ones who are asking, demanding. Say, give me, give me. Like Wiki said, give me, give me. You know, that's people are asking for these money. So sometimes I PC our politicians, you know. Anyway, Wiki said, give me, give me, give me power. All right, anyway, we have to leave it at that. So we need to, hopefully, I think, can surmount these challenges. I mean, you know, sometimes we read it too much into what happens. So I think they're trying to scuttle the elections, blah, blah, blah. You know, we read, sometimes, read too much into Southeast Asia. If there are irregularities in the names, in some things are happening, then we realize that it's not a policy of anything as a commission. It could be someone, someone trying to do something, but it's not a policy of anything as a commission from Abuja to disenfranchise anyone. Okay, so let's be careful so that we are not deceived. I think we'll move on from that. Let's look at another one. This one also was a surprise. It got a lot of tongues wagging indeed, you know. But yeah, it got a lot of tongues wagging. It got people talking because this one has been someone close to the hearts of a lot of people, especially as the 2023 elections are concerned. I'm talking about the immediate past director general of Labour Party's presidential campaign council, former aid to former president, two former presidents, PDP's Roushagumon Basinjo, who taught his card, PDP, at one time, and PDP's Godok Jonathan as well. It was an aid to both of them. It was a yard or a Basinjo, and a check. But anyway, Doyo Kupa is his name, and he now has been reformed. His own guy, PDP member, he left PDP and said, I won't do it again, and went to Labour Party. And overnight, Doyo Kupa became a hero, sort of, but of those who want to make Nigeria better. It is well. Only for EFCC to remind him, and remind all of us that he has a case connected to the so-called quote, dasuki money. EFCC had to bring everybody back to reality that this man, or, don't forget, he has a case connected to dasuki money. Do you guys remember that some money was loaned, taken as loan, all right? Humongous amount of money by the federal government of Nigeria, and they've been investigating the misuse of and misappropriation of those funds. And EFCC's, you know, activities with Labour Party came to a grinding halt. You know, sometimes it's good for such, you know, federal agencies to remind us, you know, so we easily forget in this country. We easily forgive. Nigerians are forgiving. It's good, it's good. I'm not saying Kupa is not interested in making Nigeria better. No, you know, but sometimes it's good to remember some of these things. Anyway, the man went to court, he was found guilty, all right, and then he was given a sentence with an option of fine, which he was able to promptly pay. But some Nigerians asked, questioned, what are the, there was a moral right, or was the right for him to continue as the presidential campaign council director for a Labour Party, a party that wants to change Nigeria since he's been found guilty of corruption. And he promptly, with all respect to the man, give him his respect in a cut cut for him. He stepped down. Okukbe was, what did he do? He was at the airport, Mutala Mohamed Airport. We thought the case was over. We thought he would be allowed to move on with his life, you know, maybe campaigning behind the scenes for Labour Party and trying to make Nigeria better. Only for us to hear that he was arrested by the Department of State Services, or is it the State Security Services, or is it the Department of State Security Services, whichever it is, he was arrested by them on the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He's been released according to the DSS, he was arrested by mistake. I thought, you know, I can tell you guys that every day, when you think you've seen it all, these guys approved to us that, no, we haven't seen it all. They said he was arrested by mistake or arrested erroneously. And if not have happened is what they said. He was arrested at the Mutala Mohamed International Airport. Yesterday morning, was it yesterday? Yes, yesterday morning. And he said his passport had long been withheld by the Federal High Court in Apuja, even before finding him guilty of violating sections of the Money Lundering Act, you know, that attracted his sentence. You know, he got two and a half years in prison with an optional fine. So he's an ex-convict, you want to call him that. So anyway, the EFCC, according to a cookware, the EFCC officials, officers in Lagos and Apuja have apologized for the mistake erroneously made in his arrest. All right, he went on Twitter to say, quote, I was arrested and detained at the Mutala Mohamed International Airport Lagos this morning on my way to the UK for medicals years after my passport was withheld by the Federal High Court in Apuja. I just left the EFCC office where the senior and younger officers in Lagos and Apuja apologized to me for the error. All right, and according to the action the cookware asked if it was an occupational hazard if it was an occupational hazard. Okay, so that's that, that's that. A cookware's spokesman, sorry, the DSS spokesman, Dr. Afonaya, Peter Afonaya confirmed the arrest and said that a cookware's interception was at the instance of the EFCC, and when they got him, when they picked him up, he was arrested, he was handed over to the EFCC. This is what the DSS spokesman said, Dr. Peter Afonaya, quote, Daniel Cookware was intercepted at the DSS, by the DSS at 10 o'clock one of the Mutala Mohamed International Airport Lagos this morning at the instance of the EFCC. He has long been handed over to the EFCC which requested for the action. It later turned out that it was based on an EFCC watchlist request issued over six years ago but the anti-graft agency said it released a cookware soon after that because the watchlist request had expired. So I don't know, is it that the DSS would just pick anyone up because the EFCC is picking him up? If this watchlist request had expired because they had a case before the Federal High Court and all that involving the EFCC or because the EFCC had taken him to court, does the DSS just pick anyone up? Do they have a mechanism for checking to be sure that okay, we're not going to go use the resources of state and the personnel of state to do what we shouldn't because this is embarrassing to say the least for the DSS. Let's see what the EFCC is for now. But for the DSS, this is really embarrassing. Don't they have an internal mechanism to be able to cross check these things to be sure about what they're doing so that they don't make mistakes because this is really embarrassing? Well, what is the EFCC saying? That one is another level of embarrassment. Now, Wilson Wajiren is the head media and publicity for EFCC. Hi, Wilson. In a statement titled Interception of Donio Cucpea, the EFCC said, quote, the DSS today, January 12th, that was yesterday, informed the Commission of Interception of Dr. Donio Cucpea, former presidential advisor at the Motala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos. It says the service acted on a watchlist request issued on July 18, 2016. Over six years before his recent conviction at the Federal High Court, it says, quote, the Commission was in the process of formally lifting the watchlist in the process before its interception and will expedite action in this regard. So that's that. Some people are not taking this story, really. Some people are saying it's still part of the tactics by the agencies of state to harass members of the opposition. You remember some time, some months ago, the little party was claiming that, in fact, they weren't claiming it was true, that the airplane was grounded, that private jet that was lifting its officials from one part of the country to another for a campaign was grounded. We've seen, you know, even the PDP also complained about victimization, which hunting by officials or agencies of state. So is this another display of the power of incumbency? Yes, it is. It's a display of the power of incumbency by the APC, the run federal government of Nigeria, to try and, you know, ruffle the feathers of opposition parties in their way or in a bid to, you know, make sure that they have an advantage or the advantage ahead of the election. What happened to the NMPP government-ship candidate, I think, was it in Karnu state or Kaduna state or Sokota state? It was also something to look at, when the DSS officials acted on the orders according to some reports of the wife of the head of the DSS, Madam Bicci, to pick up a government-ship candidate of one of the party's NMPP. So these things give people some reason to think that, you know, the APC run federal government is using the agencies of state for political purposes to ruffle the feathers of the opposition. For instance, a lawyer to do your Cooper, his name is Toluba Balei, went on Facebook to say that when will this harassment stop? Who is after Dr. Okope? As of today, the man has no case to answer. So that's why he said and all that. If it's indeed an error, I mean, why would it take so long for the EFCC to professionally do their job of updating their watch list, of updating their watch list? What happened to the man in the process of arresting him? I mean, maybe Okope should go to court and file, who knows? Maybe he should file. He should file for damages, yes. Maybe he should file for damages. I mean, I don't know. I'm sure DSS are watching, they watch all the stations, so I'm sure they're watching this one. But I don't know who is going to, I think it would be against EFCC, you know, for abusing his fundamental rights of the country. So does this mean Okope missed his flight? Who is going to pay for the bill of booking another flight? So maybe he should write a letter, love letter to EFCC. Tell them, hey, people. We have to go. We have to go. Let's quickly take the next one. This is a story of a fake police commissioner who was arrested in Lagos. According to the criminal investigation of the Lagos command, they said they arrested a 55-year-old man or Luolia Kande for allegedly impersonating the commissioner of police railway command. What an irony, commissioner of police railway command. People don't know we have police commissioner for railway, police commissioner for NPA. When we hear that terrorists are attacking the rail stations and all that, you know, sometimes we forget that there's a police commissioner. The 55-year-old man or Luolia Kande is said to have alleged or have impersonated the commissioner of police railway command Yetunde long. Is it long or long? Anyway, he defoded an 80-year-old man of 250 million now. It's a very funny story. The CPE railway command Yetunde confirmed the arrest of the news agency of Nigeria and she said she got a call from CPE Franco Mba, who is a former force spokesman on the matter. And the victim's wife, the one who was defoded of 250 million there in the name of Madam Yetunde the CPE called Franco Mba, former spokesman of the Nigeria police, to intimate him of an alleged plan by one CPE long to demand millions of now from her husband so as to drop a petition on the table against him. So this is the plot that played out. But fortunately CPE Franco Mba told the woman okay, he knows Yetunde, so he will call her and find them because he said he was sure that she cannot make such a mischievous demand. And I'm happy that Yetunde's name will be cleared. I don't want to be a professional police officer like Yetunde's so I want to go smearing her name in the mud like that. So Kudos to Franco Mba. Kudos to you. It's a big plus for the woman, the man's wife. Who called, excuse me, who called the CPE Franco Mba to ask him, do you know this about the CPE? Because sometimes people just will Patrick monies like this because they are afraid of getting to trouble or they don't want any issue with the police without making findings, without verifying. And I think it's a lesson we can all learn that we need to. For the 55 year old man, I don't know, he didn't respect his age. And he went to do something like this. It's quite sad. But that's the much we can take on this. We have news in the paper review segment up next. Stay with us.