 Coalition of aviation workers unions are threatened to embark on strike in the next 14 days. If the anti-labour clauses in the aviation bills awaiting assent are not removed. Because this ahead on the programme this morning. Also on the breakfast with industrial action by the academic staff Union of Universities for months. According to report universities would soon be hit by brain and some lectures already on the way out of the country. Also we have a usual look at the headlines on the front pages of today's national dailies we call it of the press analysis of these headlines coming up. We're back with the breakfast and plus CVF come what is a beautiful beautiful morning reaching a lab from our studios here on Victoria Island. They get a sub-package for you today discussing the pertinent issues that you would like to hear about. And we have one for analysis to back those discussions up. Once again you're welcome. My name is Kofi Bartels. And I am messy before thanks for joining us. As always we set up the conversation with a top trending and it means that we're going to be looking at issues or talk about issues that are generating reactions from different spaces where you have the boards. Now top on our top trending is that the indigenous people of Biafra had declared or I don't know why you had that chuckle. Because today's Wednesday so it wasn't Tuesday. So we sit at home or there was actually being declared. And so that also made, you know, the reason it generated that conversation is because the president was also billed to have visited emo state for, you know, inauguration of, you know, projects, some of the projects. He would actually be looking at some of the projects and then commission this project. And so that's why that generated that reaction. The sit-at-home order is not new. It's actually has always been in the news. But at some point, because I'm wondering now and because at some point it felt like, I Pope had actually said, you know, it was history with the sit-at-home order. And we understand what that means. Usually Mondays are the days where you have a sit-at-home order. But, you know, it was quite different for September. Maybe September to remember. September to remember 13 to be precise. The president was billed to come to emo state. And he was supposed to commission some project in emo state. And then there was that sit-at-home order. And it was stated that all of the states in the southeast, eastern part of the country should obey the sit-at-home order. But reports are saying that it was partially, you know, recognized. It was not entirely because you see how some persons who came out. And some people are saying, why did the president even come through, you know, at the end of the day, even though I look at the picture of the president, he was looking very young and yopey, you know, just taking a stroll. I'm like, wow, the president might just be on some kind of diet. And new trends is making him look very young and what have you. But that was the case. However, it was the project, these projects were being commissioned. And, you know, it's what it is. Indeed, indeed. The sit-at-home is usually held in the southeast, or called by an IPOV whenever Masih Ndikhanu goes to court. You know, and it's, I think probably it's a coincidence that the president was visiting the southeast at the time. I think the last time we visited emo state, which was the last state to visit in the southeast, if my record set me right, the president also was faced with this lockdown. In fact, the IPOV said, you know what, we're not going to allow people to come out at all, you know, because we are not in support of you. We want to show you that we have the power in the southeast. And there was partial compliance, but people still came out in emo state, by the way. And so I think it was a coincidence because the hearing had already been fixed ahead of today. You know, to hear the application of Ndikhanu. So this is it, this is it. And like you said, Masih, recorded partial compliance. For instance, in Anambra state, we hear those partial compliance. They also declared this sit-at-home over Buhari's visit to emo state. But I think even if Buhari had not visited emo state, they would have had that sit-at-home because of their visit. Yes, yes, indeed. What we're told in the papers this morning, we'll look at more of it as we go into the process, that there was partial compliance of this sit-at-home in places like Anambra state where some streets were deserted. You know, and some are saying, you know, intercity movement was virtually absent. So moving from one city to the other in the southeast was virtually absent. Nobody was in trouble. I would say this part of the world, nobody won wahala. Nobody won pae, but we won go heaven. Masih, if you know who said that, then I'll give you a bottle of mineral. Two-phase, no? No, two-phase body from somewhere. Oh, no, it's a hard one. Alright, we'll discuss that later. But anyway, I'm not that old, by the way. So nobody wants to die, you know, even for those moving from south-west. I don't know who said that. Excuse my mind. Who said that? He's giving my mind right now. Anyway, it was Fela and Nicolapo, Kuti. All here for sexual freedom. Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. So even for those moving from outside the southeast to southeast, they would want to... Would you want to travel to Anambra, Abba, on such a day? You would want to, because you don't know what to expect. But you actually have, you know, very important transaction. I mean, a transaction that would change your life. The meeting that is going to be the end for you. What are we saying now? But the question is, even that meeting, those who are calling the meeting, will they come out? Even the banks, the banks, will they... But the president came. Yes, that's what I'm saying. Nobody wants to die. So why did the president come? Well, the president is a president. He can go where he wants to go. Yeah, he can't go anywhere. But for the people who do not know who are on their own, you're on your own. The president has a retinue of secret service, you know, people with him. He has a retinue of military intelligence and soldiers. And who do you and I have? I have God. And I think you have God too. But apart from that... So you can't just say, you want to book out because the president, you know, is in an umbrella. It reminds me... It reminds me, you know, at the time where mom see, or mom, you know, usually would see mom see, was buying for political office and all of that. And you know how these people would say, who do you have? So she actually consulted, you know, very prominent force at the time in the region. And the person said, who do you have? And so I was laughing because she said you have God. And that was the same thing she said. Oh, that's interesting. Interesting. So that's the reality of the majority of people in this country. I mean, in other parts of the world, someone just fires a gun at you. Someone tries to trample on your rights. They law protect you. But here, you see what was so happening in the Kujib prison at the time. I mean, how many hours was it before there was any response? Those guys came, did what they did, and went. Nothing happened. But an interesting tweet coming from Renu Omokri, who has first become a popular political commentator in the country. He's called himself Buhari Tumenta now. He's a mostly table shaker because he's tormenting both Buhari and Pita Obi. But he's not tormenting at Iqabubakar. So maybe you can do one plus one. Renu isn't in the country. He's been tweeting a lot from outside and his tweets really generated a lot of engagement. Yesterday, he put out something. I used to say about himself and some others that people were just supporting and moving together with him because on Twitter, because he's attacking who they don't like. But now, I think it's election time and everybody has taken their stance. Now he's become a popular person and on Twitter. But anyway, he said this and I quote, Pita Obi and obedience obeyed. This is what Renu Omokri said. Pita Obi and obedience obeyed. Rather than defy Iqbubi's stay at home order. He said every day they throw their two million man marches for Obi that less than 2010. In our faces today, they disappeared all over the Southeast. Do we want a president that obeys Iqbubi? So he's been trying to link Iqbubi and Pita Obi in his movement. Possibly the Labour Party. And now he's using this partially successful stay at home in the Southeast to say see. People didn't say anything. He didn't come out to do anything. Therefore, there must be a link between Obi and Iqbubi. Thereby casting doubts over the credibility of the Labour Party candidate. That's where I would leave it. It's a controversial one. So what do you think? Tell me what you think about this. I don't know. So I actually saw that tweet and I talked to myself that it's just Renu Omokri trying to prove a point here. It's more like you have a theory. There are several theorists that have been put out there. They are speculation. Those who have a school of thought he's trying to test a particular hypothesis. That's why he's asking that if you think that this is it let's find out where you stand. What's your stand? Go ahead and have a match on the said date where Iqbub is asking that there be a seat at home or the lessy if you are for or you are against it because I mean let's see what happens eventually if you decide to have but it's really not him. I mean if you look at it now, I'm even speaking. If you look at all of the campaigns and the rally and what have you and all of the support groups across the entire country I'm not the spokesperson of the Labour Party but I would say that it's not entirely of Peter Obie himself who has come out to say he's the one organising some of this and so it's just a little bit you know awkward to begin to say okay let him because it is not the one and so you have people who are fans and usually the world will be fans especially in the entertainment industry you know supporters might just be the world especially when it has to do with political parties and having different campaigns for various offices so I don't know because it's just a difficult one like you rightly stated a lot of people want to avoid several issues because they understand what it is maybe for the reason of fear and that's why people over time would respect the seat at home or because of what might happen afterwards but the question that a lot of persons have asked as well is that what happens I mean we're looking at non-state actors at this point in time it's a group that has been prescribed whether or not we agree with the declaration of this group as a terrorist group but they have been prescribed and declared as a terrorist group and that's on the one hand and so people are saying you have non-state actors having absolute power over the state or you know not just a state but states a region and it costs a lot of worry some persons have said that it's entirely a failure of government and the question would be is it really a failure of government what has happened you know you have this order being respected because it is what it is will you ask the people not to sit at home should they continue to sit at home but what does this do for the economy of the states in this particular region it's not a plus if you ask me because I'm sure that economic activity would have actually dwindled and it doesn't even add you know to it and that's it let's move on to another one of course yesterday it was in the papers that the Niger Labour Congress said they will use their structures to converse for votes for the Labour Party candidate presidential candidate and it was in the papers and remember Chris Cairn they wanted to talk about I guess unless yesterday morning talked about it and another trending one is that it's not quite recent but it's still being talked about is that the Labour the Niger Labour Congress has endorsed the presidential candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 general elections we have a track so we'll roll that and we'll come back members and also Nigerians because Nigeria is so much divided along many colonial interests and many interests that are self-centered that we need to address no country in the world can prosper and work in unity if the country is so divided so one of the responsibilities of Labour Party is to unite Nigerians along a common goal of development and prosperity so once again comrades I know that this is just a welcome message but it's to remind us where we're coming from and what we need to do and to promote candidate of the Labour Party but also go to the field particularly our youth I'm so happy that the youth have aligned themselves with the structures and the struggle of the working class with their parents because we are actually parents to the students and the youths and I'm happy that they are now realizing that organizing alone without organizing cannot take us anywhere so let us organize at all levels let us send the message at all levels and I assure you that as Britain did it in 1945 we are all the structures we are actually won by the Labour Party and recently because my General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation is from Australia recently Australia also did same so I will give you the history in the business session of how that is done what perspectives we are bringing to the table and what structures we need to activate not that we don't have structures human beings are the structures it is just to activate the structures alright so that is what happened at the Labour Party they will be having their retreat in Abuja and for me there are no surprises there I mean NLC has been saying they have been saying from the beginning that they are throwing away behind the Labour Party presidential candidate I do not remember I need to do a check to really find the last time the Niger Labour Congress came out went ahead to support the rates way behind one presidential candidate I mean most of the comments on social media especially through the jubilating you know but I think what is possible to jubilate more from that Labour Party leadership retreat in in Abuja is what Fermi Falano said yesterday she Fermi Falano told Labour Party to change a strategy you know he told them to change a strategy saying this is what he said you can't people we can't get into power by visiting those who destroyed Nigeria you know and this has been what quite a number of people have been saying stop visiting those who destroyed Nigeria is what Baba Fermi Falano said stop visiting those who destroyed Nigeria change a strategy you see Obis you know what a woman is trying to a guy is trying to toast a woman take her to fast food restaurant next day take her to buy ice cream next day take her to watch a movie that is almost what Obis it's almost like without wiki you can't win the election that's another person you have the others and the rest I think in the eyes of Fermi Falano these established politicians who are members of the political elite or the establishment we want to call it in Nigeria are the ones who got country to where it is you know so I will just go to the text because I mean I don't know if he's talking about Abbas and Joe I don't know if he's talking about wiki but these are the established politicians Obis has been visiting so Fermi Falano says that other leaders of the Labour Party should desist from visiting those who destroyed Nigeria if they seek to rule the country he also went on to say that the party wouldn't be able to seize power by adopting such methods saying that will not mobilise Nigeria he said that power is not given it is taken you have to take it these people won't give it to you these guys who have been there who may stand to lose something if the current establishment is you know is done away with will not give it to you rather you have to seize it in his words I was very reluctant to come here today because as Fidel Castro once said or once did he went to America and asked him to speak he said I don't want to annoy a powerful enemy in his own territory let me challenge the leaders of the Labour Party you're not going to get power in Nigeria by adopting the methods of the bourgeois if you want to mobilise the Nigerian people you must go beyond wasting those who destroyed Nigeria end of quote and I think that speaks for itself for me that was a highlight of a Labour Party leadership retreat in Ambuja it was well attended and well publicised but yes you know NLC said in Dustin said they are throwing their weight behind it will be nothing new but what Femi Falano said really stood out for me well I'm sure that that also stood out for a lot of Nigerians the question that some persons have raised over time is whether or not the NLC should be partisan and so it takes us back to history because if you look at history and the formation of the NLC then you want to agree with me that at the time the NLC had some connection with the NCC NCC the Nigerian Cameroon Party that was involved I probably might not say the waiters but you should know about this of course I understand the NCC the time that it was formed we are not talking about no contribution no job we are talking about the contribution I'm just asking the Nigerian that was in 1944 and of course we understood what happened 1945 the strike action and all that they were demanding for there was a general strike action at the time the Labour Party would be described among other associations as pressure groups their function is not to control government but their function would be to demand a lot from government policies that would actually favour their interests but we see that from history they have been involved in politics and at the time in 1964 the formation it led to the development of the party at the time so the Labour Congress that's the Nigerian Labour Congress and the formation of the Labour Party had started all from 1964 as well all of this also as one and so for those who were asking should there be non-partisan you begin to ask yourself improvement of salaries and what have you and so at some point they also demanded made some political demands and that was what led to the formation of it and if you also look at not the worst spokesperson of the Nigerian Labour Congress or the Labour Party but you would like to also agree with history if you go back to history that there's been a lot of connection with the Nigerian Labour Congress and governance and the political process there's been that influence from time immemorial because the NLC would always have pressure they have demanded at the time during the Shegu Shagari administration they had negotiated the salaries at that time moving forward they spin a lot of negotiations and influence and that's what pressure groups are for so it wouldn't be really surprising to see the NLC saying we're throwing our weights behind the NLC Labour Party now Labour Party is a creation of the NLC and that's what it is but of course the statement from Faleno stood out for a lot of people and it shouldn't just stand out for those who actually are of a certain pressure group or belong to a certain political party but for Nigerians it sounded really reasonable and very rational and I'm thinking that that should be something that everyone should it's a lot we need to begin to act our leaders accountability is it it feels like when a system where people are not accountable everyone does as they like and we're talking about taxpayers the reason why we have government the social contract is that government will exist to provide certain services and goods and then in turn the people will pay their taxes so it's an agreement the agreement between the people and those who are ruling or calling the shorts that's what you call the social contract and that's why government came into existence and so if the social contract has been bridged therefore then it will be a lot of questioning and accountability on that particular part because it's an agreement that you have between two persons the people and those who are ruling citizens and the ruled and so to some extent we see now that the law of social contract has not been respected and if the people are paying their taxes what happens to the part of government saying we'll do XYZ when you do XYZ and the people are doing XYZ and then you're not doing your part it's quite worrisome, agreement should be respected and it's an issue of integrity what I said but we'll move away from that another one quite interesting is that the Lagos state government is saying that we're talking about the governor of Lagos state he's given an order he's asking for the removal of abandoned vehicles under the bridges if you live in Lagos or you just visit some part wherever it is I'm sure you see one or two vehicles that have been abandoned should we begin to put our hands together for it well we should at the time because it feels like government has decided to wake up to a responsibility and especially when you talk about Lagos as a mega city there are a lot of expectations so yes it's very commendable and we appreciate the government it's better late than never it's alright that this order is actually coming but another issue that people would another thing that we should be looking at or another concern is the issue of implementation it has always not been great with us we seem to have lofty policies we have great policies but implementation is usually not our strength in different strata and so you have you know government saying we will do X, Y, Z, okay when is it going to happen so I think there's a cross let's see how long that pants out what do you make of this situation all of the vehicles that are broken down under the bridge should be taken off well I think that Labour Party discussion will have a proper day to look at it you know I've been trying to get at least to add it to what you've been saying but we don't have time so we won't get into it but I will just add to that the reason why you have the laws and Labour laws are quite clear that you cannot take the resources of the Nigel Labour Congress to support any particular political party why I think the reasons why these things are put in place is to avoid any any injustice Nigerian workers who paid use to a particular association called the NLCOT you see as the case may be to support a diverse number of political ideas, beliefs and parties in the NLC you have APC supporters in the NLC you have Labour Party supporters in the NLC you have members of a court party or other parties now when they asked before the resources were used to support Labour Party because that will be used it's no way to be used however sometimes people say desperate times call for desperate measures and for the Labour group to say to support Labour Party because it's an extraordinary time so these are the arguments but to Lagos State I don't think it should be news if the government of Lagos State is doing what they were elected to do in the first place I can guarantee you next week by this time I could come sit down here and tell you the bridges in Lagos or the flyovers or the old ride bridges and play those ones if you go to I'm talking like this I want to make it real if I pass by going to the mainland side of Lagos it's amusing to me people live there people sleep there people eat there they shower there they stool there they they do everything together they they they increase the Nigerian population they do there's a town under the bridge they even you see a cattle farm under the bridge you can go and buy one cow it's an ISO you have people who the mechanic work it's an ISO the Lagos State government wants to make sure as clean and as green as it should be they will do it I can guarantee you and I want to put some money on the table how much should we bet I want to put money on the table I'm not saying we should bet literally I want to put money on the table I don't bet too next week by this time I'm not surprised did I have any argument to see we'll come back here I'm not actually in any dispute no sorry I would tell the director he's angry with me because I'm not putting he's actually betting with you but I can put some money I can't I didn't say well director take your time I can put some money on the table and tell the next week when we sit here by this time we'll set up bridges in Lagos where we have cars on that and if anybody is going to get into a contest with you I'm sorry Mr. Godot number one you were elected to do that since why you're announcing today that you know as you're telling people that you've not been doing your job that's what Godot is saying he's not been doing his job you should have done it since you've been here this is your second time is it now you're saying you want to go and clear cars from other bridges so secondly is something he should have been doing I mean Lagos is where he should come and see they have nice flyovers I like what they've done around that interchange if you're coming from the failed mainland bridge they have towers, they have grass but the other bridges that you have people repair cars it's a mechanics village so they need to do better and it shouldn't be announced, we'll see it seeing is believing so Masi do you agree with me that next week by this time we'll come and I'll tell you first of all when we sat at this conversation where I sat at the conversation I said well should we be putting your hands together for the government for saying hey we want to take out it's obvious that this is some of the issues or this is some of the actions that it should have been backed on and usually it's something that's common with us so have you ever seen that every other time where you have a road being constructed there's always an applaud the government has constructed a road really just basic things by virtue you're from a family, you belong to a family you have a father and a mother it's just natural that food should be provided it's just natural we need to make a boss out of all of these issues there's a road also where we're applauding it and then we're making a lot of buzz it's just common in some states they will pay at all the mention names in some states the government hire a band we know the states are talking about I didn't mention in some states the government hire a band it's good to invite the chiefs the traditional rules, travel controllers the women groups, men group youth group also are coming to get money how do they go get money? I don't know and then he will pay for live national TV coverage plus TV Africa will cover events to live anywhere in the world we'll go and cover it, plus TV will be there all these channels will be there TV stations, sorry, will be there and all he will say is take it we have this new road these are the things we need to change in the country's system anyway, let's move on we're moving on right now but just to add to what you had actually mentioned 1979 you still had members of the NLC contesting for elections even though it was said that they were not supposed to be non-partisan but we leave that conversation members of the NLC are not the NLC they are individuals, they have names come with Adam Soshemoli as Adam Soshemoli born 19 days to and is still alive went to contest an election it's not the group that went to contest an election it's in black and white go read the label act well that's the much we can take this point it says the group cannot use its resources to fund the party and I think the reason it says is it's just like the laws say you can't go and have a polling station right now they essentially have a polling unit in a church religious premises in the cheese palace of course there are reasons why they think that like you said we're going to have a conversation but the Labour Party was first known as Social Democratic Party or something like that they had to change their name, let's go well that's it, we'll take a break and we'll return with time for us to go through the front pages of our national days