 Okay, so it's time for of the press my analysis joined me via zoom Jida Johnson chief lecturer Nigerian Institute of Journalism Legals, but he's joining us from Ibadon this morning. Good morning chief Johnson Good morning. Chief Johnson. Can you hear me now? Yeah, it's a pleasure to to be with you this morning I was good morning to you as all over the world. Thank you for having me. Oh, it's a pleasure to have you You are in Ibadon right now and I Wonder were you able to see the governor at Keredo Luhu who we understand is back in town and is recuperating You are talking about don't do the undosted governor But we understand that he's back, but he's in Ibadon where he's recuperating. Oh Wonderful that that's good news is a welcome development wishing soon as we come soon as recovery and from from What have you showed that he can face the business of governors which is elected to do I have not been able to see him neither have been able to see the post-government or the governor of Oyusti I came here in a private visit not on a political visit You are not a politician Yeah, I'm not Okay, so let's begin with the Guardian newspaper And it leads with poor lessons from 2020. This is their big story this morning Details of that can be found on pages four and five Endless wait for palliatives in states are made accountability deficit, you know I'm becoming really very tired about talking about this palliatives. Mr. Johnson Because of the way it's been handled in Nassarawa states You know after the ugly incident and pictures and videos we saw the DSS carried out some investigations and and have been able to arrest some of the officials the state officials and Some traders in the market where these Goods were diverted to and being sold What you know reason why some Nigerians I said look NLC these palliatives you're talking about shouldn't really don't bother about it coming in form of food Let it come in form of infrastructure. Let it come in form of tax, you know Considerations and all of that what's your take on what's going on with these palliatives? Oh, well It's unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation the more things seems to change the money remain the same you'll recall the The fear is a lot of people a lot of critics expressed with government With the present government at the future level when they came up with the EU of this palliative to ease the burden of Removables for a subsidy and they're tending they're tending them effect of This force of city removal on cost of living standard of living than the rest of it and the three questions were asked With respect to this Judging from the experience we had during the COVID-19 where palliatives who are who are stored In warehouses and where palliatives That were meant for for for the people who are used as an as empowerment Program and was was who are also used to celebrate by this of some elected representative So from the history of palliative Nigerians have never had it good with respect to being a beneficiary of this palliative not to even talk of The the the the funds that I was shared by the minister of humanitarian resource during the during the palliative season It's unfortunate and and that's why a lot of people said well this this palliative And will not achieve any desired effect because as usual this we go into the wrong we're going to The wrong hand not that do not need it And that the people that needed it will not actually get it and we also ask the question what and how are you going to get What data how did you collect your data? How did you get the household what framework are you going to use to to to to distribute this This palliative other than for you to distribute the palliative at the local government Secretariat how many people can assess the local government secretary and all of this should a lot of a lot of questions were raised With respect to logistics and government gave assurances That this would be done You know there was objection to the fact that oh it would be turned to the political team if they make use of the Governors and the rest of it Unfortunately, it's unfortunate that one in the first instance How would you be removing by how we remove the subsidy on one hand and they are also getting resources to to palliative It's it's more or less like you are doing subsidy again So the government seems to be in a cycle with no with with no clay with no clay policy on how to solve This particular problem how to ameliorate the problem the self-inflicted wound the inflicted on themselves and they also Yeah, the sad thing is that the sad thing is that Nigerians continue to suffer from it Especially the poorest of the poor the vulnerable people. Let me look at the other I'll just read out the other headlines here and then we'll take a look at another one before move to the next newspaper Above the mast said you have 30 killed in Abu Jalan slide 19 kidnapped wicked other surveillance And then you have Lagos assembly rejects two commissioner nominees Confirms 15 others let the harm of fall on same sex unions a troops kill 814 terrorists arrest 1903 in three months then you have a Tikku will be reject PEPC ruling head for Supreme Court And then you have Nigeria needs prayers to end insecurity Says Defense Minister. Well, a lot of talks have been you know made with regards to the PEPC Ruling let's let's talk about the minister that's talking about the Defense Minister who says mean we need prayer We need prayers to end in security You know my my my thought here when I read this I Just said, you know if prayer is what we need perhaps we should have put in pastors and imams to head that ministry If there is a country that is highly religious If you are looking for a country where people go to churches on Monday Tuesday Wednesday Because the Friday and Saturday even in the morning and in the night and if you are looking for country Where you have people going to marks Monday to Friday is and then and if you are looking for the country whereby on Fridays Everybody will go for human service and on Sundays. You would not even come to work in the first instance. It's Nigeria Yes There's a principle put established by the the pro-counselor of Covenant University who said that If anything that is man that man is meant to do for himself that is expecting to do is witchcraft Now the reason why God gave there is a switchcraft now God gave And there is also this this maxim work and pray now work and pray God has given man the capacity To to think to work and then to pray There's no amount of prayer you pray if you don't till the ground You you would you would you would invest your food then we should also resort to praying and not going to farm We should resort to print and not go to school. We should resort to print. You see the the the way they've they've They've They've taken this thing to the to the to the to the ridiculous level You have been appointed as a minister to solve a problem. You come up with an idea now to solve this problem This does not require rocket science the bandits the criminals and the rest of ex except that And they are not they are not operating within the conference of Nigeria or otherwise Yes, there's an organization behind this behind this nefarious crime this terrorist activity Except that there is a support within the security architecture. Yeah, you know, there is a theory There is a theory There is a theory that And as ff is you and I want to travel you resort to prayer would pray And then you pray for that security Is rather unfortunate that you put people in office and then one of the things they try to do is Is to is to is to choose the ridiculous option to play on the intelligence of Nigerian because in doing a lot of Nigerians Are highly religious and the idea is that that religion to To look for example, you want to write a exam and you are praying you are not ready You have already you have broken a principle you will fail in jesus name Insha Allah You know because you got god There are two basic principles that establish you on one is the law Uh, is the law of productivity. Let everything produce after is kind now the second one Is that's why even me we give back to human being that's why icon will give back to me That's why monkey will give to monkey is the law of productivity. You can't change is the cost of nature. The second one is the law of Possession is the law of course and effect what the man so you will be the law of possession That's the second law now now if you don't take the that first step In solving the problem the problem becomes monumental problem. So when these people When these people talk when these people talk I want to say one philosophy When you hear these people talk if you like you go go yeah, yeah, if you don't like you die So when you hear them talk you begin to question their intelligence You begin to question their intelligence you begin to question their leadership or shit And then you begin to question How do you find ourselves in this situation whereby the minister of defense will sit and then you know Minister of defense I mean it's it's it's it's it's quite some mind-boggling to be honest with you I just said I start praying And then the enemy they are fighting you will just be defeated All right, let's um take one more headline here and then we'll move forward to the next newspaper Let the hammer fall on same sex Uh unions What's your take on that about this is something of them were arrested in delta state, uh, about a week ago There is a sitting low in ijiga You see one of the things I tell people is that for you to understand the environment you find yourself and understand the culture of that environment and also understand the The rooms of engagement within that as far as african society are concerned Marriage is defined between a man and a woman african If you run for of the law if you be prosecuted and that's that's that's my view as far as there's no there's no provision for same-sex marriage People Have found That couple of people are breaking that blood age If face the music if face the music otherwise There's no there's no there's no there's no society that customs that will not fall if this Goa prosecuted Yeah, but he does seem to me and some others who are keenly watching this that Hey, there may be what looks like selective justice here. I mean some people have boldly. I know a particular individual in this country a celebrity Whose interview I've read who openly said that he is gay. He hasn't been arrested And one other very funny character didn't make didn't make any attempt to organize it You see for example, um, did he make He didn't make any attempt to to To organize the program To organize a group wedding. That's just self-pronouncement by that person If he's caught in an act Okay, you got to be caught in an act He should be prosecuted. There's no point in that He said what so you're saying you're saying to be arrested as a gay person in Nigeria You have to be caught in the act. It's not just enough to say to confess That you are gay You must be found to be in the act Uh, exactly to make that announcement for example, this is how I arrested in Toronto state They organized. I think I'm the group wedding allegedly and them so as as as far as I'm concerned They they are caught in the act and then they should face the music for example You can't go to western country and say you want to practice polygyny If you try to do that, what would get a lot Sick on standing that what do you think would happen to that person? You must understand the environment and the culture of the environment and the and the laws The ethics and the customs control the values of whichever environment you have found yourself It's very clear. You're in room. You'd be a black woman And if you're an agent you'd be black magicians. Okay, so let's look at the nation newspaper now The nation newspaper leads with Atiku OB why we are challenging tribunal verdict All right, the riders Don't go to supreme court below. We gave Bruce hpdplp candidates apc judgment reinforces democracy judiciary's vibrancy Maybe we should touch on this a little bit Yeah, I think that them is important for all options to be exhausted By by those that feel agreed By by the outcome of 2022 election the first the court of first instance has been explored It's their right to appeal to the supreme court and it's also good to strengthen the jurisprudence Of of electoral litigation in Nigeria. It's important because whatever pronouncement that comes out of the supreme court becomes The ground ground norm and a canon of of of of what of all guides each election for example some of the pronouncement of of the presidential election petition tribunal Establish some basic qualification with respect to consular provisions That's the thought that well a lot of people have different interpretations to it It is contingent upon this Supreme court to make the final interpretation Do you think there'll be a difference though? Do you think there'll be a difference though? Well Is Whether there is difference in Whether there is difference in In the outcome or whether it's the material company most important adding is that whatever interpretations to some of the basic principle that That were established in the judgment of the supreme in the judgment of the presidential election, which is the appeal court, which is the court of residence. If it's further reinforced by the Supreme Court, it becomes the grand norm, it becomes the final interpretation of what the concern is. For example, if the Supreme Court is affirmed the position of the appeal court on the status of Apuja has been esteemed, well, it becomes a grand norm, that means Abidjana becomes the seven states of the federation, contingent on the indigenous of Abuja to make a requirement for the national assembly, to provide them with the status of assembly, to provide them with the government and the rest of it, so that they also can enjoy the status of what goes to the state. So all of these things are very, very important. All of these are very important for us to establish, let the Supreme Court make the final pronouncement on this. Some interpretations with respect to the rules of INEC in the election, whether the electoral part is... Okay, there's a bit of... There are a lot of principles, but there are so many things that a lot of us are wondering where, for example, what is the rule of INEC and then what is the essence of guideline if those guidelines are not followed and the rest of it. So it's important for this matter to get to the Supreme Court, let them exhaust all the options that is available to them, and let the Supreme Court rule on this matter. And then we know the areas in which we want to do reforms. Reforms concerning our electoral laws so that the national assembly can be approached and then what is required to do in terms of doing amendment to the electoral act in Nigeria will be done because we want the election to be conducted and after the election, we don't want this level of litigation here left-right and center and of free-finance men on which we know the election. We want the actual winner of the election to come from the ballot, not from the courts and that's all we want. So we must look at what are the areas that need that improvement with respect to our electoral act and so that we can strengthen the process through which those that are governors are elected. It's good for the, look, it's not about 2022 election, it's not about APC, it's not about PDP, it's not about labor, it's about Nigeria, it's about 2027, it's about 2030, it's about moving forward and then you must, what are the lessons that we need to learn, but people will always say, why do they need to go to court, they should join us together and let's make, let's move this nation forward, it's important for us to strengthen the institutions of our democracy, it's important, we saw, we saw the E.U. report. Indeed, let me read out now the other headlines here and then we'll touch on two of them and then move to the next newspaper. Well, you have above the masthead Nigeria, Australia to partner on training of local miners. Custom stops defaulting banks from revenue collection. Akeridolu recuperating in Ibado on return from vacation. Lagos assembly drops to San Wau Luz nominees. Wike, Atiku, Tambuwal, Killing PDP should be suspended. And then you have all theft firms, MDAs, host communities involved, say, security shifts. All right, so touch on two of these, perhaps you start with- Well, let me talk on what Wike said that Atiku and Tambuwal killing PDP. In 1999, we have two major political parties, as the major actors, and in fact, three political parties were registered in 1999 for the transition to the Fourth Republic. We have ANPP, APP, then the later metamorphosis into ANPP, and then we have the Alliance for Democracy, and then we have the People's Democratic Party. As we speak today, it's only the PDP that has survived. From all indications, from what we've seen from the AD, from ANPP, what we had in those parties was self-inflicted, the party included from within, and that's why the party went into extinction, they couldn't even survive, and they had to march with other party, and then we march as new political parties. The AD, out of AD, KMA, CCN, the later metamorphosis with other, with the function of CPC that moved out of ANPP into APC in 2014. So, as it is going now, it's very clear that by the next election, if there is not taking, there wouldn't be any political party called PDP, because there you can see the self-inflation already taking place within that political party. As you can see this hypothetically, for example, let's see that, like Wiki postulated, I think Goa and Tambole are suspended, and the party is handed over to Wiki. So, can Wiki serve to master? Presently, he's a minister under an APC government. Where does this reality? Can he be working, when there is election, would he be working against his master, his present master, in the interest of his own party? PDP needs to put his ass in order and provide constructive opposition. If care is not taken, the party is already dead. Because two of the parties that started in 2019 with them are already dead, and it's very clear that the party lacks cohesion, lacks discipline, and lacks Okay, so let's touch on the all theft. All theft, firms, MDAs, host communities involved, say security chips. Is there one? Let's touch on the all theft. Is there one? I can't hear you. The all theft. All theft. Yes, security chips say. Now what are they talking about? You see, when we talk about all theft, it is not possible to commit a crime. If you want to fight a crime, you must involve the local. Of course. You need local intelligence. You need community involvement, community engagement. Now if you bring, and if you say that okay, the local communities are involved, if those who are in the first instance, those who bring to go and monitor the environment, they are not usually from that environment. And as I said, some people have argued for local policing. They are not from that environment. They are going to go and do monitoring to provide security, and they engage in various activities. And the people that are seen, others that are not there in Beijing, that are not from their community, they too will do. But they too will do. They also will become part and parcel. If it comes to a basic issue of you can't beat them. What did you do? If you can't beat them, you join them. As far as this issue of health care is concerned, yes. One question I keep asking. When you see a vessel engaged in health care, why do you destroy those vessels? Why don't you arrest, seize those vessels, and convert those vessels to military services? Why do you have to destroy it? Why are you destroying evidence? Because the first thing you see is that, I think we've seen about in less than a month, we've seen two vessels being destroyed that were arrested and the vessels are destroyed. Are they covering up for some people? Are they destroying evidence? You should cover evidence because you should be able to get it. When those vessels are arrested, you'll be able to track how many times which area have these vessels gone to? How many times have they turned the waters and the rest of it? There must be a record. There must be a shadow. But if you destroy it, you have destroyed the evidence. And then you won't see those that are arrested. Is this to it that is driving those vessels, that is navigating those vessels? And then you'll not see any one of them be prosecuted openly, like they are doing for the people. Oh well, and some have also advocated that the illegal refineries be converted to legal ones. What is the resources, for example, I'll address it a little bit. For example, we see buildings from people that are stealing money from the country. The government has said, is that selling this building to your crew list? Or burning them down. There are three government offices that are still renting buildings. There are government offices that are renting buildings. Why not convert those buildings to government offices? Rather than selling it to your crew list. And then government will also be using money to pay rentage for office facilities for some of the ministry's ingests and the ban on your gun. For example, the ministries have been created in Abuja now. There are offices that have been seized, that are under siege, and that have been recovered by EFCC and ICPC. Why don't we convert those buildings to government offices and not destroy it or sell it off? And at the end of the day, you sell it off at cheap prices and then the money will not even come to government. So to currency. And that's why EFCC chairmen have always had problems. Why should we use it? Why should we also use money to buy vehicles? When you see thousands of vehicles, when you recover vehicles from those that have made this national track, you convert those resources to statues. Some of these buildings, that you convert them to a city too. I don't know. I don't know. How can we react here? Government does not even need to start from this category. Yeah, I get a sense in which you're feeling the frustration. Let's move to the punch newspaper. The punch newspaper leads with tribunal judgment. APC Lampoon's Atiku, OB, opposition attacks INEC. Well, the writer's there. Judgment divided, devoid of justice says, XVP OB, opposition planned beavers hacking. APC insists, petitioners, legal teams, storms, court of appeal for judgment certified true copy. Well, in front of this newspaper, you have pictures of passengers stranded as foreign airlines delay and cancel flights at the MMIA yesterday. So let's look at the masthead. Above the masthead, set up customer center, FG tells discourse, probe, RepSummon, NIMASA, NPA, NNPCL, MDAs, others, and manufacturers pay 607 billionaire tax in six months. That's according to NBS, the National Bureau of Statistics. Well, let's pick out one or two you want to talk about from these ones I've read out. Well, I don't like the framing of the media headlining in the punch in this paper. The framing, it's from which angle should they have reported this particular story from the angle of the party that actually won at the tribunal from the angle of the parties that have agreed with the outcome of the election and then even look at the choice of words. Sometimes it's important for those of us that are given responsibility as being the watchdog of the society for us not to be a bit biased in our reporting and in what we do. It's important for us to strengthen the institution of our democracy. Everyone of us, for instance, released a lot of issues concerning the election and then at the end of the judgment there were even a lot of questions that have been asked and as the responsibility that falls on us as the accountability institution as the fourth estate of Bremer's institution of order so that what do you think the victor of the election would do? It would be to berate the two that are challenging the election and the media shouldn't be highlighting the decisions within the political landscape in Nitro. So that's my take on that. What is the editorial position? Is that they thought that frames the story and it frames the story the way it wants it to be framed. That's the decision. But if I was given, if I'm teaching the student and I'm teaching them journalism and I'm telling them what it means to be the habitat of truth and the habitat as a watchdog not to be a partisan hack, which story could be framed in such a way that you can see how people get lined with it and then the riders for the counter. For example, ABC, Lampoons, Iboan and PDP, PDP then a common PDP disagrees with judgment. That's the balance. And then put that line. You have captured both two sides of the view which is being done. It's not a proper journalism. That's my take. Someone has my degree. But in journalism we say we must provide a balance. The two sides of sheet of opinion must be given an opportunity to hear their views. Yeah, it's a major ethics of the profession. Now that we've talked about our people, let me say something in defense of our colleagues whose pictures circulated online that they slept during the PPC Tribunal judgment. I personally do not blame them for sleeping off. I mean, I was watching at home and I was tired. It was so long. There's no way. I think that the world, for example, so I've argued that the judgment has been broken into different days. The one for you to sit down 12 hours and there's nobody. That's how we have shadow. For example, you can't present a program from now till 9 p.m. tonight. It's human nature. It is very, very natural for people to fall asleep. So it's very, very natural for people to fall asleep. The judges did not come to deliver judgment. Two days ago, you know when they have written the final addresses before they made the appearance, how often do they appear? So they are medically, mentally, emotionally. They were fully prepared. They had the judgment. If we had been told that that judgment would take 12 hours, nobody would believe it. Nobody would believe it. But the judges have prepared the judgment. They knew the number of hours. So they are mentally and emotionally prepared. I was watching the judgment. After I stayed, I went to my bedroom and I stayed for three hours and I came back to see me, the judgment. And I still followed the judgment. I left the judgment to go and do some other things. I came back to be the judgment. So if I was in court, for example, I wasn't shadowed in court. What do you think would happen to me? You would have joined the sleeping spree. I personally would have had a good sleep over there myself. I didn't like the picture of Chief Mike Zuckerman, which was going round. I love that man. I'm sure he would be very unhappy with that picture. For example, at a certain age, you can't cheat nature. Let people say whatever they want to say concerning the rest of it. Do you even know whether some of the judges were dozing? Those that are not dozing, can't see their faces. There's nobody that is not fall asleep. There's virtually nobody that is not catching people. There are some that caught enab. I don't want to mention him. It was a cross-bord. Some of the governors, some of the... They caught enab. So it's normal, it's contingent for you to stay. And then don't forget that it was the judgment of the party that I was red last. That's judgment of the party that I was red last. Okay, so let's move to nature news. The nature news leads with Nigeria fruit market. How unhealthy practices endanger the lives of consumers. And I find this very... I'm excited with this report because I mean, it's a major concern. The way we handle food, the way our food vendors, a lot of them handle food, especially fruits and vegetables, would make you almost no want to eat them. And so when you buy them, you wash and wash, you wash with salt. You wash with whatever you can. Sometimes after washing... You're taking away the nutrients. You're taking away the nutrients. When you wash with salt, before cutting... Yeah, you're taking away the nutrients of the vegetable. So should we eat in the dirt? You're taking away the nutrients of the vegetable when you wash with salt and the rest of it. You're taking away the nutrients of the vegetable. But I do understand... What we should do with the vegetable? I do understand what... I do understand the fears of people with respect to our storage facility. And it's important and then the logistics with which you move this food from... When COVID broke out, Western world thought that we were picking dead bodies in Africa because we don't have... Even when they came up with the vaccine, they said that it must be treated at a certain level for them to make use of it. So it's about storage facilities, it's about logistics of moving goods from the Inderland to the country. And that's why a lot of people have argued to a lot of improvement when it comes to using cargo in moving things. While we were young, I stayed very close to the railway. You see, we used to buy these fresh vegetables. You know, these people move from somewhere in the open state, they call it a garden. You have the vegetable, you have the... They move from there in the open state to Yaba and then they'll be stopping at every railway station. People will go, you buy a vegetable, you buy whatever you want to buy from them. The fruits, fresh fruits and the rest of it. You know, if you visit the market, you see where Tom's side, where you see a lot of oranges and some of these foods getting rotten. It's because we have no proper storage facilities. I was having a discussion with my friends yesterday because we came here for a barrier. And I said, you know what, the richest people in the 60s, in the 50s were not politicians. They were farmers. They were commodity-produced farmers and then consumer-based-produced farmers. They were traders. They were traders and they were artisans. And it is... Those were the people that were the richest people in Nigeria then. As a first forward to 2023, the richest people in Nigeria to Yago. Politicians. They are not farmers. They are politicians. They are politicians. So they are not put in place, measures in place that will hurt the farmers. You recall those silos. You recall the largest, the tallest building in Africa was built with Kokomone. You recall the famed granite pyramids in Kano and the rest of it all. The plantation you have in the Pankane Plantations you have the South, South and the South East. So we need to go back to the drawing board. To the drawing board in the sense that we must provide... Why is food very expensive? It's because of the cost of transportation of moving these goods. And then they would dump everything together. The truck, it is not covered. You see the pick-off they used to pick vegetables. The vegetables would be in the open air. It's not sealed. It's not refrigerated. It's not protected. So those are the challenges. You know, I have interviewed... That's why you have seen... That's why you have seen... There was a thesis I established by a student. It was a thesis more than 15 years ago. And I said, this is a bit of an argument. Our mothers never give back to Syrian oppression. We judge our hearts in that generation who are never given back to Syrian oppression. I said, you know the reason why? Our mothers eat fresh vegetables, planted by the back yard. Our mothers first don't go to the market to eat the vegetables. The vegetables they moved and the films from the cars that are going on the road in the market have not settled on those vegetables. They are all vegetables who are fresh. They eat it. And when you eat vegetables, it improves your blood circulatory system and the rest of it. And then they don't go to work sitting in the car for money in the night. When they sit in the car in the traffic, they go to work. And then when they get to the office, they sit in one place. But they go to the firm. They exercise their service. So their service, while they were pregnant, they were exercising their service. But now, low and built down, women will sit inside the car. They will stay inside traffic. They will go to the office. They will sit in one place. It's where they sit now. In order for food to eat, they've not exercised their body. They've not eaten. They've not even eaten fresh vegetables that would eat that nutrition. And that will increase the rate of back to cesarean operation. Because what you eat is who you are. And so, when we look at all of this, our government is not open with respect to this. What are the storage facilities in the market? You know, they just miss stores. There are no storage facilities. Yeah, it's a major problem. It's a major problem, which have been highlighted by those who are involved in agriculture. They've said repeatedly, I've interviewed two of them who have alluded to this challenge. No cooling rooms, no storage, nothing. And so, at the end of the day, the farmers lose a large chunk of their produce. And then the ones we eventually get are not as fresh as they should be. A lot needs to be done. Well, thank you so much, Chief Jide Janssen, for your time on the breakfast this morning. Yeah, and it's a pleasure to have a wonderful weekend. You too. Chief Jide Janssen has been my guest. He's a lecturer and consultant with the... Okay, so he's a lecturer with the Nigerian Institute of Journalism here in Lagos. Join us from your battle this morning. This day with us will be back and we'll be taking our very first hot topic.