 Welcome back to the breakfast on Flots TV Africa. Let's say hello to our guest. As we analyze the papers this morning, Mr Jede Johnson is the chief lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism. Good morning Jede Johnson. Good morning to be with you and salam aleikum. Good morning. Let's look at the Daily Independent newspaper and it's about that President's visit to Imo State. The headline reads, empty over the streets. Take the shine off Buhari's visit. Residents obey IPOB seat-at-home order in Abah, Umohia and Enugu. The President says that he wants to be remembered for stabilizing Nigeria. He says Ibo's are in charge of Nigeria's economy. Buhari to echo us, we must adopt preventive, adopt measures to prevent coup. Says four coups within four few months in West Africa is dangerous. Ahaneze says no cessationist group can succeed if there is good governance and he asked Buhari to release the tamed Ibo youth. Lagos Assembly passes VAT, anti-open grazing bills. Government abducts 18 passengers in Umohia State. Anambra elections, INEC obeys court, list Osibo. NMO as PDP candidates, party inaugurates 179 member national campaign council. Abhiyadu Bheri's dad as Shibadu, Obasanjo, Adeboye, governors attend. Secondus loses out as Fintiri emerges PDP Convention Committee chairman. Uguani heads Zono committee and will get national chairman that can stand the test of time. That's according to Fintiri. UBA post 76.2 billion Naira profit in half year 2021. NGX group holds first AGM as shareholders approved 1.84 billion Naira profit. All right now on the punch newspapers. Valiadu attacks amendments, NBA, SANS, Caution National Assembly, Fort FIRS Planned Revenue Court. Ohaneza laments marginalization. Gohari says Igbo's control the economy. Also NMA, NUT differ on those threats to bar unvaccinated doctors and teachers. Inuguman allegedly kills pregnant wife over food and also this one and on the punch bandits demand 10 million Naira for abducted onto travelers and Motecone rescues nine. Lagos DPO loses gone after alleged office sex. Detains lover. PDP CSO's fume as Gohari absolves self of corruption. Also on the punch stand duties experts back governors as state drags federal government to Supreme Court. Elites promoting ethnic and religious division says the vice president and Mark may make PDP BOT chair set for national chairman begins. Finally, marketers seek removal of value-added tax on imported cooking gas. And the states generate 5.30 trillion Naira gets 10.19 trillion Naira and borrow 1.84 trillion Naira in five years. Let's take a look at the nation newspaper now. Gohari says I will stabilize security economy before leaving. Igbo can secede from Nigeria says President Ohaneza Mackenday others to plan PDP convention office zoning. United Nations warns against attack on schools, abductions, stakeholders, holds trend. Also caught okay Stevie Joshua's widow as trustee. Amotecu rescues nine Lagos bound passengers kidnapped in Undo state. Academic staff union of universities ask to insist on resumption of strike. Lagos moves closer to that collection. House passes bill. Oshin Bajo Adeboye O'Bassenger governors beat Abiodu's father farewell. All right now on the Guardian newspapers. Amid value-added tax opera states sue federal government over sharing of stamp duties. FX market faces fresh tests as Naira hits all time high or low at five hundred and forty-three Naira to the dollar. Businesses, residents, Sharnu Zodimma, ground emo as Buhari visits. And also INEC recognizes Zuzibu as PDP candidate for Nambu Aguimentary Oppose. Investors lose 27 billion Naira in four days as analysts predict gloomy outlook. PDP governors take full charge as Fintiri Oguanyi head convention and zoning committees. Also Ekova suspends Guinea as Oshin Bajo urges decisive steps against coups. Good morning once again, Djile Johnson. Thanks for joining us and we'd like you to go ahead. Let's start with economic stories first and then the issue on fiscal federalism. We saw the story that bad amendment NB sans conscience nationals and faults and FIRS plan. Revenue code. I think it's a welcome development. I think the governors are just waking up to their responsibility, especially the governor of river state, deeply joined by the governor of Ligusti. I think one of the ways we need to strengthen our democracy is for us to test the constitutionality of our laws. And I think this is limitous test for democracy. I think in this case we get to the Supreme Court, then we lead to rest the ghost of who to collect, evaluate the tax and who not to collect, evaluate the tax. And because the sheer hypocrisy and injustice for you, for example, to make over 48 billion in Ligusti and only for you to remain less than 10 million, 10 billion rather to Ligusti and for Kano to make 2.8 billion and for Kano to get 2.8 billion from what it has made. And then for Kano to have ISBA police. I don't know when people talk about local state policing. The reality is that we already have state policing. Because I don't know under which constitution you have some groups of people that will stop people that want to engage in commercial enterprise, to stop them from using mannequin to sell their clothes and their products, their gametes. And then on the same set of people, we destroy thousands of bottles of alcoholic drinks. Nigeria is a secular state. Nigeria is not them. This hypocrisy will surely come to an end. And we are waiting for it. But the bottom line falls on the national assembly. The people that are in national assembly, thank God that the speaker of the other group is from Ligusti. We see the direction, whether these people are truly representative of the people or they are the representative of their pocket. You recall that in 1999, between 1999 and 2007, in naturalist and speedy big governors, to court many times, I remember James Ibuori, Victor Obongata, on resource control, on even under Junatan, on so-called phone and rest of it. The unfortunate thing is that under APC, most of the governors are in design. They lack courage and they do have the way with them to challenge the federal government. You see, the thing is, you must represent your state first and foremost, then before you think about partisan politics. Another, you have seen that they have agreed on the stamp duty. Now, federal government collects stamp duty. It has failed to remit what belongs to the state with respect to what belongs to the state. So, the practices are to the general of the federation in a related story. They've gone to court, suing the federal government, telling the federal government that in the first instance you are meant to be, you want to collect stamp duty. But you are collecting stamp duty and you have not remitted what belongs to us. We are getting to fiscal federalism. And whether gradually and steadily, the issue of restructuring, when people talk about restructuring, actually they are talking about fiscal federalism. We are by resource control because federalism is about the power coming from the base and then going to the center and not power coming from the center and going back to the base. Hopefully, the court will rule and we hope that the Supreme Court will be bold enough to take the rightful decision in the interest of Nigeria. I want us to take a look at this story. It seems to be the biggest story on all the papers. It's about the president's visit to emo state. The Daily Independence is reporting it as saying that the empty over the streets has taken the shine of the president's visit. The nation is reporting the president's statements and promised to stabilize the economy and security before leaving. And we see that as well on the punch newspaper. The visit of the president to commission projects. I listened to, before we came to this segment, I listened to the earlier segment, when you guys were having the conversation with respect to, why would a president go and commission during its system? It's an insult. And then why would you commission projects and you use the, do you know the resources it cost federal republic of Nigeria for the president to leave Abuja and to go to Oweri? Yes, to commission basic projects that anybody, the projects that you could live on, you don't even need to commission. You don't even need to commission, just for people. Have you ever seen the president of the United States going to commission roads, drainage system, bus stops and the rest of it? It's unfortunate. And like Big Dog said, these two last stops is 1999. These were vestiges of military regime, you know, because military administration do not have anything to do with the public. So they use commissioning or project to secure legitimacy, to give a face beyond them sitting in the barracks and in the dumb barracks then to give a face and to maintain contact with people. That's like the commission projects in those days. And I think we should have stopped that since we have gotten to democratic, democratic and governance. With the president saying that he will stabilize security under three years, he's not been able to do it in six years. We see what he will be able to do, whether he has the magic wand in the next, in the next years, except that the president is thinking of an extension of time and probably a constitutional review. And then he is looking for more time to solve the problem because you can also solve the problem in the last six years and you have two years left. And we see, because it's an open, endless statement that I will stabilize the economy and I will stabilize security before leaving, before leaving when. Completion of my time, before the completion of my time or before leaving. We are blowing, we are speaking English now. We are blowing drama. So it's open to different interpretations, but it's an open, endless statement before leaving when. And the completion of my time or whether, which takes me to the studio of what the president said concerning a course that they need to do something to prevent, to prevent, to prevent coup in West Africa because we have witnessed four coups in the last, in the last, in the last, in the last, in the last one, one, one, one year. So, and then if you look at the story of the president's visit, the way Vanguard reported the story is different from the way the deal independent. Vanguard reported the story from a successful angle. Angle, yes. Whereas the deal independent, you could see that sometimes journalists are not helping this country. They are not helping the country. What we require from each of us to give an accurate account, and I can see, you can see the footage on social media where people are being imported, buses are bringing in people, and then large number of security are brought in to, to, to stop any, any kind of threats, emerging or real, against, against, against that visit. And then we saw a particular video where a special advisor to the, to the governor who was responsible for mobilization was, was, was livid with anger that people did not come for the, for the event. You can't, you can't buy acceptability. You can't buy it. And that's what some governors try, try to do. And don't forget the circumstances surrounding the images of the governor of Imo, Imo, Imo, Imo state too. There's this, there's this credibility surrounding his emergence as a governor of, of, of, of Imo state too. That factor is that are popular is he? Was he the popularly elected governor of the state? Was he the popularly elected governor of the state? He didn't get the popular mandate, he only got his mandate from the courts because the court nullified some of the popular, popular votes. Talking about that, Gina Johnson, your, your last statement saying that he bought the judgment of the court and that he's not popular. I didn't say he bought. I said, I said he got the judgment. He got, he got. Okay. So that leads me, that leads me to the next story about Anambra state's governor, governorial election. He said, INEC obeys courts, least as the board NMO, as PDP candidates. We, we know that there's, there's been a controversy regarding the elections in Anambra state, different courts judgment, different parties emerging. And now INEC is saying that they're recognizing Valentine as the PDP candidate and this is based on the latest appeal of the court. So do you say this is also similar to what we're seeing where, you know, INEC, rather than stick to what it should be, their primaries, and all of that, you know, seems to go for a final court decision? Now I can't, the essence of INEC is that this pre-election matter should be resolved before the election. Now, what are the candidates going to vote for? They don't know because of the court rules. And I think that because it's failure of INEC on its own responsibility, if INEC actually supervises the primaries of the party, recognizes the legitimate S.C.O. of the party and supervises the primaries, INEC should know which candidate is the real candidate. And INEC should be able to tell the court by the virtue of the instant laws that establishes INEC as the body responsible for the conduct of election and supervision and monitoring of the party processes. This is the candidate of the party based on the instant law. Any other candidate outside of this is not duly recognized. No, who are these problems you're having? But you know what? INEC itself is partisan. INEC itself benefits from this, this terror. And that's why INEC has not been able to put that. For example, as INEC written the parties, to tell the parties, to tell APC, for example, that APC is embarking on illegality, having a ketica committee running the party. Do they have the gum show or they don't know what they're supposed to do? That anything you do with respect to this will not be recognized. With respect to what happened in Zanfarah in 2019, what happened in Bayesa, what happened in Adamawa State, what happened in River State, where the party could not present candidates. Must we wait until after the election for the court to decide who the candidates are? So it's the failure of INEC which you don't blame anybody and the courts are not also a criminal task because there are cases that the court should look into and there are cases that the court should not look into. For example, I ask you this question, can the court order stop an election? There's no court order that can stop an election because there's no court order that can invalidate a constitutional provision. Election is meant to be conducted by INEC and the moment INEC fixes that bit, there is no court in the land that can stop INEC from conducting that election on that date except INEC on its own took a decision to change the dates as the the Nigerian judicial council, are they disciplinary judges? We saw the situation because then in APC Pamaris, the court in River State gave a judgment, the court of comparable status in Kirby State gave a contrary judgment. That was why APC was able to go ahead with their local government congresses last week Saturday and I tell you, they have just wasted their time because if we should go to court, that would be nullified. All right, Judea Johnson, let's move on to let's quickly share your views on something else and that is the economy, the Naira in seeming freefall. It was of course at 543, some people say 545 yesterday to the dollar. Share your thoughts on that one and it doesn't seem to be getting better. How do you reconcile the freefall of Naira and that's talking about a monetary policy and then how do you reconcile that with the kind of profits banks are declaring? For example, we saw in the story that the UB record 72.76.2 billion Naira profit half of the year, first six months and the monetary policy of the nation does not have any effect on the fiscal policy and it's both the monetary policy and the fiscal policy that gives direction to your economy. So the Naira will be on a freefall because you know what, the actors and players in the financial sector, in the monetary sector are making money from it. Who are those? When banks engage in trading of currency, when you have a parallel market engaging in trading of currency, when you don't have a productive economy, when you rely solely on importation of goods and your export, it cannot match your import. So that's the talent we have and the president said it's good to stabilize the economy. What have we done concerning the power sector? What have we done? You saw when companies were citing their regional offices in Ghana, I would say it meant nothing. It meant nothing. Why were you young? We were taught in Second High School by Ghanian teachers and in 1983, we fought Ghanians to leave this country and that's when the issue of GMG came into focus. Ghanian CD was regarded as toilet paper. Their currency was useless. What's the value of Ghanian currency? What were the things that they did that made their currency to be of value and what were the things that we did to make our currency to be of no value? It's about, it's not about commissioning gutters, it's not about commissioning drainage and routes. It's not about pulling all the security apparatus to protect the president for emerging or real trade when he visits particular states. During presidential visit, they have solved the problem. It's about us doing the basic. What have we done concerning the power sector? The doctors have gone on strike as soon as the story that says, as it's about going on strike, as it's about going on strike, the federal government does not allow competition to exist between the states so that each state will develop on its own comparative advantage. And so an economy where you don't allow the economic factors, the indices to work, you have too many government intervention in the economy. So you have a pseudo-economy. And as economy Nigeria has, and it will affect your currency, and your currency will have a free fall. If you soon get to a state in which you exchange $1,000 for a dollar, it's done. I'm not the private of them. But the reality is, if they had told us six years ago that this is the way it will be, no, everybody will argue. But tell me, what are the measures that we have put in place to stop this free fall? What measures? Well, one of the things people always point out also where campaign promises in 2014 lead into the elections. And some of the statements that were made back then, there are still some of those pictures asking if 216 Naira was good enough and promising to make it election. Election of consequences. Absolutely. What we did in 2015 was to stop an economy that was growing because we hated the man, a perception was created around the man. It's the same thing that Americans are experiencing now. Election of consequences. And they hated the man. Look at the global economy. Just sit with it. I took my friends that are living in America. Prior to this, they are 2020 elections. I said, you guys are going to experience what we experience in Nigeria. It's just a matter of time because your economy is doing fine. You hated the man. But the economy is doing fine. You wanted nice men to be your president. And it's not nice men around the economy. It's about intelligence. It's about knowing what to do and having the right people around you. I asked you this question. What is the quality of this cabinet composition? The cabinet of the present president. Compare the cabinet of the president now and compare that cabinet with the previous cabinet of the previous administration. Just look at the composition, the composition of the cabinet. And then we also forget that that it took this president almost six to seven to eight months before he constituted this cabinet in the first instance. And that's what has affected this economy. I did many TV programs. They are there in the public domain that I said if you affect Nigeria, people said no president need time to set up this cabinet. And we are seeing the consequences of inaction by the president then and we are paying the price now. Judy Johnson, thank you very much for your time. Pleasure to be with you. This one thanks for joining us. And of course we wish you a very beautiful Friday ahead. It's going to be a wonderful Friday. Thanks for joining us. All right. Stay with us. So we'll take a short break. And when we come back, we're going back in history to tell you things that happened on this day, the 10th of September, many years ago. I'm going back as far as 1897. And I'm going back to the year 1919. Stay with us.