 Welcome back. It's still the breakfast time to look at what the people say Today, of course an analysis guest JD Johnson is standing by JD Johnson. Good morning to you. Thank you very much for a time All right Okay, indeed mercy is here as well messy good morning to you good morning coffee and good morning JD Johnson Thank you for joining us All right, so we set up the conversation with I would take a look at the Guardian newspaper That would be the first point of call for us voices true. Buhari's Broadcast on the return of old 200 naira nodes. I cannot wait to share Jiddies thoughts on this one Buhari new cash policy Negotiate weapon against insecurity and corruption and vote buying old naira notes available for circulation mere 222 billion 2.65 trillion are to be destroyed Seculation of 200 naira notes wouldn't move the needle You find out who's saying all of that but I'll be amela Buhari's directive a one-term Disregard for the rule of law Ghandu J. Alleges plot to squirtle election and stall interium government broadcast is contemptuous of Supreme Court's order and you find compelled APC leaders to release hooded naira notes PDP tells Buhari And banks loses five billion to assault on facilities 17 brands cheese have been touched Telecoms distanced cells from failed financial transactions Buhari's speech will have their Consequences for the 2023 poll. That's what the CDD ones count on to the 2023 elections navigating tension shocked violence prone campaigns and We'll just stick this and move away from that. Don't postpone election bow to pressure. See as all ones. I neck WH all ones as my bug And pox spread across Africa. That's another one human rights community polls Poor trips or tips to noble to win presidential election Just before then the CUN PP identifies attackers of Gochiniers resident. That's the much we can take this morning on the Guardian All right, let's move over from the Guardian to the nation newspaper With the following headlines Naira Buhari under attack for flouting Supreme Court ruling. I Think there should be a Supreme Court order speaker arrow five Senior lawyers others fault president's decision on 200 old Naira notes as an affront Naira Buhari under attack for flouting Supreme Court ruling, okay A window of settlement between G5 article close as we can give that interview I think yesterday survey project suitable to win presidential poll 19,365 respondents in 36 states FCT involved, right? Make them disobeyed they go. I think they were part of also how devil survey So disobeyed and I don't know why article is not getting his as well You know, maybe you and I should have a poor messy He better stand still for team we can see my mouth girl came out to see him Or you all will vote equity justice marking details a pc candidate that's all the headlines on the front page of the nation Well, move away from the nation and we have the punch newspaper now one thing you need to know is that the punch over time describes President Muhammad Buhari as a major general retired That's how the punch, you know addresses the president and for, you know Certain reasons that they have said the thing that the president is still a dictator That's their position. But on that front page, you you find better days are coming soon despair disappointment after the president addresses the nation President legalizes 1,000 Naira 500 and clash with supreme court likely Governors state Buhari and conceded citizens to spend all nodes governors and state dare Buhari And all the citizens to spend the notes and mostly You know after the president had her broadcast yesterday, then, you know, everybody had his Asking resin to go ahead and spend that naira scarcity wasn't at banks atm's Nigerians buy naira with naira So just after the presidential broadcast up until this morning I'm not even sure that the atm's are, you know, giving out cash, right? Including 200 naira notes and Some people are asking was that even really thought out was it really planned? Naira redesigned plotters caught all elections install interim government That is what erufa is quoted to say. I mean, it's also the same thing that you have with fanny coyote This statement and some people are already calling for He's a rest their ride is there, but I'm not sure I can take that Please hand over illegal ams ammunition to nas Nigeria's oil output increases by 31 million barrels or OPEC is quoted to say Man says job Loses There's a likely possibility of losing job according to economic crisis That's what you find this morning on the punch newspaper Let's move on to the next paper. This time we have Daily trust as that's the final paper before our guest comes in Naira redesigned Buhari out to truncate democracy ganduji President counters supreme court insists on ban of old 500 1,900 sisters to reactions to His speech Nigerians yesterday broadcast Nigerians recount losses Nationwide broadcast contempt of court lawyers They remain legal tender and kaduna aero five Some of the headlines or the riders rather to that particular headline More from daily trust for o4 106 security personnel 404,106 security personnel for elections i gp G5 we k4 closes reconciliation with a tiku forced abortion report and h Rc. That's a Nigerian Human Rights Commission panel grills military rescues women others and Unbundling railway Will not lead to job losses minister u.s. Return 954,000 Dollars alamacea loot to Nigeria um Seven northern states or neko two billion register Some of the stories there another one. This is quite sad Pregnant woman dies in kanu over payment alert delay second time i'm hearing something like that This week Jenny johnson the naira is the hot topic on the front pages of the papers this morning I want us to look at what some of the lawyers are saying about the president's address and His directive Vis-a-vis the supreme court Decision or rather supreme court order After the last hearing But before you go to that and Yeah, before you go to that Please give us the thoughts on the fact that people are going through stress like this pregnant woman who has died In kanu hospital because of a payment alert delay That's what I was about interjecting you to start with Because we have to humanize this thing This woman is just a sample of many that has happened. It's just one that has been reported There are many cases that have not been reported People that are disconnected from the media people that are disconnected from the power centers and the state capitals and the rest of it This is what humanized the story it's this Is just unbelievable Because of payment alert and if if you have ever gone to the hospital with the work Would we operate our spiritual system the medical system in Nigeria? Usually the require payment first even government or speech you the require payment first before patients are treated It's unfortunate that I found ourselves in this situation and it's unfortunate that Those who have elected at various level are not are not are not bothered. They are not concerned They are not concerned at all. All they are all concerned about is about election What will happen to this family or many many many families that have Had their loved ones taking away from them as a result of their inability to assess their own money To make payments for medical treatment. It's unfortunately made it so of this woman Rest in perfect peace and many many others like that and give me god grant Every family that have suffered untold hardship as a result of this policy The own loss of the other at the fortitude to be at the loss of the loved ones. It's unfortunate, but That is the reality. It's just a reflection. These people whether he has a red speaker Or the senate president. We are not you know anything from the senate president Or the god knows they are just as far away from reality Okay, so so the other You know Attached headlines to this situation What some people are saying lawyers are saying, you know criticizing the president saying is this will be what the court has Has ordered and then air will fly The air will fly telling you We have said it over and over time Is that at Nigerians with much more interested in work by the ministry The minister of justice and the attorney general for tradition is based on interpretation The women the the truth governors went to court and the attorney general Is you the statement granted? I told Those that care to listen that and not to show that government is going to obey this Particular order to the latter that they stuck to their gun because if whatever interpretation That the attorney general gives to the president That's what is stuck with and what they've done is to look at technicalities and pre-technicalities outright the The president did not stop Completely the old Naira notes. You saw what they did they limited it to 200 Naira notes So there is a loophole in every decision of the courts There are loopholes and the alakuna Which you could exploit and they studied that order and they saw a loophole Which they were exploit because the president outrightly did not say the old currencies are no longer tender What they did was to be economical with it that 500 and 1000 and not acceptable The central bank will collect that and they will collect that at designated places You could see the way they were playing around the technicalities and that 200 Naira Will be made available and is still a leg is still illegal tender And that the banks you make that available. So in what way will you see the president has slotted supreme court? They played around it. They understood the loophole and they played around it And i've seen many even lawyers senior advocates and then Complained about this not looking at the technicality in which the president exploited As far as i'm concerned. He's just played around the supreme court There was no substantive declaration by supreme court let it start to go until remain So there is still an opportunity for for for the presidency or Or the cpn to stick play around whatever decisions they are making even though that is contrary to public opinion That is contrary to the expectation of the people but legal interpretations legal decision is different from public opinion However in democracy it is required of those that are popular mandate To listen to the popular demands of the people and we have seen this over the last seven years of this administration And we the media also played a role in pandering to Some of some of the abuses that this president administration Are infractions that they have Committed over time with respect to rule of law. We recalled that the president Some years back went to the national conference of national of the nijambah association and he said oh That you know what? National interest is bigger than the rule of law that There's nothing like good of law when it comes to national interest and people are applauding people are saying all of that It's it's and you know you really punch where the punch took a position long time ago that they will give They will address the president with his military try to which is his title in any case It was a former military head of state and i i have advocated that Nigeria is not a democracy Like the fact that you operate a civilian is it the conduct election does not make you to be a democracy Election is just one of the criteria for you to have a democracy independent judicial free and fair election fundamental human rights respect for For supremacy of the law on the plane by constitutionalism those are the indices of democracy And if you use those indices to evaluate and measure democracy You are giving to it that means a civilian administration because we just add a transition from a military government to a civilian administration Because the tendencies the lack of respect for constitution The lack of respect for public will the lack of respect for public opinion is still evident and apparent In in in in our polity the lack of respect for basic institution. You see the judiciary is still operating All right, not providing check Yes before you come in this is just a very quick question and i mean i think there's been talk about because you've talked about the Uh, the fact that the supreme court said the status quo ante should be maintained And there's this talk about also people have pointed out the fact that in cases of political nature Um, the supreme court or the courts rather than nigeria have been expected not to give orders on Uh, our expatriate applications or to grant expat expati applications. What about that? Well, you know, we also need to categorize that this is you could resolve through political solution And we advocated that last week friday there was the council of state What was the what was the advice of the council of state to the president the president's talk to is gone It was contrary to what the council of state advised And then in fact not contrary. It was a modified application. What we have seen Is people exploiting the loophole in the system and they are exploiting it to their advantage for their own selfish interest Not to the interest of in nigeria. I don't have access to cash. Do you have access to cash? Nobody has access to cash And there was a story the banks you you spoke about I told people if you make transaction through your phone You use the usd code if it if it fails They remove six naira 70 cobalt sometimes it's ten naira now if you have one million failed Transaction who pays for it ten naira times one million how much is that Ten naira times 20 million nigerians using their electronic transfer who is paying for it With your money and your inability to assess your money. You are even having a Technological failure in terms of people don't have infrastructure backup to ensure that you have cashless policy You are paying on both ends. You don't have access to your money one They are making deductions of the telco charges too and the banks are also making their own 20 naira deductions So we so the policy inside of solving problem is putting pains and they fail to see reality because they they have I have said it Do you have you ever collected the new naira notes? On the counter the old one the new the meat. Okay. Let me let me put it in better perspective Have you ever collected mint? Naira notes the old one in the on counter before I've ever seen such women No Where do you get it? You see that parties it comes out to the back door the same system still applies to this new one That's why they are not paying it across the counter people have the center bank governor said They've released us to a amount of money Where is this money if we have this money in circulation? We'll not be complained as we are complaining But nobody can lay hold of the money because there is a racket That says currency and they drive on that is at most they've not dealt with that particular problem And then you are creating new problems. It's unfortunate. Okay. I like us to you know delve into the issue of Aerofi and his thoughts about the naira redesigned policy as a plan to scuttle the elections and install Interium government you also probably would have seen you know the broadcast that he had shortly after The presidential broadcast yesterday asking residents of kaduna state to go ahead and spend the naira not just limited to 200 But you know across 500 1000 and what have you I like you to share your thoughts on this Especially when there's also another school of thought that believes that The policy is meant to cop corruption and also in in another way to help You know the issue of vote buying stop it to the barest minimum Election it is just one component part of our lives Ready story of that woman election will come back By by by the end of May a march nine election will have come and gone But the damages you have done with this policy will still stay with us. For example, those that have lost their loved ones with system We just can't do that said it was meant to be scuttle both can't do jay and then And the governor of kaduna state made A pronouncement contrary pronouncement to what the president said Well, um to allow the extent if we actually are practicing federal system of government Which is we are beginning to see the beauty of federal system of government We have the future government then you have the state government now the state government have controlled over their state With respect to what they think you're obtaining their state. So if they are providing A platform or an avenue to ensure that they will compensate their citizens either by mopping up this currency And using their own state resources to to support or to To subsidize the citizen. There's nothing there's nothing bad about it But what I do not take to is the is the is the confrontation Is the confrontational approach and then what we have also said for the onset is that apc is not the political party I'm sorry to say this because this policy is coming from a political party That you think that it will have been able to harmonize their thought One did not be able to put in place or what is called their national their national and The board of their board of trustees, which you have all these major stakeholders in the party talking about the policies of party We're just the platform that was created in 2013 to raise super and once they've raised super We've seen that even from the same party people from the same party are speaking at brilliant forces You have these cordon tunes coming from the party with respect to with respect to policy policy people because there's no There's no structure structure within the party system to bring about Those that have been elected into public office for them to harmonize their thought and to come out with the current policy And if they found out to the president too long and I've said it It is wrong for you in the democracy to call the president Your father you can't question your father. So for many many years they've called the president And in Africa you don't question and I said it and I said it on here and I'm saying it again The president is not my father. It's it's my servant is elected to serve me The president is elected to serve the people but in a situation whereby you have people pandering to Somebody that has been elected to be a public servant and giving him the title of a father But it's so hard But Gide just before we cross it down I'd like to ask you do you believe that this policy is meant to you know truncate the 232 elections and install an interim government Well, you can you can you can come up with different types of theories because one Based on what has been made in the public to me You had what the INEC chairman said that they don't have access to form Now INEC would require a lot of logistics if I don't have access to fund if I don't have access to fund How would they mobilize? their resources for the election both resources human and And physical so and material How would they mobilize such such resources? And then you had what the CSU said that INEC should not at any point in time postpone the election We have our cases whereby people have raised the red flag that they are attempts to postpone the election So once we postpone the election, what happens? Once we postpone the election, this is february the end of this administration The end of the tenor for this administration is may 29 So if you don't have election in february if you don't have election in march, what happens? And by constitution if there are crises constitutionally you can extend the tenor Of a of an administration by six months All you just need to do is to declare a state of emergency and once you declare a state of emergency You can extend the tenor of this administration by six months. It is a constitutional provision There's been provision for special funds for you know, INEC I mean the cbn has said that If INEC wants fund there can't be out of funds because they're going to make You know a certain provision for INEC to have funds for logistics So is that still the problem? And if we talk about postponement of the election, didn't we witness postponement of the elections in terms of shifting it for a week in 2019? It was for six weeks. I was it was you know, there was a council of state meeting to that effect There was a council of state meeting to that effect And then the council of state was called and at the end of the council of state To a spoon we are the council of state last week that is you didn't come under on sedition the It was said that the election would be as far as I'm concerned considering the the the detention the test situation that we have presently It could be it could be it could not be advisable for the election of the postponement I cannot show you messy If we postpone the election it will create crisis We have seen that there are a lot of there a lot of even within the ruling party. There are There are divergent groups having different you see you've seen You seen governors accusing people in the presidency Governors the two of the governors that made broadcast Two of the governors that went to court to challenge this policy Were those that raised the issue with respect to this truncating of the election not truncating of this election And there were attempts by some elements within the presidency to ensure that their party Lose the election. So as far as I am concerned this issues Were were not raised by you and at these issues were raised by major players and actors within the within the policy. So as the You need to give a talk to what they are saying with respect to the respect to Attempt by some elements to truncate and the don't forget that the last time we had A military head of state elected as the president. There were attempts to elongate the standard with the thought term So you cannot you can and then the constitution we are using The constitution we are using the 1999 constitution which was modified by the 12 wise men led by justice niki tobi Was meant to perpetuate abacha in power It was there was a position that was in the product of 1995 constituents assembly So there are many loopholes and lacuna which you could exploit within that constitution to ensure that you have the elongation of tenor So don't rule it out. Merci. Don't don't just rule it out because the question you ask is Why why now? Why is it now that you are doing this policy? We have to go, please. I'm sorry about that. Um, but but uh Ghandu J says Buhari is out to truncate democracy a front page of daily trust And one wonders if um a monetary policy a monetary policy on its own is enough to truncate democracy Um, we'll see what happens as we go on. Uh, thank you very much for your time, sir And the same government is planning sensor after the election this year And then the politicians who have been themselves also doing things to truncate democracy in their corner And now shouting that the president wants to truncate democracy simply by saying let's have this money It may not be working But now they become uh defenders of democracy overnight If I for democracy before election, they are now fighting for democracy now. They are trying to protect themselves Eventually I like that you're also exploring all of this The presence out to truncate democracy Just a monetary policy. Okay. I mean, I think there are many ways to do that You know without using a monetary policy gd. Yeah, we have to go. Thank you so much for your time Merci Well, that's the size of it. Thank you so much. Uh, we have been speaking with gd johnson who's been Sharing his thoughts on some of the issues right here on the papers We'll definitely come through on monday with more interesting headlines on national dealings or things being equal We take a break when we return uh kofi. We're diving into our first conversation Yes, indeed. We'll look at exactly what's going on with the um defense research and development bureau act of 2022. Please stay with us