 Thank you for staying with us. You're still watching the breakfast on plus CD Africa And right now it's time for off the press to look at what the national daily's are saying this morning and joining me to discuss The papers is GD Johnson as a chief lecturer on Nigerian Institute of Journalism and his joining us from here in Lagos state Good morning, sir. Thank you for joining Good morning. Good morning, Jeff. We are all over the world. Happy new month. Happy new month to you Yeah Glad to have you all right today. We'll be starting with the business and G and Well, the first I learned I want to take is up here is a small headline at the top It says economic hardship PDP LP NNPP others failing and that was being said by Pat Tommy. What do you think about this? Do you think PDP NNPP LP? Should be blamed at this time because if they're saying they're failing I Mean APC is currently the ruling party at the moment So why is Pat to tell me coming out to say that the PDP the Labour Party and the NNPP others are failing? I think what he's saying is that you need to provide constructive opposition providing alternatives To what the present administration is doing and if he's about that I think that the presidential candidate of PDP and that of the level party devote They've offered alternatives to what the president administration is doing I'm giving their own video as as regards what they intend to do if they are the one in power so As far as I'm concerned the opposition has provided an alternative policy viewpoint So I don't know the standpoint from which I'm Professor Pat to me He's making his judgment or he's coming from and I don't know how he came to that conclusion Other than I don't know what you're sticking used to to to to to come to that assertion that The the opposition party are failing. What else do you expect from the position party to do particularly good? This is even a presidential system of government not the power made with the system of government Which invariably they have an opportunity in the parliament To hear their views to share their Their opinions and their policy options as a public as a as a as the alternate government In presidential system of government. You can only ventilate from the outside not even within the floor Of of of of the of the national of the of the parliament Having your own alternate alternate alternate government Your own alternate cabinet. So I don't know the standard from which professor party to me Is coming from probably from a different planet from which we are in And that's why it's blaming the opposition party for all this happening If you want to blame anybody, I think the entire blame should go to the apc APC have been in power for nine years. So what does labor got to do with that and what has been to be got to do with that? I don't know So speaking about parliamentary system of government, there's been a debate That Nigeria should move to a parliamentary system of government. Currently we run a presidential system of government But people are saying that a parliamentary system of government might just be better because like you've pointed out Other parties who have been elected can go there and air out their views So do you think maybe that that would just be a good way for Nigeria? Well, the other system of government you practice is just about the The actors and the players in the system and they have a willingness to comply with the basic rules and tenets that govern that system of government whether parliamentary Presidential it's you would have practiced it and is guided by rules norms values and the constitution which is the grand norms of Of the practice. So you are looking at parliamentary system of government Then you talk about the entire structure of the country. That means that will not have governors at the state That means that we might even be going back to regional government Rather than have 30 60 governors, probably you might be having Um, we might be having six six premiers and then probably may of oligos and abuja um As far as i'm concerned, whichever system we think is a Nigerians in totality If you'll have a say you need to probably have a referendum to have Nigerians with that We want the parliamentary system of government or presidential system the presidential system of government It is not the system. It is the way you operate the system that doing matters. However parliamentary system of government we give um The opposition and opportunity to have an alternative government and you compare the complexity and the Diversity of the Nigerian nation. I think that we were well suited to parliamentary system of government because in presidential system of Committees zero some say we not takes all but in parliamentary system of government you you tend to have the opposition having Having their own presence and having their own state in in government For example, we had operated the parliamentary system of government in the last election You discover that all parties at least we have A presence in the national as we speak all parties Have presence in the national assembly, which is the legislature and then in the in the executive Do also have some semblance of presence because the parliament which is the bedrock of parliamentary system of government Where the minister is first and for most the lawmaker before he becomes the prime minister first among the equal among those He is selected to be in his cabinet Then the opposition to we have that opportunity to have their own their own alternative cabinet so It's it's it's it's something we can look at because we have tried this presidential system of government For close to quarter of a decade now and it seems that everything seems to be completely centralized Power is almost concentrated in one individual and that individual is becoming bigger and bigger than every other institution In in in in the country and that's the president as the presidency So the presidency is becoming much more and more overwhelming With with with tremendous power so when it tends to reside now with the presidency and not with the people And power is concentrated in the presidency and not among the three organs of government the judiciary the executive The judiciary executive and the legislature invariably we have seen that in modern times The executive the legislature has become an appendage an extension of the executive And also the the judiciary has also become an appendage an extension of the judiciary Station wherever you see the head of the judiciary Found before the chairman of the national party and culturing attending events called by governors called by the executive Is an indication that well one of your guns is supreme than every other organ so and I think parliamentary statement of government will be Will be an option but Nigerians have to decide whether this is what they want or what they don't want I don't want this to show up by some group of theater lecturers or some group of elite to sit down and see okay This is one one for Nigeria because what we are practicing today Who are just two advisement sitting down in one place Reviewing what was done in the confab of 1995 and came in coming up with the 99 1999 constitution in which even a person that was sworn in as the first president of that constitution If not, it was in the constitution it was sworn it was much more leader that it saw the constitution with which it came to power So it's a conversation we must have Well, um, so one thing that you said is that is the actors and the players In this so regardless of whatever system of government. It's the same makeup Of the people that are being elected So regardless if we want to have a better system of government even in the presidential system We can it's just the makeup of the actors and the players anyways So saying on the fact that you know the opposition parties are supposed to have an alternative an alternative solution for Nigerians especially with what's going on The presidential candidates of the labor party peter ob had said that the cbn 22.75 interest rate Will worsen the economic situation. What do you think about that? Well, I don't know what you want out. You want to build the economy With double digit interest rate. I don't know how you intend to to build the economy with double digit interest rate I don't know how you want to provide credit credit to to build the base the backbone of your economy Is the productive sector is the industrial sector the capacity To grow your gross domestic product and then in such a way that We can freely compete by spotting Whatever you have produced in accessing your country to other countries in order to run foreign exchange and by focusing on your comparative advantage In in international trade. So I don't understand and I don't know why the central bank of now the central bank I will come up with them with this double digital in two point What percent almost 25 interest rates if I want to go and get credit In order to start a business or to inject into my business If I if I get The credit of two billion damage have been paid interest rate of 225 million We are who are those that are going to bury the front of the interest rate, which I'm going to pay It is it is it is your night in bravely. You are also going to put it to the inflation because What do I do when I invest that? Please When I inject that into my businesses I want to be back that money and I be able to pay back the loan Of of of of the bank so that the state does not come after me just like the state of New York went after Donald Trump Well, so one thing that is a little bit worrisome for me is for people who do businesses They told you that your markup your profit margin should be about 30 Percent they're about so if my markup is going to be about 30 percent And I need to pay back a loan of 22.75 percent then how much am I really making? Why am I in business? What am I going to make any profit at all? So those are like questions that I have burning questions that I have because I'm like Why am I ever going to do this business or why would I even want to take a loan? And I expect that you are here as a government to help me Um, but anyways moving on from that this still has to do with some economic situation Nigeria imposes annual levy on companies employing foreigners employing foreigners So what do you think about this one? The fact that Nigeria is imposing annual levies on these companies Well, I think what this administration is good at is about imposing levy and imposing taxation And removing our subsidy and looking for a way It's very clear then if you look at the antecedent of the president if you look at where it's coming from And if you look at the template which is legacy that has operated Where he is the godfather and the benefactor of those that have succeeded him since 1999 You understand that it's a template about about taxation. It's a template about levies and it's a template about Increasing the revenue base Of the country and them without without having a request to study but is that a is that a right way to increase revenue? No, no, no, it's it's without looking at the consequent effect it has on the overall economy I can tell you for a fact because I have an understanding of this a particular implication what Was the implication of the various Taxation double taxation levies imposed by Lagos state government on the business sector and industrial sector in Lagos state Just take a trip Take a trip to Kejha industrial estate take a trip to industrial You go to industrial estate and look at those estates and look at where those companies are and then you take a trip to Lagos Lagos is about the expressway you look at your left between between between Lagos and Shagam and see the kind of company springing up or you go to Agpara industrial estate or you go Where company left Lagos to go to and some of them left to go to to go to Ghana So the implication of this is just if there is if there is about taxation people will look out for Better places where they could do businesses and now It's a competition between the states and I just want to use an example in I just have recognized that double taxation in In in in California in New York and you see a lot of businesses moving to Florida moving to Tennessee Moving from Delaware to to to states whereby they enjoy tax relief albums and that's that's that's that's the beauty What government does is you create an enabling environment you provide tax relief for people that are running businesses One they provide employment opportunity for your citizenry Government cannot employ the cannot how many people can government employing government establishment institution department of agencies It is this private individual that are invested their money in the economy that actually employ the largest chunk of the people So what did they are providing service for you for the for for your citizen and at the same time helping government to create employment opportunity Relief relieving the burden on government with respect to meeting up with the demands of the citizenry with respect With with regards to government provided providing them with employment opportunity So if you want to tax them to death you don't muscle the ox I see taxation as module. There's one other another claim. We are trying to reduce the taxes Imposed in in in post imposed on businesses operating in their country and they are trying to get they are trying to get them They're trying to get them Best best and to handle to handle their businesses that the business can grow tremendously and they have opportunity To grow the economy grow their businesses and employ as much as many people as possible reduce poverty and unemployment in in the country You don't you don't you don't you don't strife with such with with levies and the rest of it And then if you are saying that you want to encourage foreign investment You can't be saying that you're imposing imposing every levies on on expatriates or foreign Foreigners that are coming to your country door if so if i'm coming from india and i'm coming to invest in it I've come from china. I'm coming to invest in idea. I think our base on chinese or indians or americans regardless of where Which nationals are coming to go my ok So we want and government is saying that we are we are traveling all over the world to encourage foreign investment presented The president has gone to kata now if kata wants to make investment in it I just like kata has made serious investment in the real estate Businesses in in in united kingdom and kata is coming to do that in it And you know, okay, you can't bring your nationals. You can bring your nationals. We are going to impose this burden I don't know this this counter countervilling Policies that government comes up with I don't understand whether there is synergy among all the agents of government When it comes to encouraging businesses to come to Nigeria Well, let's see how that turns out I'm going to take another headline which is now the major headline on the business ng and it says hardship So showing car backs Nigeria's decentralization as hunger Poverty persists now taking it over to the punch the major headline on the punch because he was speaking at the The 50th anniversary of the punch and it says past confirms deceitful Nigeria must decentralize says showing car The riders here are past confirmed organizers not serious Nigerians must negotiate their unity and that is being said by the noble laureate So what do you think about this? in 2014 former president good luck jennathan Um had a national conference, you know bringing people from all political affiliations and just talking about restructuring the country And some recommendations were made but over a decade. There's still no nothing to show for it So what do you think about showing car coming out to say we need to And decentralize because one of the things he even cited was security. What do you think about this? Well, um, just really I was at that. I was at that item I was at that lecture from the beginning to the end So I got the first time the experience of what I'm the noble laureate shared with respect to his views and I love the gap that he through to the gap At those that are the elves of our first so who was it would are weakening to sophomore for our day considering some of the issues that he has reached on in the last in the last in the last nine in the last in the last one year and appointed that that um whether um What do we call we call restructuring or what have you He says he prefers the word restructuring and decentralization Yeah, it is just you know, it's about narrative and he said that there's need for us to decentralize for There's need to give opportunities to Nigerian to determine what they want and then if concern if if if decentralization will lead to Nigeria Disintegrating and then it will save Nigerians from being hungry Then it is better for us to decentralize that it's even better for Nigerian to die than for nine For Nigeria to die that for Nigerians to die of ungun property And as you hear his views and opinion with respect to this like I said earlier There's too much power that we have concentrated at the center on monthly basis The governors will go to abuja for the monthly fact beating. It's not done anywhere in the world You go on monthly basis. So you shed the money you shed the money for the state and the local government So you have to all concentrate in abuja. There's too much concentration of power in abuja There's the need for us to decentralize and there's the need for us to give power to the other power centers At the local government and at the state level and there's the need for us to domesticate some of the things we are doing at the national level There's not good for you to have a centralized police system. You can't find security with decentralize the bureaucracy is just too much it is It's you you have to you have to bring it down to to community level Wherever you have some semblance of community community policing and he said that the challenge We have heard is that there have been series of meetings. We have had series of confab We have had but there's no sincerity on the part of those that have called for those meeting to implement And then he said he hope that those at the ends of our fair today We look at the use of decentralization that's giving power back to the constituent units that meet up in Aegean in Aegean nation and I seem to share it was it was a well was a well attended lecture Well delivered well delivered lecture and then it was was was was a wonderful was a wonderful experience for me as a person And it was also a national discourse that she opened up the conversation moving forward with respect to what the national assembly Detended assembly will do with consular amendment Which has always been what they've been doing since and then which is also an opportunity for them to make money And because when you set up the consular amendment Send up different committees they travel through the length and print of Nigeria they get public hearing at the end of the What effect does it have on the concern that the future have amended and that's what I've said Regardless of whatever system will practice. It is not the system. It is the people that practice the system That makes the system to work okay, so um waleh shawinka Professor waleh shawinka Professor waleh shawinka, you know a few months ago He had said that he's not going to judge presidentinubu's administration until he's a year in office So him coming out to say this talking about poverty and hunger in the land talking about decentralization Is presidentinubu is still not a year in office Do you think he should be talking about this now because we would have thought that you know He would just stay to his words and say till one year in office The world wants to look at the platform the moment you accept to be the guest lecturer of one of the major flagship newspaper we have in the country, which is the punch newspaper And going by the punch you should expect punches to to be thrown at that at that level through It is not at a place where there is always a card to throw some punches because we are punch the 50th anniversary and what I like that I think I think I think I think the platform The platform provided the opportunity for him to cascade everything that he probably is Is being is being being that he's been waiting till me To to to to share with the itians because the platform sometimes provides you with the opportunity to say Some things which other platform might not put which better platform would you have had to say to give an overview of the entire nation it's about the narrative concerning In her generation and then he provided a wonderful the wonderful perspective in which That through participant from all political parties both past and present Um past and present uh people that have been in in government people from academia Uh and people from the media media media media industry. So it was it was it was a wonderful experience I didn't enjoy my time and um it was it was a wonderful experience So we nobody should be surprised at the punch And that that that was thrown by Portugal even the the the compare for the program through punches through punches at The above ligus and then through punches at about sundial and the rest of it. So it was it was a lively event It was the high of nine event was it was it was a time for reflection Reflection where we were as a nation 50 years ago when punch this paper came into existence and Where we are now as a nation 50 years after and Moving forward what are the things that we need to look at and what are the things that we need to do with respect to our nation Our nationhood the Nigerian question which we have always run away from answering and this is time for us to answer that question We must as a matter Fuck as a matter of agency address the Nigerian question. There's too much power in our future We need to keep power back to other power centers in the country All right. So speaking of things to look at another thing to look at is the oronsai reports reps raised 23 man panel on oronsai report demand review What do you think about this one? Some people have come out to say that the report might just be outdated That is not what we need at the moment and um proper review should be done before we can even say we want to adopt it What do you think? So if they are saying that the report is outdated, what do you see of a 1999 constitution? That's a good one. What do you see? What do you see? What do you see about the holy books that Two of the major feats we have in the world They use us as the base of their worship the bible and the Quran And they outdated I didn't already but the essence is that when you add that report when you add that set up that committee has not As something changed in Nigeria government has changed the structure of government still remain the same We still practice presidential system of government in natural sense. We have even have multiplicity of agencies being created Rather than reducing the agencies which we have the agencies of government have multiplied rather than with you So what do you do? We look at the report and then you review the reports and then you implement what the report what the report What the report is one of the instructive things about the report is for example I give you this is one personal to my heart federal federal radio corporation and voice of Nigeria And two two two agencies of government under the minister of information that do we march So why should that not why should that why should that not even the e-scc and the icpc as well e-scc and icpc what is what is them You can have different units on that is images one agency head one head counter Oh So all of these things if you look at if you look at all of these and then you have an understanding that oh wow there's a need For us to do that beyond directories of government Beyond taking away our attention and distracting us that government wants to do something And because what I've done seen is that well They threw that into the public domain to distract us a little to let us do that where government is Turning to do something the orange report government is going to implement it And then the first thing you need to look at is to look at the entourage of the president That said in the week to hitting his traveling To to to kata and considering what he has said that moving forward his entourage will not be more than 20 When he wants to go for travel then you look at his entourage to kata and then you see government We see what in one hand and government will be doing something differently and that's why this government over time has lost Confidence people have lost confidence in government government. I found it difficult to hand public trust and understand So the public does not have an understanding of what government is doing as a result of that the public opinion of government Is is that is at its lowest? Well, so I mean for me, I love the fact that you know, they are going to have to You know come together for instance the afcc and the ipc the FRC and it's great But I'm a bit concerned about people's jobs because we know what the economy is saying right now So people having to lose their jobs because if there is a Duplicates, you know agency that means the moment they're merging to one two people are not going to have the same office Or the same position. So what does that mean for other people? You know that have to lose their jobs. How are they going to bounce back is a question What about those that don't have jobs presently? But then we're going to now have a lot more people What we are seeing is that we shouldn't be making this country at the expense of others And once you have that margin acquisition, it is those that are redundant if it is not politicized It is those that are redundant that there will be excuse from service and those that have spent Let's say 30 years that remain five years for them to to retire From from from from from from the civil service that will be pay off We have had margins of government agencies and the rest of it in the past So people should not People should not entertain if there's either goes to equity Or surely goes to equity with clean hands with clean hands and not and not and not be scared of anything So if if you have been diligent Beautiful and disciplined in your in your in your conduct in your respective Assignment and duty shadow. You shouldn't you shouldn't be scared of what government we need to do that It's very clear that there is duplicity and multiplicity of Agencies of agencies of government once you do that then comment rich enabling environment for those to work for others to be absorbed Into into under center for example, what was the essence of NDDC and the Nigerian police? I'm asking you what's the essence The civil the civil defense court and then the Nigerian was the different There's even another one kick against something Kai There's another one like that That would be because kick against in discipline because you are last man And then you see the kick against discipline in because going from one market or the other and then you are you have this What do they call these state workers at the local government? We used to call them willy-wily. Why we were young so you see you just create avenue for For for that's why the the current expenditure of the government Is higher than the capital expenditure in every in every budget really budgetary budgetary allocations and budget plans that we have had because you have too much personnel Money that you have gone to developing The economy including the economy goes to pay salaries and wages and allowances to some few individuals That are that that are making the system if some people have to make sacrifice for us to move forward I think it's time for us to do that All right. Um, so let's talk about the economy and how it is President tinnable was in Lagos, you know, you know, grating the red line Trains that we have in Lagos right now and he said something So on the nation the headline here says tinnable labor's constant strike calls unacceptable Um, so he took a job at labor and he says, how do you call for strikes in how many months? You can't be doing this is unacceptable. What do you think about that? Could you think that's just mimicking them and saying? Oh, yes, you are all talks and no action because you come you call a strike and then you say, okay We're back to negotiations. The strike is called off and you see this happen repeatedly What do you think do you think that now the government don't even um, they don't respect labor as much as they should Because they know that the moment you call a strike after a while you will call it off regardless Well, I think that the president is just playing politics with labor with what he said It's not within his The poor view of his authority and power to say that labor whatever labor is doing is unacceptable to him It's not an embryo. It's the president that labor has its own rights to protest or to to call for strike at any point in time We defil his necessary but however the actions of labor in the last Nine months have shown that they have been on serious element on serious element quote unquote. That's my opinion In the sense that they will call for the strike and they themselves will call up the strike The president should even be commanding labor that the well They've called for strike But they've not actually carried out those strikes because there were my team are negotiating with them Every time they want to go on strike we find we find reasons to come together to ensure that things things Are resolved before it degenerated to strikes lockouts and then vandalization and doing up properties Because by the time you call for strikes and then it comes to rally Protest and the rest of it gets out of control with nobody Having control over those other elements that were hijacked all of this So as far as I'm concerned, it was it was 20 cup at labor And then it is you know, if you're not embodying labor to take something Which is which is which is which is drastic Which is not good for the economy want the economy to recover Thank god the economy has not gone into In session but at least the economy is in depression too We need to we need to we need to understand that that The way the people has given responsibility to have managed labor to the extent that labor called off strike and concerning Removal of fresh subsidy concerning providing palliability for the for the workers Concerning the minimum wage which they promised that is going to be really concerning the 35,000 with the promised who pay To all federal workers across all levels which they have not done and labor yet has not gone on major full-blown strike The president should be shooting between caviar lives in class overseas does not trust us because if you trust us It will be in the in the response to the stones which you throw your your house will crack All right, let's move over to some security matters. Well, I would like to call it that the Only right, you know, I said something here is a small headline on the nation He says it's time to protect yourselves with spiritual powers only tells our best. What do you think about this? Nigeria is not so great when it comes to security at the moment And now we have to go spiritual. What do you think? Well, I think that them If you want to eat to you don't need to eat physical food You just provide yourself with spiritual power To eat to soft to to soft to stay full Yeah Then if the if you want to travel you don't need to use a rope plane You don't need to use cars. You don't use to use those modern Modern and then you use it be it now since we have in your banner We have it be so if you want to travel to London, you just use it be you just close your eyes and then you use the spiritual power that transports from Nigeria to Sometimes when these people talk You just wonder what what informs their their thought pattern and and and and I would equal sometimes some of the ideas They are coming up with in this age and modern time Where he travels they drive the best of the cars. They live in the best of the houses They eat the best of the food. They have access to the best of Medicare And they are not using I'm not sure he uses a board the time There are some there are some supplements that is using all you just need to do is to take a trip And into into into his into his kitchen and to into Is dining dining room and dining dining space and then you see what he eats and then what he drinks And they are not drinking them. They are drinking imported wine. They are drinking imported the imported koyang So don't don't not just ordinary whiskey and then I'm talking about switch up when it comes to security Sometimes they take us for a fool and they take us for a ride. I don't I don't it's just that I've said it I don't know which program which I said that we need to traditional rulers accountable for the use of security If you're a traditional ruler in your domain Your domain is not secured. What I what traditional authority do you have over that domain? If you don't have intelligence to help the intelligence agencies In in in fishing out the bad elements within within your domain and people in your domain are not coming up with intelligence To know we look I tell you for your fact where you have insurgencies And where you have kidnapped and the rest of it. There are locals that are hating and affecting this This this this these people what are the locals doing with respect to providing security agencies with with intelligence And what are the traditional rulers did themselves doing to provide security agencies with intelligence and now as the Have the traditional rulers Win the trust and the confidence of the people that the people will come to them and provide them with information That they can provide to security agencies in tackling the incessant security challenges we have in this country So these are the areas you should be you should be looking at and these are the areas that I should be talking that we should be using it be And the rest of it to fortify to fortify ourselves. I don't know how many people that have access to it I believe there are spiritual powers. There's no doubt about that But the challenge we have in Africa is that it's not documented All of these things were not documented was not shared because it was not documented We have lost track of all of these spiritual spiritual powers the white people Use their spiritual powers to create computer Which I went and I tell my students what's the difference between putting water in Calabash And then what we are doing to zoom now or putting white painting the world white and then you call the image of somebody to appear We have those spiritual powers, but it was not it was not documented. It was not shared too. There's no difference between between Between a zoom Skype or video call and then putting water in Calabash and calling the image of somebody to talk to this person But we didn't share it Some people kept it to themselves So There's nothing we can do about that If the only has access to some of the spiritual powers because it's the easy is the paramount rule is the Puget of the Yorba race if you had access to it Let it become a common knowledge let them document it so that each and every one of us We have the we are wouldn't mind to have it be so that them when I travel I'll just be Ibadom and then I found myself in Ibadom and then I go to America I'll just I'll just be able to enter white house to ship to ship to buy this and That would be amazing wouldn't it? Okay, let's move over to nature news. Um The major headline here says we case sets to inaugurate Africa's largest water park in Abuja Is this what we should be talking about? We have an economy that is just we don't know where we are It's so unstable at the moment And then the minister of the federal capital territory Yes, I'm wiki is talking about building the largest water park in Africa. Fine. Don't get me wrong I know that this would you know become a tourist attraction But with tourism in every country you need security for that And security in Abuja is not even the best at the moment So should we be talking about a water park or looking for how we can you know just jump start Our economy to ensure that it's thriving If you don't do projects you don't make money in public service That's reality And then look at them and the major projects governors Governors even presidents over time have embarked upon an infrastructure A basic infrastructure when government is coming to tell you that we've constructed roads We've constructed Bridges we've constructed Um Schools and the rest of we they tell you about infrastructure Which is which I call the apc apc of public public public service and public governance because all you just need to do Once the money is there you give it to a simpleton who approves come with the design get in You know come with the design and then there's money you have to allocate funds to those projects anybody any body Any simpleton can then can get it done The serious business of of government in providing employment in In building in building the economy in such a way that you can put the economy that we enable private investors to invest And you build the economy could the economy create employment to clear employment opportunities for your citizenry Investing agriculture to our food security and the rest of it. We don't embark on that You look at peaky style when it was governor of River state what are the projects that the impact of construction of roads and bridges? and flyovers rather Construction of roads and flyovers and that he has brought to abuja again. Well, why does abuja need the largest water park? What do we need that for the major problem as the minister of first city? What should be his priorities major problem? Which year is to provide to take care of the security of security of abuja and restore abuja back to his master plan The water park is the deep parts in abuja I didn't fully utilize now the present part Because I recall when I fly was minister. He created a lot of gardens. He tried to restore abuja back to To his former To his proper his proper master plan and then there were a lot of gardens He won in abuja. They've been fully utilized now Now to talk of completing an outlandish Outlandish white elephant projects which require a lot of so if you have been to the largest The largest water park in Africa you get the largest fund for it And then for for the next three years you keep budgeting for it because you have set the An outlandish an outlandish goal and then becomes a pipeline through which you siphon public funds I'm not as well as I'm concerned. Is it water park? Um, let me use the president gap Sometimes um My concern here is could he even be an ego play because when people come into power Most times they want to say oh, I made this I created this. This was my project. Um, and so Working in my head. I'm like, could could it be that we can want to say oh, I went to abuja And this wasn't me. I created this just to have that legacy that you know in years to come They're like, oh, yes, some weekend was the one who um brought up this idea executed Well, there's that and there's also the part of just having to siphon money. Well, we never know Anyways, this is what we have to do What they stand and what purpose? pet project be even like kids having pet pet project So it's a public service is not for you to go after your pet project or your personal Personal pride or image is about service in the best interest of the people. Thank you very much for having me Thank you so much. He's always, you know a good time having you and he just coming to share your valuable contributions Thank you for reviewing the paper with me this morning It's a pleasure to share the platform with a beautiful lady starting the month on a smiling note. Yes. Thank you Thank you so much. Have a good day All right, if it's taking to gday jensen is a chief lecturer at nigerian institute of journalism who's joining us Here in lego states who go on a short break and when we return we'll be looking at our first hot topic Please stay with us