 Well, it's a little breakfast and plus TV Africa open a boat and Katariah is on standby. He joins us by a phone this morning. And Katariah, it's good to have you join us. Good morning. Yeah. Good morning, open a boat. Well, let's take a quick, yes, please. Let's take a quick look at the leadership newspaper this morning. We also have the puncher, the nation and the Guardian newspaper. But I start off with the leadership. The leadership says, as in security in not East escalates, government killed 37 police officers in 52 attacks. Emo records highest attacks, casualties. We cannot or we can't tell exact number of police killed. A boy, your command is quoted to say, CSO security expert blame situation on unemployment, marginalization and hunger. Away from the board caption armed forces, the president, Mohamed Abouhari, governor's IGP pay tribute to fallen heroes. Yesterday was armed forces remembrance day. There's also a pictorial representation of that event on the front page of the leadership newspaper. Nigel government condemns killing of Catholic priest, attack on church. That's also another unfortunate and sad, you know, incident that took place. If you see the picture and the videos, I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about this morning. President Mohamed Abouhari congratulates Clem Agba on South Korean award. And just before we move away from the leadership, 21 died, 95 injured in Bao Chi Pla, two road accident. I expose Obasanjo's third time bead to Senate. Ben Obi is, uh, you know, proud to say. That's the much we can take this morning on the leadership. Away from the leadership. We'll move on next to the punch newspaper, the banner headline for this morning bank borrowing from CBN rises 260% to a 21.87 trillion there with the right that their lenders frequent central bank lending windowpoles COVID-19 as business activities pick up. There's a picture of their story from the armed forces remembrance day celebration, uh, what are captioned there? We both demand benefits as federal government honors falling soldiers. Google on various portal for 2023 elections. Terrorist Lynch, Niger Prist, abduct five Katsina worshippers, NBA president, six constitution amendments, independent candidacy above the must head of the punch 42 COVID-19 infections recorded federal government rose out restrictions. All earnings rise 363 billion Naira in three months, 16 PDP supporters killed 83 injured in crash. Now got that on plant dishes out dangerous chemicals, threatens, restaurants, health. Those are the major stories you can find on the front page of the punch newspaper this morning. Let's take our attention from the punch and quickly look at the nation newspaper. The nation newspaper says, in spite of constitutional provision, the office of the attorney general of the Federation is yet to publish the audited accounts of the federal government for 2020 and 2021. It's, you know, on the top corner of that page there. Well, very unfortunate. The people have constantly asked, you know, how far we have fed with impunity and lawlessness in our system. Tunibu rallies, APC leaders, candidates for elections, it's boldly written on the nation ex governor or ex Lagos governor, governorship and national assembly, standard bearers, brainstorm. That's a rider you find underneath. Another says kidnapping. Amotecum firms up security in Southeast and petrol subsidy removal will unlock 11 trillion. This is according to what experts are reviewing in terms of our spending, expert reviews, spending. Well, very interesting. CBN's credit card takes off and we just, the Konoa hopeful of salary payment, AGF request members details, the headlines on the nation this morning. Away from the nation to the Guardian. Nigeria loses eight trillion now to FX arbitrage in three years with some riders there. Realistic exchange rate will add four trillion now to Federation account in 2023. Says Yusuf ex CBN director saying it's not intervention, but outcome of regulatory control among all the riders there. Also, Buhari or Shibajo lay rates to mark and forces remembrance that's under a pink strip there. Bakery calls for a new breed of leaders. On the green strip trim 228.1 billion national assembly budget or face lawsuit. Serap threatens La one by Jabiya Mila. Group expresses concern over cameras worsening health. All the stories of basket visits, 12 rescued kidnapped victims, health security officers, Nigeria's energy transition mad by debt subsidies stranded. Or those are all of the stories you can find on the front page of the Guardian this morning. Okinawa Katara. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate your time. I like us to take a look at the leadership newspaper this morning. What are your thoughts, statistics and reports from the leadership talks about in security in the southeastern part of the country. Gunman kill about 37 police officers and 50 in 52 attacks. How do you respond? Attempt by the federal government to look the other way so that the South East will be become a full of blood. Recently, we just had suddenly two about the killing of the priests. That is so, so, so touching where it took one full hour for these criminals who tried to rate and who tried to invade the premises of the priests and when they filled the budget. One hour and there was no response from the culture of the police in the South East. Now they say how many policemen have been killed. Yes, it is hard. This policeman were trained by Nigerians and the taxpayers money. But then what of the civilians that are killed on daily basis? What has the federal government done? So it is quite disturbing. I believe the whole essence is to prevent elections in the South East. They want to instill fear in Southeast and all those residents in the South East so that elections will not take place in that area. Suddenly we have a president that is doing nothing about it. I don't know if I should say it's also complicit. But this situation in the South East security has reached its climax. Anything beyond this is a war. All right, let's take the security situation one step further. Let's look at the armed forces. Yesterday was the armed forces remembrance days. Some of the papers captioned it in different ways. The leadership said armed forces, the PMB governor's IGP paid tribute to fallen heroes. The poem says, we those demand benefit as federal government honors fallen soldiers. Open about the 15th of January every Nigerians, the leaders that they read to honor as it were the fallen heroes. But most of the times when we hear the stories from those they have left behind, it is a harrowing experience. Is it would you say it's just mere lip service? The federal government is not so bothered or is not really doing the needful when it comes to the welfare of these people who have paid a supreme price as in those they left behind. All right, the fallen heroes. Yesterday was the armed forces remembrance day. You know, would you say the federal government has done enough in terms of what they need to do for those they have left behind? Because most times it's always about laying reads and honoring them as it were. OK, I think I, I just have a question now. The truth about it is that the federal government has not even done enough for the living. Those who are still serving, the dead ones are forgotten. This issue of armed forces remembrance is just a ritual that has to be performed and they go there and make all kinds of species and they leave. And that's the end. If you observe the spouses of those fallen heroes complain, their widows and widows complain on daily basis how they have been neglected. In most cases, even the allowances or benefits or whatever are not paid. So the spouses of the widows or widowers. So the issue of remembering the dead is is a fleeting illusion. I mean, no, no body, no president. I'm not not just Mr. President. Mama Dubwari, it is not in the culture, not in our Nigerian culture. Most presidents will just go there without the species that have been written for them and walk away. And these other ones, the survivors are left to their fate. We're even talking of the ones that are serving, believing nothing is done. They don't even equip them. They don't pay the allowances and so on. And that's why these soldiers and these policemen always take the loss into their hands. You can see a policeman killing for just a hundred naira. You see a soldier captain, a major involved in armed robbery, involved in kidnapping and all kinds of criminality. Because the federal government, I'm not trying to justify it, but because the federal government has neglected our heroes, both serving and dead. So this issue of armed forces members is just a year in each one that has to be performed, not that they really have the interest of the dead or even their survivors at heart. That is far from it. I'd like to share your thoughts on, you know, the unfortunate incident. I know you have mentioned it, you know, the incident where bandits born a Reverend Father to Death and some people have described this as barbaric. But why is it that we haven't been concerned about the state of insecurity in Nigeria? Now, the federal government has gone this is, and I'll tell you why. You remember, the former service chiefs I'm talking of Burakai and Co. You can't do this. So much was allocated, released to them to fight terrorism by the three and so on. Their successors came on board and indicted them by saying there is no justification for the money's released. The NSA converted that story and what happened, they were rewarded with an basacral appointment. A former general of police was ordered by the C in C commander in chief but not just talking of president now commander in chief to relocate one of these states. Months after the commander in chief went to that state, I was told that the IG never slept in that place, which was a very serious offense in the military. What did the C in C do? He said I will investigate. He went back and that IG retired served out his term as assistant general of police. When you have this level of impunity, what do you expect the people to do? This is the man you are talking about is priest. They said it took them one hour they could not penetrate his house. Because he had raised an alarm that his life was in danger. Nothing, nothing was done. Now, because they could not penetrate, they bunched down that house. One hour there was no body, no security man, no security, the security opponents were not there to intervene. And after the act had been done, you come out to say you're on top of the situation, on top of the situation in a situation that you cannot reverse. You are talking about lies. So there is high level of complicity by the government. You know, the those of us in the ghosting a deputy commissioner of police and a DSS officer were arrested in the ghosting. Why? Because the government of the ghosting insisted and shot because this crime, the kidnapping was approaching a frightening dimension in the ghosting. And what did he do? He brought in men from the force headquarters and by the time they investigated, a deputy commissioner of police and a senior DSS officer were involved in the kidnapping and that was why it was thriving. They were arrested. Now they will go to the ghosting. The situation is not as bad as it was. So it depends on being head of the government at any particular point in time. There's level of commitment and level of sincerity. All right, open up. Let's take another story on the nation newspaper, which is actually this issue of petrol subsidy. You know, there's time around petrol subsidy removal will unlock 11 trillion Naira expert reviews are spending. Well, this is common in the wake of where the the federal government has earmarked him, you know, so much money again, this time around this year between January and June enough to spend on petrol subsidy. What's your take on all of this, upon the ball? If we want more opinion on subsidy, petrol subsidy removal. Yeah. My dear brother, this is the same government that said they will go subsidy. Unfortunately, this is the same government that has spent so much on the true subsidy. It's a fraud. It doesn't come. You have a capital in charge of this. We can be surprised that the new study plan is they push out to be directed like that because of the Minister for Petroleum. And they have failed work. And this was in fact as a salary job, it was Petroleum Minister as president, he still the Petroleum Minister and look at the price of petroleum, but I can't do it for as much as four fifty, five hundred Naira per litre. What are you subsidizing? We are actually subsidizing. It's a cartel. It's a great victory. How much has been invested in our refineries? And nothing has happened. So much is being put in and nothing to show for it. We are still exporting crude and importing the refined produce. It is unheard of. It has never happened in any part of the world before. Now you say you want to remove subsidy. Anywhere in the world, these products are subsidized anywhere in the world. But the difference is that in other civilized clients, they ensure they reduce if not eliminate the fraud in subsidy. Now you say you're going to remove subsidy. It's going to have a domino effect because the market will not increase our prices. The landlord will increase his rents. The last will increase the price of cash. Now your salary is not being increased. What happens? I'm not going to settle that because Nigeria will react. So it's not all about the issue of subsidy. It's about the fraud in the subsidy. And the President is part of that fraud. I'm sorry to say because he's the minister for Petroleum. So you cannot absolve Mr. President. He's the minister for Petroleum. All right. Open up. Interesting one there. Let's take one or two more just before we wrap up. Let's talk about Nigeria energy transition. There's a story there on the Guardian just on the red strip. It says that Nigeria's energy transition met by debt subsidies and stranded oil. I know you just talked about you know, petrol subsidy. But then the federal government seems to believe they can do more either with gas that's down around. We hope that open about joins us shortly before we call it a wrap this morning on off the press. But yeah, you know, some of the issues that you have raised or the questions and concerns that you have raised are very valid. And for me, I think that this probably will not be the first time we're having conversations to say it over and over again. So we always have this conversation. I mean, this story still make it to the front pages. We keep talking about it every other time. And I feel like we're going in circle as a nation, because it's like there's so much talking and nothing has been done. I think it's been done to the other end. You begin to ask, is it that we're not in the know of what's going on? Those of course, you know, exactly. We feel it. So what can exactly is the issue? Is it that we lack because some people actually benefiting from all of these anomalies system? Because if we say this is a system, then the system should be able, you know, to pour yourself with all of this sort of impunity. That's what it should be. I mean, we live in a democratic dispensation. Because every other time on television or any other, you know, platform, it begins to sound sound like we're helpless people. Like because that's what it is. It's like, oh, you know, it's this is what's going on. There's really nothing that we can do. And so we say, hey, because we need to. It's a situation like I'm being sick. You know you're sick. And doctors have actually told you what to take the drugs you're supposed to take. But you know that if you took those drugs, you'd be better off. But then you are not taking those drugs. So it means that you are not ready to change. We had to open up all is back. Open up, thanks for joining us again. Open up. Are you with us? Yes, hello. All right, just before we lost you, we're talking about we're still talking about him, Nigeria's energy. There's a story on the Guardian. It says that Nigeria's energy transition mired by dead subsidies and stranded oil. This is in the wake of when almost all economies are talking about green energy that we are renewable energy. But here we're still talking about like you just mentioned petrol subsidy and the issues of gas and kerosene. We really think that this federal government's policy of trying to make so much out of gas would actually see the light of day. The reason having. I think we have lost them up on a ball, not like lost. We've been disconnected. But another issue that we'll be looking at because our current economy, we say that we've been grappling with revenue. Revenue seem to be the major issue. And for some people, when you begin to look at state government, they say, oh, if you look at how much a certain state has collected in terms of allocation, it's not enough to run the government. Now that might be a very valid point. They should look internally. But you know another question that we have. Another thing that's been on us is I haven't seen a government. I haven't seen any country that has, you know, say we have enough. You know, yes. I haven't seen any country that said, hey, we have been allocated. There's a country that comes to say, oh, it's such a sector has gotten enough allocation or the budget is enough. Because I know that, you know, the want of human beings or human needs can never be, you know, met. So the more you have, we can never get to a point where we say we have enough resources or resources or enough funds as it were. But the big question is, with the little that we have, with the little that has been allocated to different sectors, with the little that the state governors are receiving, whether it's been reduced from the center, from world earnings, how far have we fed with it? How far have we managed this resources? What results have we, you know, been able to achieve? Let's look at how we have been able to allocate these resources to the benefit of the people. And we hope to see, you know, infrastructure or development or what of you, because that will be the essence of it. So yes, it goes beyond saying we're not ending it off. We have a revenue challenge, but the little that you are earning or the resources. What have you done with it? What have you done with it? Remember the parable of the might. Remember the parable of the might. But then, those parables that were told to us, they actually have impactful, you know, substance, even to this very age, you were given one talent. But the parable of the talent that is, you were given one talent, you were given two, you were given several, you know, but you went to hide or consume or deferred your own state and say that, come out to say that you are not giving enough. But then, like you validly said, the little that you have, what have you done with it? If you are faithful and lead to, you will be faithful in March. So it also goes to the fact that most states' government should actually look beyond going cap in hand to the federal government or FAC every month to get allocations and everything. What have you been able to do from your own state? Lagos is always used as an example when it comes to internally generated revenue. It is not as a single allocation from the federal government. They make a lot. I was privileged to attend a 30-year plan that the Lagos state government outlined sometime last year. They are actually making plans for 2050. They have plans on projected revenue and it's not just about what they are going to get from the federal government. They are making the most of investment from the private sector international community and even taxation and they have plans of an airport but they are going to be funded not from this state government's cover but from individuals. It is a private public partnership and it doesn't have to go every month begging as it were for allocation from the central. If we look at it in that case, we talk about the issue of subsidy and we have heard that subsidy is a scam. Even this administration was not in support of subsidy. Let's say anything about it. They have been subsidizing as I said. They never say never. We have been talking about subsidy. Who is subsidizing? Should we subsidize? At what point should we subsidize? Why should we subsidize in the first instance? If we say we are taking out subsidy, what should we have in place to ensure that everything moves smoothly? Why don't we have a refineries function? What business do we still have in 14 petrol products? There is a lot and it's really depressing to say the least to say, very, very depressing. Now that we hear that our revenue has increased, all earnings we have improved for the past three months, is that a plus for us? What exactly are we doing? What will we see have high cost of governance in the news, the National Assembly? Do you see almost the budgeting for the severance package? No, why not? Why not? And it's really saddening because every other time, Justin, this is not new because if you also look at how much we allocate to capital spending and recurring expenditure, we've heard that we always chunk our resources to the cost of running governance and that's not very productive because for every nation that wants to get it right, it's expected that we see how much you spend on capital because that's how you get to the point of development. We'll take a breakdown. When we return, we'll be looking at more critical issues right here on the breakfast. Please stay with us.