 Well, it's a beautiful Thursday morning and thanks for joining us. It's time for us to go through the pages of our dailies We'll call it off the press as the colonia. I took joints us via zoom this morning all the way from a quibrom state It's good to have you join us what we call Well, we hope that we are able to All right, then thank you so much less enough with the leadership Newspaper this morning has been made available by a paper vendor also have all the papers In front of us, but I'll take a look at the leadership. It talks about 2023 tunable or be on warpath over supporters Alternatives which you find Call them to other APC presidential candidate tells the labor part presidential flag bearer and says Biafra obedient members are beds of a feather It's height of mischief to link my supporters to separatists. That's what will be scooter to say Pop hasn't told me to reject APC campaign DJ appointment La long is quoted on that and platue governor's emergence or emergency has specified nothing APC Christians Stakeholders are quoted to see I mean there's a ride as you find underneath the caption You find federal government can't borrow 1.1 trillion our to meet asses demand David Rumae is quoted to say and dozens infected with new Langyang virus in China. It just was we're grappling with you know, COVID monkey pokes. What of you? Train attack terrorists free family of six women Terrorists free family of six women and Kenya election It's still photo finish for Odinga and Ruto That's what you find and just before we move away from the leadership Be firm in discharging your duties federal governments orders new correctional officers These are the headlines some of it on the leadership And straight to the nation newspaper. We have the following headlines a big one there PDP crisis why are you must quit now by ex-party chair PDP Crisis why are you must quit now by ex-party chair? Rider to that body George chairman candidate can't come from same zone one zone That's what body George is saying the chairman can candidate can't come from one zone And sure wiki had made that request via his his group his supporters his men They also made that request as well EFCC to try three officials for altering pardon list. That's an interesting one to look into NSCIA CAN signed 2023 Peace Pact talking about the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and the Christian Association of Nigeria It's interesting to see the two true legends Corporating so Hope that leads to better things. I had of 2023 don't see people fighting That because of religion train attack terrorist free family of six Hossages rain in your supporters tinnable campaign tells OB and Nicaradolou urges Nigerians to Sean religious division as some stories from the nation take the final to APC next meeting for next month And bandits abduct five family members those are the headlines on the front page of the national of the nation Away from the nation. We took a look at the punch newspaper Dwindling revenue. Now you're facing essential threat while bank warrants and That's boldly written on the punch now you find the writer saying says country ranks lowest in income among 115 countries Insist subsidy should go Federal government borrows 2.45 trillion narrow from the central bank of Nigeria in six months despite fiscal risk Interesting And 2023 wrong choice will consume Niger says former president to lisha gunobasan drawer and federal government to generate 484 billion narrow from e-payment channels Terrorists release seven kaduna train passengers abduct five And or massacre security agencies begin manhunt for financiers Robbers strike again escape. Please make excuse And 12 year old kills Nigerian mother and yours blames intruder. I mean that story was also Retold after a time. He gave a different story and then he said it was an accidental discharge And the police is also Corporating that particular one, but that's the much we can take this morning on the punch newspaper The follow paper on our table. It's a daily trust It goes with these this lead story Muslim Muslim ticket as a kicker in the headline pope not against my tinnables campaign dg offer a long Interesting. Yeah, the pope has been brought into this conversation Pope not against my tinnables campaign dg offer along that side of paper put it puts it and it says Shatima selection not a religious affair Obesity supporters defaming me tinnable. It's not true LP presidential candidate interesting one more from daily trust buhari supports regulator Backs down on separate purchase of exon mobile asset. It seems like a game of musical chairs Uh, or merry-go-round if you won't call it that how could do the scholarship loan scheme is changing indigent students lives how could do the scholarship loan scheme is changing indigent students Lives jize bank grows balance sheet to over 300 billion there 2023 sultan can sign packed to deescalate religious situation Early signs show tight cayenne presidential election 109 billion narrow fraud ex-accountant general edris seeks plea bargain And are you to run for senate after prison release? Oh my god, um, let's start from there because that's the last one Is it her architect is equally I took your thoughts on the possibility of an ex convict Not that he's not he doesn't have his rights Joshua the area who just got a pardon being uh in the Nigerian senate You see Nigerian politics has been um something that causes me a little worry I'm concerned the concept of interests Have to be very very carefully looked into because We have pain to draw a line between politics and governance You know We we have failed to realize that this vehicle that we are admiring was actually intended to take us somewhere To send and admiring the vehicle without the essence being explored becomes worrisome issue Why am I saying this? The man comes from prison and he's going to run for an offering for the senate Now I wouldn't be bothered if this guy has been so competent He's been somewhere that has such high level of integrity and if you get to run public polls I would say yes He was a victim and now we really want him to come and continue his good services If that was the case Then I can understand But that's definitely not the thinking in the mindset in Nigeria The thinking is like who will help me win a lecture who will be able to bring the his his his um political Sargacity as it were to help me win a lecture I wish that um We had a different mindset as to our leadership recruitment criteria with us I'm almost sounding discordant, but It's it's it's it's it's trouble some is worrisome It bothers a lot that we have at this point not able to make it first From what good governance and the imperative All right, it's a Kenya. I took let's quickly take a look at the leadership newspaper Dave umai might just be holding brief for the federal government He says the federal government can borrow 1.1 trillionaire to meet our system and yet we also have reports where you know The finance minister is saying hey, we gave approval for 1.4 billionaire for vehicles for officials in Nigeria republic What do you make of this? It all comes to our understanding of the essence of governance That's the foundation that the bottom line now The government is not sincere. The government is not transparent and for us to it's like two can play You tell me you don't have money to pay me and this is the way you're spending money It just doesn't add up if you don't have money. Let me understand. We don't have Let's all understand. We don't have to let all make sacrifices How do you remunerate the politician? If there is a financial issue, let's all suffer it That's why there's there's a bill that has been proposed by the presidential candidate of a dc Which is let's let the leadership Enjoy what the followerships enjoy Can we stop your children from pulling abroad? We want to seek public office Can we stop them from going abroad for medical treatment? Can we all enjoy what the citizens enjoy and suffer what the citizens suffer? So that we now know that when there's no money, there's no money to make sacrifices So for us who they have a point I'm going to say they have a point because you can't tell me to tighten my belt when you are losing your own belt Doesn't add up if it's not there. We know it's not there On the other hand The truth is that Nigeria does not have bad money So you can see it's two people playing games Like two elephants fighting and who is suffering the future of Nigeria When you look at them as students don't get the picture These are not students. These are the future of Nigeria And I think it's high time that we They they we call ourselves elders and patriots We could cut out way into this conversation And let us tell people the imperative then especially at a time like this For all those who want to be our president those who want to be our governors that time that conversation has to be now because We have this idea. I'm just going to the coaster ride. I just want to ride We're just going to continue like that. Let's hope that we don't continue like that and then roll into the next dispensation for another four to 80 years Let's rather use this period as a transition period where we enlighten the people for the incentives of good governors and leadership So that we have to have paradigm shift Is it can I talk let's even delve into this issue. It's a big problem for us as a country If you look at it the issue of revenue Seems to be posing a lot of threat You know to every sector of the economy and to be realistic The government is saying they don't have money. That's what it means and the only option is to borrow So, um, how do we solve this problem of You know revenue generation of having what it takes, you know to finance I mean basic projects or you know capital infrastructure rather than relying and borrowing I'll tell you this And I just need to hear me and hear me. Well, I'm a private sector person I come into my office I check the books And I discover that wow my revenue and my experience each other have a problem The first thing that comes to my mind is Is it possible for me to rev up my revenue? Is it going I took? Oh, who seemed to have lost connection with Ezeko and yeah, I took as soon as we're able to establish contact We'll definitely have him but we're back here in the studio Ezeko Yeah, I took Yes, I'm back. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Go ahead I'm asking can I rev up my revenue in any way if I can't the second part is sort of financial re-engineering To put down Resize either my boss or the pages that I'm having Now we are at that point in Nigeria Where we need to put our conversation to asking this presidential candidate To what extent do you know for a fact the core financial spending of Nigeria? And that applies to everybody who wants to be a governor as well because Nigeria is not just a federal government It is also the state federating units and the FCT goes with the federal government Now What is correct always financial spending? What are our obligations? And what are our generations at this? Can we look at areas that we can treat down downsize and that does not actually mean retrain me It means the remuneration of our public office holders Does the president need to have the number of feet he has in his jets he has in his blitz Do national assembly need to have a bi-camera or a unit camera assembly? They need to be of full time or part time for now These are the conversations and they need to have the numerations and remuneration that where are we spending our money if you do synthetic analysis of our budget You look at the capital and then the recurrent you assume that it comes on the recurrent And we borrow total current and this is just an architect But I don't need rocket science to know that you don't borrow Because recurrent does not repay Or you cannot show me the the net does between Pay the man and his productivity Is too much so that it will be able to generate enough of the repair the mindset is Let me just manage and live manage and live no politics tomorrow So there has to be an interface between the government and the people where the interface has to put a second um As a team Wait on responsibility on government to think of the next generation and not just the next election All right Is it going to let's stay with the the daily trust and this story is also captured by a number of other papers as well Despite the the rhetoric going around especially from supporters Opponents of the all progress this congress and its same faith ticket We have the sultan and the christian association of nigeria some papers will say the national supreme council for islamic affairs or the nigeria supreme council for islamic affairs whichever it is signing a pact To de-escalate religious tension ahead of 2023. I think uh, you would agree that this is a very welcome development But normally yes It depends on the degree of sincerity of the two bodies involved and I want to be generic. I want to be general raffle When the the the islamic body have their in-house meeting What is their honest mindset? When the christians Have their in-house meeting the leaders What is their honest disposition? Is it to defend their faith and interest? Or to think of the corporate world of the nation in totality Now I would expect the christian to think of the generality of the people I am a christian and I know that the christian faith which is love and accommodation As a matter of fact If you are a real christian You are almost going to think of your neighbor more than yourself People that god eventually said love your neighbor love yourself Which means put your neighbor at par with yourself And that neighbor Is not defined by your religious inclination It's devoid of class or any form of divides I don't know about the muslim religion So I know that the christians could think of not only themselves but their brethren On the other hand Nobody is going to feel in danger So why are the christian wants to feel patriotic They need to know that they are saved and are forgiven and they have their rights within the constitution To have whatever it's their entitled and the nation by the constitution cause as A state that is not subject to particular religion Now that is not properly animated In the constitution itself, there's a lot of discrepancies Because while you can hardly find the word christian or jitters in the constitution Can't think of any Muslim Muhammad and all those are written in the constitution We really need to have a conversation as a nation on how we really want to treat this supposed secularity of nigeria So that deceit makes each person be cautious, you know, and then it's not very A lot of times when they have this conversation These are caught and things like that. I find it difficult to really know how honest they really are Okay, um, we'll still come back to the economy, but this time it's on the punch newspaper It talks about the warning of the world bank talk a Nigerian facing Existential threat and the fact that we rank lowest in income among 15 115 countries They're insisting that subsidy must go I think that I have always said that there is something absolutely insincere On patriarchy and I'll say damage About this kind of subsidy You can't tell me how much is being The figures don't add up Some years back. I've said this before There was an audit Here we're supposed to be consuming about, you know, 35 million liters per day And they say no that 35 is an exaggeration. It should actually be in the neighborhood of 25 million liters after that period We've had the kovat Where there was a global meltdown We had economic recessions And within this same period Yet people cannot move freely because of their restriction in their financing The figure has moved at a rate of over a hundred million And then coming back to hover around twice the higher figure of the past How how does this add up? And we're saying something about it And we're still All runs within the concept of subsidy That is one full Port of argument the second part of argument has to do with Who is really being subsidized? We are using the poor as a base and we are using the name of the poor to enrich the rich Why why say so? It aggregates the consumption of the poor in this whole thing all those linear people They are the saloon generators the bike riders and you put all those things they amount to less than 10 Of consumption 10 percent a gross gross Exaggeration of the figure The other 90 percent Is consumed by the banks that have feet of cars The corporate bodies that have fleet of cars And then That have this This v8 engines that just consume Well like no man's business So who are you subsidizing? It 10 percent, which is an exaggeration Or the 80 percent And think in terms of the amount of money that is involved now going into trillions It's a big job Let's stick down and we have an honest conversation on how we can forget subsidy and then empower the poor It's just 50 percent 50 percent so that we can keep 50 percent of ourselves and bring that other 50 percent to set up Honest body like they try to do with PTDF Ask how can we solve the problems of the poor honestly sincerely in a way that the poor can feel? Yes, I've been accommodated at the end of the day If the poor are being given 10 percent of the resources They would have been given 50 percent of the resources country would have spent 50 percent of what they've been spending before and have earned additional 50 percent which they can use in other things And then we would have been On where the poor is the better off. I think this is just a simple mindset. I would apply to this subsidy camp All right, it's okay. I'll keep you on the business lane Um or in economy, uh, we stay with the punch as well. Um, it says fg to generate 484 billion era from e-payment channels. That sounds like music to our ears We look at how difficult it's been in terms of revenue generation for and the fiscal a fiscal crunch For this president's administration But for the past few years 484 billionaire from e-payment channel Now what the punch is saying is that the federal government is set to make a total of 483.73 A billionaire in three years from the electronic payment boom By way of electronic money transfer levy This projection was made by the budget office of the federation and revealed in its 2023 to 2025 medium-term expenditure framework and fiscal strategy paper Of course, it goes on to say in the next two paragraphs The this is a single one of charge of 15 era on electronic receipts Or transfer of money deposited in any deposit money bank or financial institution on any type of account on sums of 10 000 So when you send that money to me, sir, maybe we do a test That's 15 era charge That is going to you're going to see as extra is what they've been collecting and this amounts to 483.73 billion Naira in the past them in in in in three years in three years Um or two years, right? This is amazing But I want to talk about it in light of the fact that we're even seeing more taxes with this e-payment levy or e-levy Up there. We're still going to be charged some more for the data we use and the calls we make I'll tell you this I went to Yes, I went to Rwanda to register a company with my friend And they gave me a console, you know, within 30 minutes it was done and then they told me six hours You'll get yourself I did everything and then brought out my card and I was told to go You don't need to pay a dime I'm telling you the situation. You don't need to pay a dime And then rather we want to help you Incompete your business to come profit Because when it becomes profitable, then we are able to get tax from you that makes sense For instance, if you have two cows one Very lean and you keep taking the wheel The meal just comes in three coats because it's there But another man patins the cow And the cow is very rich and then the meal just just keeps forming Nigeria believes in That that that cow that's almost dead Just keep draining whatever is there so that you can have even a cup of milk for your own Even if that cow dies that is business But the mindset should be How do we encourage Nigerians? How do we fatten them? So that willingly Petrotic postings of oh my country helped me to come to where I'm with them. We can now only pay whatever The government is looking for every way to bring back the charges on the people and let me say this It seems to be a very good understanding and it's not difficult to understand to see Between the government and the banks Now all these charges that are being made Is this money going to come from what the banks have been collecting already because you tell the bank What are you collecting these monies for? Or are they going to transfer it back to the people to pay more so that they can make more money How many have looked at the back the sheets of the bank And it's a lot of business going on within the back end of banks a lot of things This this unclaimed dividends this demand accounts. These are all sorts of the deposits that are accounted for You know the same understanding between the banks and the system All right, it's the call The people Ezeko, we have to go if they want to make yeah, let me just say they may want to make more money But the question is at this expense. That's the line I want to know All right. All right. Thank you Ezeko Nyaito for being part of the breakfast We have to go now because we're out of time Thanks for having me it's a pleasure all the time All right great inside you have brought to the papers this morning And that's the size of off the press would return tomorrow with more interesting headlines and conversation Analysis coming your way when we return it'll be time for us to be looking at our first major topic right here. Please stay with us