 The House of Representatives passed the 2022 Appropriation Act, raising the budget size to 17.126 Trillionaire from 16.39 Trillionaire. And also this morning we will look through the papers and see what major stories have made headlines across the country this morning on the breakfast. Thanks for joining us on the breakfast here on Plus TV Africa. I am Osaugi Ogbon. And I am Messi Bofors. Good to have you join us this beautiful morning. Yes it is. And as you make it to work this morning, we are still counting down to Christmas. Three days left till it is the 25th and so we're of course continuing to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and you know, very interesting celebrations as the 2021 year wraps up. But of course we always start the program this morning with top trending stories and share with you what major conversations have made headlines across the whole country in the last 24 hours. And we're starting here in Lagos where the Yava Chiefs Magistrate Courts has granted bail to the five accused in the death of Sylvester Oremoni, the Dowan College student, a young boy who was killed a few weeks ago. And of course that has of course created a lot of conversations across the country. There's arguments as to whether murder is a bailable offence and what not. And of course what the family is currently dealing with. And that's one of the things that I also had to focus on reading the story yesterday that they've been granted bail. They were first of all sent to juvenile detention. We didn't last for long and then of course they were granted bail. For me I'm really concerned mostly about what the family is currently dealing with. I've continuously said that no family deserves to go through this. Not just losing the child but the whole torturous process of having to go through the court process and the police investigation, the autopsy and some of all of that. It is just really, really, really painful. And I feel bad for the family, the parents mostly of this very, very sweet young boy. I feel really, really bad for them and my heart continues to go out to them. But for now they've been granted bail. Let's see where the court or the case continues to lead and where it builds up to. Well, that has also, I mean the conversation has been around that particular action from the court granting bail. And some people are asking is this really justice, can this compensate for the death of this young boy and the pain like you have mentioned that the family is going through. Now the issue of homicide, because he's been charged, I mean the case now is homicide. And when you look at what homicide is or what it is in the law that you cost the debt of another person. So it has been established. However, I'm sure that the family at some point will begin to might, you know, come to, will begin to accept or come to some term of accepting peace or finding peace. Because looking at all of the interviews and all of the interaction, they constantly said they wanted justice. Now, and if the courts have actually, because that's what homicide is, the fact that one is responsible for the death of another person and conspiracy, homicide and conspiracy. And you want to talk about the fact that, you know, this person's actually committed an unlawful act, the plan to commit an unlawful act. So all of this has been established. It's been established that this set of, you know, kids or this children, five of them cost the debt of, you know, Sylvester Romino. And I think that that's one thing that we can actually, you know, bank on. It's something. But whether that is enough compensation or it's enough, like you have mentioned, it's a case of mother year and whether because you would say mother, it's an intentional, you know, an act to kill someone. But however it is, someone is dead. And, you know, with the law, it is the law. Now, also, another case also is the fact that they are juveniles because you also want to begin to look at it. And I remember sometime having this conversation with my folks or with some folks. And we talked about the fact that if, you know, kids within this age is because the law in the country would say a child who is age seven is not criminarily responsible. So whether they commit a crime or not, they're not. But under the age of 17, you would say that, yes, you know, they can be sent to the juvenile detention and what have you. And some persons will say, we'll probably just allow them turn 18. And then the law should meet up with them when they turn 80. Maybe we should begin to, you know, have these laws that when they turn 18, wherever it is that they are, they are made to face, you know, the real sentence and what have you. Well, there are sides, you know, what the law says. You know, I think there's also, you know, specific laws, you know, in Lagos state, you know, for protection of the child. So I think those are some of the things that they would also, you know, have to look at, you know, whether those laws are currently in place or not. You know, they have been tried as adults or tried as juveniles. It's the case is not over yet. You know, they've just been granted bail. I'm sure that they will still have multiple court cases. You know, there would be, of course, a prosecution trying to prove their point. You know, I was saying yesterday that I need to be sure what exactly is the best charge for them, because if you place the wrong charge at them, they can beat the case. But, you know, they haven't been found guilty. You know, there was, of course, the dying confession and dying statements of Sylvester that will, of course, be administered in court or would be put in the whole case. So these things will eventually play out. I'm hoping, you know, that everyone continues to focus and ensure that they do not take their eyes off the case. The story of somebody or one of the students being flown abroad, you know, I didn't get to see much about that, whether that was true or not. If he's one of the five people who has been granted bail now or, you know, he didn't even come back to Nigeria, and the story is true. But the case continues, you know, and we would see where, you know, the Lagos State, you know, government is able to lead with this and, of course, what the criminal justice system eventually, you know, ends up with this. I drive by that school every day on my way home, you know, so every day I'm reminded of, you know, his death, and reminded of how painful it is, you know, because if you drive by, you would see, you know, policemen in front of the gate and then you would see, you know, also just by the gate there, flowers and gifts and balloons, you know, that were brought for his birthday a couple of days after he passed. So it's a painful reminder every day, you know, of that story. And, you know, I just continue to, I would just continue to follow up to see where this leads and, you know, see, you know, if they will get the justice that they seek. Well, we hope that they get the justice and the seek because if you look at the cost of events and things that has happened, you know, in 2021, this is one of its very painful. And I also like the fact that, you know, everyone has been very involved, not entirely, but like you have mentioned, it would be a good thing that we follow through to ensure that, you know, justice is actually served. All right. Away from Sylvester and, of course, the Darwin College issue. Let's move to Zaria now, where there was once again a northeast bleeding protest yesterday that led to the arrest of eight, you know, of the protesters by the Nigerian police. This has, you know, gone on for a couple of weeks now, where Nigerian citizens living in northern Nigeria have come out to protest against the Nigerian government's failure to protect lives and property. If you remember yesterday, we spoke about, you know, another 40, 38, you know, 23 different figures here and there, people who have been murdered in the last 48 hours in Kadunah and in Nassar, I think, state. And so the northeast bleeding protest has continued. It started a few weeks ago and has continued. But yesterday's protests eventually led to the arrest of eight of these individuals, which is pretty interesting, because I've, you know, multiple times, and not just in the south, not just in Lagos, not just in Abuja also, the Nigerian police has continued to seemingly be totally against protesting and the rights to protest here in Nigeria. And we've complained about this. You know, the Nigerians have also spoken about this multiple times. You know, why it seems like there, you know, there seems to be a clamp down on protests every single time. It doesn't even need to get violent or seem to be violent before the police immediately crack down on those protesters. But one angle that I would, you know, also point out is, you know, initially when this started a few weeks, I think two, three weeks ago, when there was the first north, this bleeding protest, there were online conversations as to, you know, why the protest is happening only in the north, you know, and why isn't, you know, southern part of Nigeria also joining in the protest and some of all of that. You know, people also looked at the number of people who actually even came out to protest and said, oh, these numbers are pretty small. It doesn't seem like they're there. Compared to when you have the elections. Yes, exactly. You know, so it doesn't seem like these people are really, really serious. You know, which are fair sentiments that you would hear here and there. There's also those who said, you know, it really doesn't really concern, you know, southern Nigeria because southern Nigeria has been protesting for a long time, you know, for cases that, you know, concern them and cases that don't even concern them, you know, and you would always get to hear some backlash from, you know, persons in the north. Some, you know, some random spokesperson of some random groups, you know, I remember during the end-sales protests also, there was a few individuals who came out and, you know, and condemned the end-sales protests and, you know, whatnot and said it was a, you know, it was an anti-Bohari protest or it was, you know, meant to, you know, to pull the country down or destabilize the country and some of all of that. Forgetting that some of the things that were mentioned in the end-sales protests were, you know, about protecting Nigerian citizens and, you know, Nigerian government standing up to its responsibility, stepping up to its responsibilities. And so, you know, I understand where those sentiments are coming from concerning whether the south should join, you know, whether they should be protesting the south, also demanding, you know, that there is security in the north and, of course, across the whole country. No, so it brings us back, you know, to the fact that when you remember that the protests started, we had all of those reactions. I mean, this comment's coming through saying, all hashtag end-sales, there was no police brutality and so we felt like the police brutality was just, you know, in a certain part of the country and not entirely across, you know, the federation. But you see, the fact that we have never been united or it seemed like, because as it is right now, it feels like we are united, but constantly you see that there's a lot of the vision and so we're saying we're divided to the north, we're divided to the south, the east and the west and that's the issue. But like you have mentioned, this is a fair, you know, sentiment, this is a fair consent and people are saying, when, you know, the south actually had all of this, I mean, when the protests, the hashtag, I saw those kind of comments, I read a lot of them and some people said, oh no, this is not it. There's nothing like police brutality. It was just being fabricated by some persons who are not pleased by the, you know, the administration of President Mohammed and what have you. But the truth is the entire country is bleeding and in different, you know, dimension, that's what it is. The issues are not, you know, the same. There are different issues, but we're all bleeding and whether we should come together. So it just shows you that the issue of security is a national issue and now that, you know, everyone is actually waking up to say, okay, some persons in another part of the country are waking up to say, we're joining the protests, we're speaking up, but should we join? You know, I don't know, I can't decide, but it just shows you that because it's not happened to you yet, doesn't mean it won't come. It might come in different colors, it might come in different forms and dimensions. So I think it's also, you know, sorry, I think it's, you know, so context is a little different, you know, here and there, you know, but the general idea is, you know, the fact that Nigerian citizens have continuously had, have always had a right to protest, you know, and so what their level of interest is, is what determines whether they will protest or not. There's people who will protest, you know, or who are controlled by, you know, their law for Nigeria and the fact that they want to always demand better government. There's those who are controlled by religion and, you know, that will determine whether they will protest or not. There's those who are controlled by money and that will determine whether they will protest or not. And so, you know, it's these different dimensions, dimensions here and there. And I know that that's also religion. It's also one of the things that has decided, you know, has been inside, in fact, as to whether certain groups will join a protest or not. But I'm thinking that, you know, if it should be for the cause of, like, when the protests actually started, the police brutality and police brutality in Nigeria, it was for the cause that, you know, a Nigerian somewhere, I can't really remember, you know, the exact name and all of that. That video that went viral somewhere around, you know, almost in Delta State here. You know, that led to that particular. So I say that even Nigerian, it doesn't really matter. So until we come to a point where we understand that one life actually, as long as you are Nigerian, it doesn't matter whether you're from the north or the south or the east or the west, we should come to that point. Now we're actually trying to get support from all of that. But what happens? So because it hasn't happened in your region, you shouldn't join. I'm hoping that we find, you know, one voice. That's number one. On the other hand, I am still very worried and totally disappointed. And constantly asking why we do not understand that everyone has a right to, you know, a peaceful assembly has been granted by the Constitution. And if the Constitution is a book that governs, you know, the affairs of the country and how we act and do not act, then why are we not respecting that? Is it that the Nigerian please do not or don't understand the dynamics of being in a democratic dispensation and having people protest? And people constantly say, how come it's so easy for us to flex our muscle when you find harmless people who come out? I mean, like we would say, if it was like Niger is just embracing protest, I was looking to some of my friends, you know, outside, and like, oh, it feels like we're just embracing protest at this point in time. But like I always say, protest has been used as a tool over time by different countries to demand from government what they want. And it has worked in several countries. You see people resign, you know, top government official resigning and stepping down because of protest and because when policies... So it brings us back to the fact that I don't understand who we govern. For every time we come out to seek that the people should, you know, vote for us and we want people to cast their votes and support us, who are you supporting? Government policies at the end of the day are supposed to translate to development, you know, policies that would, you know, touch the lives of the people. And at the end of the day, because it's part of the policy cycle, if the people are speaking right now, they are saying that the policies that you are making because whether or not government acts is a policy. So whether or not government decides to take care of, you know, the killings and react to all of the things that are happening, whatever they do or do not do, it's a policy. And so the people have a right. It's just a feedback into the system. So it's normal in a normal climate you would expect that people would sit back and pay attention to the things that these people are talking about. It is not rocket science. The people are saying the people are being killed. I mean, I watched the clip the other day. The lady, I mean, people are broken. People are dying. Life is not like the Mario game. I grew up playing Mario game and then you have four lives. So if you lose one, you have three. And then you can be careful with the three. Then you can be careless and then be careful when you have the remaining two. No, I'm just saying it's just one. You're gone and you're gone. So I really do not understand, but until we get to a point where we pay attention to the lives of people as a government and then maybe we need to just find a way to sing it. Maybe our leaders need to understand that it is our responsibility to protect lives and properties. That's why you're elected. And all of the excuses that, you know, I'm not the security officers of our state, but of course you collect security votes. What do you do with that? The fact that you are governor of the state, the lives of the people should be a major concern. I do not understand. And it is totally disappointing every other time you find the president saying, oh, we condemn the attacks. I am totally disappointed. We are disgruntled. And so we are invoked. No action. People are not being arrested. We know these persons. How long will we continue? But you know, it's getting to everybody. It's getting to no one is safe. Nobody is safe. I mean, the governors are not safe. The lawmakers are not left out. They can't actually walk into their constituency freely. I mean, we dare them to do that if you think it's easy. So we just need to sit back and find a way to solve the problem. Well, it depends on the level of interest that they have. There's too many angles to this, to be honest. And we may not have time to really go into them. But there's so much that needs to be said about the right to protest, about the actions of the police, when they see protest as about the failure of the Nigeria government to protect its citizens and then also clamping down on them when they complain. There's too much of it. And of course, the angle that we started with, if this should be a nationwide protest or not. And of course, the level of trust. I think there's some trust issues between one side and the other. And that's why one side decides, okay, you guys are protesting. We'll stay out of this one because we don't trust you. I think that's really where it is. And because right after this protest, if there's an election the next day, you guys are going to do the same thing that you did four years ago. But those are just the different angles and the different parts of the conversation. But people need to understand. Like I always say, sometimes you see statements being put out. And I say that until we understand that Nigeria is bigger than anybody. It's bigger than anybody's interest. It's not about the region. It's usually... So when anything happens, I mean, the fact that people are saying that there's police brutality. And somebody says, oh, this is about the president. It does not revolve around. That's why I said initially that there's different motivations for protest. And some people are protesting because they're actually tired. Some are protesting because they want to bring down governments. Some of them will not protest because the person in government is benefiting from person in government or maybe because they're in the same religion. You know whatever it is, there are different reasons. And so when you hear statements like that, you know it's fueled by something. It's either because of money or because of religious interests, political interests. Something is behind the person's reason to either protest or to not protest. It's always pretty obvious when you see it. But of course, I hope that this comes up in some of the conversations that we have this week. Still talking about protest and then this is going to be our final trend and story this morning. There will, according to the IPOB, be a protest for the release of Namdi Khan. But this time, not in Nigeria. It's going to be taking place in Israel. It has been stated for the 27th of December and it was put out yesterday by the IPOB notifying their members who are in Israel or who will be visiting Israel that they should all come out to protest and demand for the release of Namdi Khan. I don't know how effective this will be because, of course, the actions here and the lockdowns every Monday in the southeast have not been able to achieve much with regards to his release by the Nigerian government. I don't know how the one in Israel will help. And over time, and I've seen people complain about this also, why the IPOB feels like they have any link with Israel or with the Jews. Why they feel? Because there's that narrative and that's where this is coming from. There's that narrative that the Iboz are all Jews and they came from somewhere around Israel before they got down to the southeast. There's that narrative and if you speak with some of these the pro-IPOB persons, you would hear that story. So that's why it's happening in Israel, not in Germany, not in France, not in Bikina Faso anywhere else, but in Israel. I really do not think that this will also be in any way effective. The Israeli government is not going to tell the Nigerian government to release Namdi Khan. Of course, because, first of all, we're a sovereign nation. I mean, there are issues that have been put out, whether or not these issues are very true and correct, but you find out that right now, you know, you have a case in court and so Niger is a sovereign nation. The fact that I totally understand to that angle, I really do not know the genesis and the fact that there's a relation with Israel or them being from the Jew. But what I'm thinking is, it could just be that, you know how it is that you just want interference, you want, you know, superior power, you want a superior, you know, person to show up on your behalf. Oh no. I don't know. The Israeli government, I don't know how that's going to work. Maybe there will be some kind of talks, some negation phone calls will across or you know, I don't know how that's going to work, but I think that, because I've been thinking, if you look at, you know, the pattern for whatever it is, I mean, the demands, the fact that you're saying you want self-determination, it's fine. I mean, it's been guaranteed. If you look at the fact that we're part of that chatter, the African chatter, it's okay for you to demand what you're demanding that you want to go away. But the problem here is getting, you know, the Nigerian government to pay attention and now the fact that you have, you know, the leader in custody for several reasons, I mean, the case is in court and one of us was going to talk about it. We can't talk about it because of that. But my point is, I think that, you know, they need to go back to the drawing board and find out, you know, other ways of solving this problem. I'm not sure. But you know, because it's in court, the law should always take its place. Now all that we're asking is there should be, it should be a fair hearing, it should be fair, there should be justice and no partiality. That's all that everyone is asking. I'm just wondering what a protest in Israel will achieve. You know, it's their right to protest, no doubt, you know, and of course everyone is also still encouraging that there's a free and there's a fair trial, you know, for Namdi Kanu. You know, they have a right to protest wherever they choose to, you know, across the world, you know. I was really just speaking about why they chose Israel, you know, and that narrative that there is. May it be the one that you superior, the one you're bird is to help? Anyway, those are our top trending stories. There's one in state with us. We're going to come back, we're going through the major newspapers making and looking at the stories making headlines across the country this morning. Our guest will be joining us here on the breakfast. Stay with us, we'll be back.