 Aseal the breakfast and plough CV Africa. Another time to go through the pages of National Dailies. We call it off the press and Tunde Kola Wale joins us this morning via phone. Tunde, it's good to have you join us. It's good to be with you. Thank you. Let's start with the punch newspaper this morning. Presidential fleet funding has increased to 81 billion on the Buhari. That's the bold caption. And it's more like an iron if you ask me because I remember, you know, in 2015, the government, the current government had complained of reduction, you know, reducing costs. And we're going to sell off, you know, some aircrafts, you know, just to help us cut costs of governance and maintenance. Now we're looking at 81 billion under this administration. President fails to uphold pledge to reduce aircrafts and budget for ASU Vila refreshment jumps to 2 billion Naira. Nigeria overboring to fund non-essential items. That's it. Underneath the bold caption, ASU waiting Buhari on no work, no pay, holds neck meeting. Federal government eyes $100 billion for SDGs pledges business reforms. Federal government approves leki ekepe airport and projects 5 million passengers. So, you know, Obey on veils campaign team today or Haneize lots of fennefair and Ina deletes 2.7 million for double registration. So we're hoping to find out what will become of, you know, the register. I mean, will the figure actually change at the end of the day? Nation building requires sacrifice. Buhari tells 450 honorees and Lagos developer defraud 200 house seekers. Victims blame please. In this case, I don't start you to open your eye. Okay, that's how they say it. Osina's husband abused her and singers ex-employee tells the court. Well, she's there now, unfortunately. Flood killed 500,000, injured 1,546. That's what the federal government is quoted to say. That's the much we can take this morning on the punch newspaper. All right, let's go over to the next one. And of course the nation newspaper with some interesting headlines this morning. I'll leave a secured country. Buhari assures Nigerians. I will leave a secured country. Buhari assures Nigerians. President confers national honours on 443 Nigerians, seven foreigners. Lagos government gets approval for leki airport as punch capture there. Some old lords federal government or your assembly. I think that held at the Ehangbeti conference with the Ministers of Aviation Harisirika in attendance. Or your assembly kicks over. EFCC's invitation to members or your assembly kicks over EFCC's invitation to members. All right. Would like to see how that plays out at the end of the day. Why I'm yet to release manifesto by OB Dangote Obajana cement properly acquired. It's about between Dangote and Kogi state government. IMF cuts Nigeria's economic growth to 3.2%. I think that should be is a good forecast. Strike how House of Reps broke her truce between the federal government and assures. We need to look into that matter. Lagos more like his own wife over deputy governorship ticket, you know, like President Buhari said, maybe he feels like her place should be in his other room. I don't know. Let's go over to some more people's mercy over to you. We have the Nigerian Tribune. How Nigerian doctors or the foreigners exploited in the United Kingdom. And that's what the BBC has quoted to say. I remember my cousin who's in the UK. He decided yesterday he was just talking and he said, you know what, let me give you some news. Apparently I hadn't seen, you know, the report up until the time he had mentioned, you know, it's really very interesting and funny at the same time. We care point 14,000 advices, 359 liaison offices. I saw your tweet on that issue. And at confirmation of national honours on 440 Nigerians, I would hand over a Nigeria free of insecurity. That's what the president is quoted to say. Seven years plus counting. So maybe in December, all of this will just go away. We're just, you know, watching to see how all of this unfolds. And again, you have someone who receives federal government approval letter for leaky airports. And a state begins some kind of summits. Okay, that's not very clear. So I move away from that. I expect high intensity rain, riverine, flooding. That's what NIMED wants, North Central Southern States. And we hope that, you know, everyone would be, all hands would be on deck. Crude oil theft. Edwin Clark calls for judicial inquiry and says, military is complicit. Kidnapping, banditry, reasons, state security outfits must be armed. Now the conversation is tilting towards, you know, decentralisation and state policing, especially with what's happening right there, you know, in the riverine area. Reps begin consideration of 20.51 trillion Naira proposed expenditure for 2023. We're talking about our budget. That's it on the Nigerian Tribune. We'll quickly take the headlines on the front page of this day before we go over to our guest who is standing by. The big one there on the front page of this day on Wednesday. Buhari, citizens who contribute to national development deserve to be appreciated, you know, national development. Quite, quite a scene when the co-founder of Paystack, you know, went to get his award. Did you see the look on the president's face? He really looked shocked, shocked, shocked to see the least. Well, they have come to here to contribute to national development. That's what the president is saying. You see the pictures there, congratulations to all of them. Floods, 500 confirmed dead, 45,000 houses destroyed, 70,000 hectares of farmland submerged nationwide. What's the president saying about that? What's the federal government saying? Well, the rider to that headline, FG insists magnitude of current natural disaster not seen since 2012, okay? No need for panic over food insecurity, minister assures. Some headlines on the front page of the niche that this day. We take the last one by APC shying away from president's records Tikku campaign reveals. I think we'll leave it at that. And at this point, if it is our guest, Tunde Kola Wale who joins us on the program. Barista Kola Wale, what are your thoughts on this statement? Because I've been looking for something to come from the federal government as it concerns the flooding in Kogi state, in other parts of the northern Nigeria, Quara state, you have a Nambra state, and other states. Right now they're saying that the magnitude of the current natural disaster has not been seen since 2012 with the paper saying 500 confirmed dead, 45,000 houses destroyed, 70,000 hectares of farmland submerged nationwide. That's one. The minister is also saying there's no need for panic over food insecurity. Over to you, sir. The flooding that we are seeing in most parts of Nigeria is really unfortunate. But if you have been following what is happening in the other parts of the world, you will find out that the flooding is no longer peculiar to Nigeria. There was a massive flood in the United States of America, so that the president had to leave Washington to go and take charge and supervise the rescuing of people in the U.S. You also look at what happened in Pakistan. It was a massive, massive flooding. So it would appear to me that what the scientists have been telling us with regards to climate change is real, is a reality. It is something that we should prepare for. And again, at the beginning of this year, and before the rain started, NEMET, which is a meteorological agency that predicts what the weather would look like, had several warned that there's going to be floods in certain parts of the country, and that we should still be preparing for more rain. But the truth of the matter is that when these alarms are raised, most times, and it's not in Nigeria alone, in most parts of the world, the ordinary citizens, who is likely to be badly affected by it, don't really care much about what the scientists are saying. Our own problem is more peculiar, and it's worse simply because the leadership, at least, give flooding and some of these natural disasters the kind of attention that it deserves. And for those who even want to give it the attention it deserves, the equipment, the resources, so let me do the needful are no longer there. Because I take a cue from the U.S. Immediately the flooding in the U.S. happened. They had me, the Navy, and some of the other security aspects were sent out. They had helicopters, they had badges, they had boats, they had cranes, and they have all manners of equipment to rescue people. But here in Nigeria, we don't have that. I think we should learn from the experiences of the developed countries how these things are done, and then when it draws upon, we should be able to do the needful to our people. My sympathy with all those who are affected by this, I also will pray that the government, and all they say that it's affected, especially in this state, will come to the rescue of the ordinary man who is at the receiving end of this flooding. Well, do you think that it would be fair for us to constantly compare the flooding that's happening in all the parts of the country? We always say yes, we understand that nine meters stated over time that there would be periodic rains and the downpour would be unusual. But if you look at our habits and behaviour over time, do you think that this is entirely a natural disaster, or it's not man-made, where you have houses and buildings on water channels? That's it. And then at some point, so that's on the one hand lack of drainages. And even when you have a drainage system, you have houses on it. There are structures that are obstructing the flow of water, and naturally water would always find its way. On the other hand, you also find the fact that a lot of people, a lot of Nigerians are in the habit of tossing things in the gutters, or the waterways, if you want to say. All of this constitutes a major issue. So do you think it's really fair every other time? Because we always say, oh, it's a global incident. It's a natural thing. It's what's happening across board. And so we're not an exception. Would you not agree that our attitude and behaviour over time is contributing to the flooding that we're experiencing in Nigeria? Well, I agree that we are very, very bad and very poor at it, with regards to waste management, with regards to drainage management, and also with regards to planning, especially urban and housing planning in all the respective places. Even in an urban area like Lagos, immediately it's raining, you will find out that different households will bring out their different refuse baskets out and start jumping it into the drainage. Hoping and believing that the rains will wash away whatever they have dropped in the drainage. Also in a place like Kogi State, for example, you will find so many houses are built very close to the manager and many massive places, places you can easily predict that when the water level rises it will affect those houses or settlements. If the government is alive with responsibility, we would have been able to enforce the term planning or the city planning for our housing planning structures in all the different places. But lo and behold, enforcement of laws in our country has been a very, very weak or a very challenging manner. Even when government makes efforts, you will find out the ordinary man will still find a way to circumvent it, basically because of so many reasons. I do know that the cost of perfecting building plans and doing some other primary things before you build a house is very, very expensive in most parts of Nigeria. Let's move away from that conversation because we have more issues this morning on the front pages, if you like to say. On the punch, it talks about the budgetary allocation to the presidential air fleet that has increased to 121% in almost eight years. It's not eight years already and that's what it is. How do you react to this? Well, it's shocking to me. I remember when the APC and Mr. President were campaigning to rule Nigeria, there were promises that they would reduce the presidential fleet. There was even the kind of fuel that some of the aircraft in the presidential fleet would be used to re-establish the Nigeria near way. But sadly, since the APC government came into power, they are fed woefully to do anything that respect. And the reason for this is not perfect. Our allies are very interesting people. They like beautiful things. They like a cozy environment. So that you find out the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Service Chiefs, and some of these other powerful people. When they travel, they would like to go in private or in some of these presidential fleets. And so even if the president wants to reduce or sell some of these aircraft, you will find out that some of these other people are benefiting from it, will prevail on him or put pressure on him not to dispose on some of these aircraft. But the truth of the matter is that you find out there are so many presidents, there are so many prime ministers all over the world who don't keep any presidential fleet or prime ministership fleet. In fact, I think the British prime minister, when he wants to travel, I think most times he either uses the military plane or he travels in the British airways. So why can't we adopt the same formula? It's a wasteful expenditure to keep that among us amount of aircraft and then the among us amount of money that is being used to maintain them. And you know what? Whether you fly on aircrafts or you leave it on the tarmac, you are incurring very, very heavy costs on them. These are some of the things that are bleeding the country and when the economy and when your revenue is dwindling, one will respect that something be done with regard to some of these very, very wasteful expenditure. These countries that are producing aircraft, their president, their prime ministers and royalties are not keeping a private plane paid for by the taxpayers money. I don't know why a poor country like Nigeria should be keeping such amount of, such number of presidential fleets with the attendant costs that goes with it. What are your thoughts on this barge and cement episode between the Kogi state government and Dangote? It seems like according to the nation newspaper, Dangote is saying that they, as a company that is properly acquired of barge and cement, which is in contention between it and the Kogi state government. We had some sort of meeting in Abuja yesterday, I believe, amid protests. Honestly speaking, when I first read the story that a certain persons have invaded Abadjana plant, shot their workers and shot the place, the place down. I was shocked to my boom. This is a company that has been operating for so many years without any issue. So you ask yourself, why now, why now? But again, we must also ask was due diligence followed in the Akisi and Abadjana plant. If it was not followed, it is never too late. If an infraction was committed 30, 50 years ago, and it is discovered today, the law allows you to still correct that infraction and bring those who may be responsible for the infraction to justice. I am aware. And in fact, a friend called me when I started raising the issue on the Abadjana issue and he said there are some other plants in Nogustete that have similar faith with the Abadjana plant, which again is in the hands of Mr. Dan Gotem. The truth of the matter is that when you look at most of the acquisitions that have been done by wildlife, especially during the privatization era of General Ushako Basajo, those acquisitions cannot meet the full scrutiny of the law. There were so many underhand activities that led to the acquisition of some of those companies. Some of them were sold as scraps when, in actual fact, in reality, they were very good going and viable concerns. My only problem with the way the Kogi State government has gone about it is they should follow the due process of law. They could take Dan Gotem and go to court to recover the plants instead of engaging in self-help and shooting innocent people who went there to just get their daily mail, to get a job, and are not concerned or are not part and parcel of the political undertone or the political synonyms that led to the acquisition of that plant. We have to go, but just before we leave, the president is assuring Nigerians that he would leave a secure country. We just have a few more months before the end of. I hope so. Most times when people in government say this, it is just a political statement to give the people a kind of hope, because if you don't give your people a kind of hope, they fall into despotency and then other things can follow. If Mr. President has not been able to restore peace and security to Nigeria for about seven and a half years now, I have serious doubts that the remaining months left will be sufficient to do it, even though he must give it to government that the space of attack from Boko Haram and the kidnapping of people and ban the trade generally as in the last few months subsided. Why it has subsided? We are yet to get to know the reason. Could it be that people are paying ransom now as people are insinuating that even the last batch of people who were adopted on the train that the federal government and some other people paid ransom before they are released? A nation that wants security shouldn't be rewarded criminality. It shouldn't be paying ransom. But now the army should have a template. The police should have a template. The costum and all the other security people should have a template for the rescue of people that are adopted by bandits. All right. We have to leave it at this particular point now. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yes, we appreciate your opportunity. I appreciate you too. Have a lovely day. All right then. Tunde Kola Walea is a legal practitioner and we have been looking through the pages of the National Dailyist this morning. We call it a wrap. We'll definitely return tomorrow. But just before we move away, we need to tell you what happened today in history. Please stay with us.