 Welcome to the breakfast and plus TV Africa. Nigeria has been placed third and ranked the third worst place for workers to be laid off in the world. Nigeria ranked third worst country with a 1.19 over 10 layoffs scored behind some countries like Puerto Rico and the United States of America. Look at the unemployment situation in the country and what workers who are laid off have to go through when they lose their jobs. The Nigerian government on Monday set the conflict between farmers and headers in the sub-Saharan African region was threatening food security in Nigeria. What exactly is going on and how can this situation be tackled? Discuss from a head of crisis on the program this morning. And of course we have a usual look at today's newspaper headlines and of the press. Our guest Opuna Buonkotaira joins us on the program to discuss and analyze the top stories. You're welcome back. It's a breakfast and plus TV Africa for another day. We bring you fantastic interesting conversations and of course analysis right here on the program. We apologize for coming your way behind schedule. My name is Kofi Bartels and let's quickly start with a top training segment looking at some of the stories in the social space that we will bring to you this morning. Three of them and of course very interesting ones at that. The first one has to do with the Benway State and of course rather with the Federal Safety Commission rather on the Niger Bridge saying that trucks and trailers are not allowed. And they're also asking for the support of motorists. Don't forget some days ago we informed you that the Federal Safety Corps issued some guidelines as regards the second Niger Bridge which was being opened to motorists moving from west to east in the country in the Yuletide. You know there's a lot of traffic from different parts of the countries to the east in the Yuletide and vice versa just for the Christmas and New Year festivities. And of course the federal government and the federal ministry of works have said they were going to open make the second Niger Bridge accessible to motorists for that reason. This is a bridge a project that has been much awaited especially by residents Nigerians who live in the southeastern part of the country. It's been decades in the making it's been a promise, it's been a mouth in the mouth of politicians and it's finally become reality in the time of President Mohammad Buhari. So this time they can go home and brothers and sisters who are moving to the southeastern part of the country can use this second Niger Bridge before us to go home. I don't know if it's a campaign strategy because I mean if they use the bridge they might be able to say okay maybe we should give their Progressives Congress a second chance. I don't know, I don't know. But what FRSC has said was that heavy duty trucks and trailers were not going to be allowed on that bridge for obvious reasons of course and that they could use the old the original routes which is the old bridge the first one to get to where they want to go to. Well the latest is that the Federal Safety Corps Delta Command has urged motorists to cooperate with all traffic managers to ensure free flow of traffic during the yuletide is what they're saying. The movement from east or from west to east if you're using that bridge indeed the first Niger Bridge is you would have to go through Delta State to access Anambra State so from Asaba to Onitsha is what we're talking about. So as the opening that's the second Niger Bridge. One motorist to cooperate with traffic managers. Basi Eshit is the sector commander. He said this yesterday in a statement that the FRSC would collaborate with relevant agencies to affect the usual gridlock along the Niger Bridge is what he's saying so that things will flow smoothly and quickly without any hindrance without any encumbrance without any sort of hiccup is what they are talking about. All right so Mabatuni Rajifashala the Minister of Works has announced he's given the matching order will allow you use this bridge as you're going home for the Christmas and new year and now the FRSC has also swung into action to say this is how we're going to do it. All right this is how we're going to do it. You have to cooperate with the traffic managers on your way home so I think it's it's that's that. There's nothing more to add there I mean people who see the you know increased presence of security apparatus on that on that bridge should not be I think worried they shouldn't be perturbed and just realize that they just want to help them have a free and smooth flow traffic. I like I like the the style okay and I like the fact that the FRSC is already on top of this so this is what they're saying that from December 15 the second Niger bridge will be open to vehicles coming from west to east through Asaba okay from December 15 which is what today my god then from 2nd January 2023 only vehicles coming from the east okay to the west will be allowed to use the second Niger bridge in Nigeria we call it one way we call it one way you know we call it one way so it's going to be a one-way arrangement for those who are wondering so if you're moving from east to west please be informed that you will have to use the old route and if you're moving from west to east you can use the old route and then the new bridge as well I do not know the thinking behind this but I guess it's maybe to reduce the the load on of on bridge you know for vehicles on a bridge per time maybe they're not yet at the point where they can allow the load maybe because of construction shadow so maybe it's to allow um reduce the load but what I would have thought if excuse me this bridge wasn't ready in order to um to avoid any issues or the lifespan of the bridge they would just not allow people use it yet until they're fully ready to open it up to public because I'm seeing here some sort of maybe compromise I'm sure maybe the engineers second you know the construction company and all that would have said well see we can't allow you know traffic on this bridge just yet we wouldn't allow a lot because if you bring too much you know on top of the bridge a lot of weight it might affect the stability of the bridge we are not yet on shadow we have a timetable you know construction is very delicate you know it's construction is very delicate so um sometimes you can't do you know things ahead of time you have to be on time that's why if you're constructing a building you have to do soil tests and all that I hope that this is not a rushed like I said earlier move as a campaign ahead of next year's election to um to soften the hearts of our brothers and sisters who are from the southeastern part of the country towards the current federal ruling party rather the all-progressive Congress I hope I hope because I mean if the bridge is not ready just let them use it we'll be using it for how many years now since independence right or since it was constructed so if it's not ready if the if time is not yet here for class to go on that bridge then you know don't rush it because we don't want to hear maybe 10 years down the line that they have issues because they use the bridge too early all right so I just hope I just hope that this is not going to backfire uh now so from today uh those moving from east from west to east can use the bridge you know and then from uh the second of January it's going to be open to all of those going from east to west all right so the FRS is informing members of the public you know again reminding them that heavy-duty trucks will not be allowed to use a new bridge so you have to go to what we call Onitsha headbridge no not that's the Onitsha headbridge the old Niger bridge sorry uh it's what they're saying uh all right so that that's that um like I said I hope that this is not uh this is not uh what do you call it again uh premature okay it's not too early um the latest video of massive stash of of narrow notes which is you know as making rounds on on the internet social media viral video you know since the central bank of Nigeria announced cash withdrawal limit so in fact since the central bank of Nigeria introduced and launched new narrow notes and gave a deadline for Nigerians to to change the new narrow notes we've been seeing videos of money everywhere you know rotten 1000 narrow notes damp 1000 narrow notes and all that people are taking them out of their sock away septic tanks you know out of their rooms and all that and then of course when the cash withdrawal limit came into was announced it became worse for for those who had stash of cash at home you know anyway so this new video you can see pictures there the economic and financial crimes commission EFCC and address anti-corruption watchdog has had to come out to to debunk or to clarify things you know to do a you know to clarify things and to debunk this this video this is the EFCC and of course the the Nigeria police force as well Benware state command what they're saying is that the video showing you know let's just cover your whole narrow notes the capital city of Benware state is not true all right the video showing alleged discovery of narrow notes in the capital city of Benware state Makodi is not true we have that video so we're going to play to you so you understand what we're talking about and then we'll come back on the other side I mean I must confess that also when I saw it I I said wow it looks like that was what I mean that we're talking about but surprisingly the the economic and financial crimes commission is saying it's not true and they've come out to to debunk this viral video that's what we're seeing in front of us like we said the video shows you know it seems to be 1000 narrow notes discovered in you know large sacks inside a container and people trying to you know take it out to know that the container was said to be around what data market in Benware state but an official according to the reports an official of the anti-graft agency who did not want to be mentioned since he was not authorized to speak on this said the office called information of all sacks of narrow notes and deployed its men to the place but discovered that they were condemned notes from the central bank of Nigeria all right condemned notes from the central bank of Nigeria this is what he says good it is true we had information of old narrow notes then we went to the court to obtain the sexual rights on getting there we found those were condemned Naira notes the owner of the old narrow notes said he bought them from the central bank of Nigeria these old narrow notes have been caught into pieces and squeezed it is not money at all he says I'll send you the pictures of the content in the sacks that we discovered is for you to see he told a report out with the punch newspaper all right and then of course like we said the better state police command also came out to say something about this spokesman of the command is Catherine Anneney she says that the in a statement on December 13, 2020 at about 12 p.m. information was received at a police division of Makodi that hidden narrow notes were discovered from police barracks for data police detectives sent an investigation to the scene recovered waste papers in a shop close to Wadata police barracks Makodi the owner of the shop you know was invited for questioning he attended a license issued to him by the CBN for waste management and he added that these wasted papers were usually gotten from CBN and processed into mosquito repellents investigation has been extended to CBN for confirmation all right so that's what we're waiting for that confirmation from the CBN you know so I think we can we can you know tell ourselves that we'll remind ourselves that some of these things that we see on on social media we have to look forward to clarify you know have to look forward to ask questions even I you know was really very critical I'm always circumspect about these things I I fell for it you know and I actually thought it was it was true only to discover that from the reports that it's not what it seems it seems to be so so that's that you know we're looking for what to talk about we want the latest gist so it's very important even for those who are filming you know to clarify to clarify to clarify to clarify to clarify to be sure about what you're putting online but then again no matter what we say people will still put stuff online because they will not clarify so I think the owners isn't you the final consumer you and I to to ask questions you know to probe to to look at the the signs so that we are not deceived by fake news we'll leave it at that but I think kudos must go to the punch and other media outfits who reached out to the EFCC for clarification before rushing to press it was something we'll just take this and put it on their on their handles maybe for instance twitter and because it's a news organization that puts it out on twitter people say okay it's true because you can you can see there it looks like money but the the punch reached out to the EFCC first which is what every media organization should do before putting it out I think that is that's a good one okay quick one very quickly President Buhari says that you know he has done his best for Nigeria you know he has done his best and Nigeria is facing many challenges so he has done what he can do I don't know if you agree with this but I think I mean I think it's it's easy to agree that the president has indeed done his best yes well the president says that Nigeria's size and population you know are contributory factors in you know many of the challenges that the country is facing today but in many areas you know of national endeavor in many sectors of the nation's life his administration is trying his administration is trying you know and he had some good words for Nigerian youth I think it's it should be on record that the president has changed his view on Nigerian youth from Lacey Nigerian youth it's now promising uh Nigerian youth promising Nigerian youth he said the youth are Nigeria's promise for a better future and solving their problems is the priority of his government all right the president's spokesman Garabashihu in a statement on Tuesday said Nigerian leaders today this while welcoming the secretary general of the Abu Dhabi forum Sheikh al-Mafdou bin Baya and his deputy Pastor Bob Roberts of the U.S. who visited him in Washington United States where he is currently okay so he says that you know his administration is trying his administration has done their best and that the youth hold the promise for a better future for the country I don't know if you're reading between the lines to see where the president is coming from he says we are big in size we're big in population we're facing many challenges but in many areas we are trying in seven and a half years as president in seven and a half years as president I have done my best the only thing I can say is that yes indeed Mr President you have done your best that's all I would say for now we'll take a break and when we come back we'll look at what the papers have to say please stay with us