 About 2,340 delegates of the all-progressive Congress are expected to decide the fate of the party's presidential flag-bearer in what has been described as an open contest. We'll also be looking through today's newspaper analyzing bigger stories of the day. Welcome to the breakfast in Plastivia, Africa. It's a beautiful Wednesday morning and I think that Nigerians have been up and running. If you want to go to be back on your screen, I am Messi Boko. And I'm Kofi Batel, so it's quite, quite a very, I mean, you can see, you can see my face. Look at me, look at me, I have a slept. It's fine, you know, Nigerians, Nigerians have been awake. I'm telling you. I decided to get some sleep for once before. I'm just monitoring my mobile device to see if any news is coming in from a correspondent in Abuja. And from what he's a correspondent is telling me, right now they're still, they're still voting. Those from Yobi State were on the queue last time I checked, getting their voting done. The APC presidential prime race is a talk of town, you know, we'll look at that as we go on today, but just to say that yesterday a lot of things were trending. Anyone who came up to speak was trending. Anyone who said anything was trending, you know, it was quite interesting. And we'll talk about that in detail, yes, today. But one of the side attractions was, of course, the musicians that they brought, you know, any musician that came up was trending. So people were talking about the likes of Stereo Man, talking about the likes of Stereo Man, who sang some equi, talking about the likes of the surviving member of Danful Drivers, and also talked about Shino Peters, you know, who came to perform. And they said, you know, maybe the current musicians refused to perform. And that's why the party had to go for old. It's more like a boycott. But we don't know. But then another person was saying, oh, this is just how the party is. It's just a party of old people. But you can also take out the fact that if you say it's a party of old people, not necessarily, but the fact that, I mean, if you want to juxtapose that with this artist, the old artist, you want to say that they're very talented. But a lot actually has been going on. Now, for me, it's the fact that we were, I mean, it feels like the entire country has not had good sleep for a long time, up until this moment. A lot of people have been up. I mean, you could see everyone very active. I couldn't have imagined. So it feels like there's some kind of progress. We're moving away from what we have been described over time as being very docile, very docile, people who are not interested. You find people are logging in. You could see their engagement on Twitter, on other social media platforms. It just also starts. The energy is getting very different at this point. The APC Prime Minister was like a football matchup. Some were saying, I wish I had placed the bet on who was going to win. And I kept reminding some people on radio that it's a reminder of Atlanta 96, when we all stayed up to watch Nigeria versus Brazil and Nigeria versus Argentina. So it was quiet. I almost lost my voice. We'll talk about that later today. But on the break first, let's start with the first top trending story. Well, looking at the top trending this morning, it's been generating different reactions in different spaces. Now, commercial motorcyclists and police officers attached to the Lagos Tax have clashed in a DRR access of the state. Now, don't also forget that on the first of June, the government of Lagos State, I mean, the state government has said we're going to effect the ban of Ocada. It's not the first time we're talking about it in different local government across the state. And it has not really been very well with a lot of people. So you have those who are saying, hey, as much as it sounds like a fantastic policy. But the timing and the action following the timing cannot be commensurate. On the other hand, you find out that this is even not the first time. And so why do you have to ban what you have that has been banned already? So it's like a reband. So you're saying you're banning because if we can remember vividly, these policy has been put out. Statement has also been said. But have we been able to follow it to the latter? It was a different one yesterday because you have the motorcyclists resisting police officers deployed in the area to enforce the state government's ban on motorcycles. Now, in this part of Lagos, it sounds like different by the island and the mainland. But in this part. Where the big boys are. So in this part, I think that the level of compliance has been commendable. I have seen places yesterday was just around the axis where I live. And I could see the people were doing a lot of work. Yeah, I love to go. So you're good? I love to go. So and this morning, someone was telling me, you know, people on this side don't really have so much troubles. So you're going to have a lot of that, you know, with people on the other side of the device. So you're talking about a papa. Now, long and short of all of this is that, you know, obeying the ban and enforcing the government policy on the ban of Ocada hasn't been very fantastic in different parts of Lagos. And yesterday was something else in this axis that we mentioned in Daraba where we could actually see. I mean, there were pictures. You also have, you know, videos to that effect when this police officers came to ensure that the ban is respected. Then you have this motorcycle is setting up disbond fires with tires, and that also causes care for members of the community. But truth is at this point, I think we need to come to a consensus, whatever the case might be. We might not continue like this. It feels like we need to come to the table and have a conversation, dialogue would solve every problem, you know, two wrongs can never make a right. But Kofi, what are your thoughts on this? Well, of course, this is only the teething problems you have with implementation of such policies, you know, nobody is going to sit down and allow the source of livelihood just to be taken away by government. It's expected that people will react in such a way. It's expected that they would kick back. But I have it on good account that some of the policemen in Lagos state are taking advantage of this Ocada ban to make brisk business. And I think also this is not just seeing reaction to people losing their businesses. Also probably seeing reaction to anger at the actions of the police as well. But this time in Idiarab, of course, this is enforcement of the ban. But we're hearing that policemen are arresting Ocada riders and seizing and impounding their motorcycles in local governments outside the six in Lagos state that the government, state government, had ordered the ban on. So of course, this is coming two weeks after another clash between the police and Ocada riders in Ojo, an area of Lagos state. If you remember that one, after the same enforcement team from the police tried to enforce this state government ban. But some observers are saying to the government, merci, is what they're saying to them. Say. You know, when we kids, they will tell you, sorry, I didn't say you. Why? Because it was in this same Lagos that people came up with ideas. Ideas to use technology or technology to run Ocada. So sort of have ride hailing services before Ocada. You take your phone, you go to mobile app, you do pimp, pimp, pimp, and then somebody's going to come and pick you. Uniformed wearing a helmet on a very, very good bike. Profile identified is something that government could have keyed into. In the private sector, it's always come with ideas. The reason why Lagos is the way it is, in fact Nigeria, is not because government is doing anything spectacular. Lagos is driving because the private sector is one of the best in the world. And doing all they can, what is government doing? So you have the rights of Ocada and Co., and they just simply threw those away. And for reasons that are well documented, the public knows. So right now they are ripping the fruit of what they saw, and it shows the ineptitude of those we have in government at the federal and state levels. It's time in the state. So it's just basically what they have created. Misgovernance, lack of ideas, lack of vision. Government came up with policies in Lagos state. There's already an existence of system Ocada ban. Why are we having them on the streets? It's because you refuse to do your job as a state government. You fail to do your job. And some people are suspecting we'll have come up with various theories, a school of thoughts. And some say it's because of politics. Government wants to appeal to the base of those who write these Ocadas so that when it's time to vote, they vote for them. That some people may not agree with that. Also some say it's a matter of revenue. Because if you know how much these Ocada writers pay, for instance, I interviewed some fieldwork to try and find out. Some pay as much as $500 an hour a day. That $500 is even cheap for some places. They pay more than that. Imagine how much, if you have maybe 100 motorcyclists in a particular area, one small part of Lagos or 50 in one small gate, one estate gate, they all pay $500 an hour every day, multiplied that by the normal motorcycles in the whole of Lagos, where do those monies go to? So we need to see government being proactive. We need to see government in Lagos state, and indeed the entire country of Nigeria, being visionary, doing things in the interest of the people, doing things in the interest of moving the nation forward. Yes, and then think things through, and when you have policies, implement them. These are the monsters you created. Listen, we have monsters that have been created. So that would be part of the lyrics of Bonoboi, the monster that we have created, what we have to deal with. But if you look at some of the argument that's been put out, I'm thinking, like you have rightly mentioned, it would be important to have policies. But at the end of it, the policies should actually reflect the interest of the people. And that's why government exists at different quarters. So yes, this is not only in Lagos, because you have in different states where the ban of Ocada has been on top of the front bonnet. And usually the excuse has been that these bikes, they have actually cost a lot of casualties. People have lost their lives. They have also constituted crime and criminality. And so we need to reduce their operation. On the other hand, you begin to ask, is it possible for us to begin to control who these bike riders are? I mean, those who have access to this, and that's why you call the private sector, on the other hand, and the fact that it was dismissed. But it brings us back, still, to the point that whatever policy it is, it needs to be thought through. You can't just wake up and implement this policy without having a way. We still have to query it. As much as we say, oh, we cannot import rice into Nigeria as one of it, it's a policy. Oh, we banned the infrastructure of rice. We don't want it because we want to encourage regional local production. But what's the substitution for it? That's the question. All right. That's a good question, man. So we need to move on. Let's look at another one where the Pan-Ibo Social Cultural Organization, Ohanesi and Ibo, wrote a letter. Yesterday, we received that letter right here on Plus TV Africa to President Mohammed Buhari. It called it a goodwill message to Mr. President. This was signed by Ambassador Professor George Obiozo, who was the president general of the Organization of Ohanesi and Ibo Worldwide, dated 7th June 2022. This is on the occasion of the national presidential primaries of his party holding an Eagle Squad which are now. This is the thesis of this letter. This is what Professor George Obiozo said, quote, I wish to take liberty of this message to once again appeal to Mr. President to take serious consideration, the security situation in the country, or in the Southeast Zone, and across the country. In this regard, there is a compelling necessity for the release of Masin Ndikhanu and his group as we seek for political peaceful solution to the problem of a security in the Southeast. I think that is the thesis of the statement. Well, literally, the thing was just a protocol, but this is the thesis of what Professor Obiozo is saying. Yes. Well, I really don't know, because it feels like this already has been overwhelmed by the EPC primerism. I'm not sure how many persons are even paying attention to all of this. So it's more like you have to appeal at this point in time. You don't have to be dependent on the stick approach. So you have the carrot and the stick approach. But at this point in time, I think that the Orhanizes are falling back to the other approach, which would be the carrot approach. And they are appealing. And they are asking that the president would consider, because in all of this, the crux of the matter would be the release of Ndikhanu. Some people have argued that this is actually political concern. It's not necessary. It's a legal issue. And so because it's in the law, it should be. But we have seen the process. We have seen the entire process to all of this. And it's been fought by legal practitioners saying, hey, if you look at the issue, if you look at the process in getting to this point, it hasn't really achieved anything. And once upon a time, there was also some suggestion saying that maybe there might just be a discourse and dialogue with the president to come to some point of consensus and say, hey, we need to release the man who is in custody. But let's see how that pans out as we proceed. All right. What do we have next? Now, still on top trending this morning, Timmy Dacolo reacts to the use of a song. I'm trying to remember the title of that song. What he talks about, Nigeria, great nation, great people. And that song is, it comes with some kind of spirit. Usually, if that song is played, I get a few goosebumps. The lyrics are really very strong. It's almost like the national anthem of the people. Tigan? Yes. Yes, because some people will say, young people don't want to hear the Nigerian national anthem. And this one, when you sing it, they prefer it. Yeah. I mean, if you play that song any time where I'm around or where I'm around, where that song has been played, I just feel some kind of way. And if not almost, I'm already shedding a few tears. That song is very, very serious. I'm not joking here. There's something about that song. Well, he's raised some concern about the song and saying, hey, how can that song, because the song was actually played. And then he said, oh, in a center climb, you definitely would need to get a permission of the artist before playing the song in an event. And he said, oh, a lot of people get out with a lot of stuff. In this country, people just get away with so much. This has been mixed reaction for those who are saying, oh, this young man wants to trend at this point. Is that what we're talking about? But also looking at some issues. I mean, some people have also looked at the musical copyright, I mean, the right, right? Intellectual property, protecting all of that. It's also still part of the process of governance. If we have to do the right thing, then we have to do the right thing. But at what point should Timidakolo's song be played? Can he be played in public in such ceremony? Because some people are saying, if you have a song, that's what the copyright, copyright law talks about, especially when it's related to music. It would be expected that if a song is played in public, if a song is already made public, then it can be used at different points because it's already been made public. And the issue of having to pay, what's it called again, protects the intellectual property and all of the rights have been taken care of by the virtue of the fact that you make it public in different spaces. So for instance, I don't want to begin to mention for the sake of promotion and advertising at this point in time. So you have different platforms that this song can be on. And so if you have acquired this song, is it possible that you can play, put it out, you know, play it in different spaces? Some of these artists, you have their songs been played in different locations, personal locations, but of course they're still very public locations. So what's the difference with this particular one? All right, I think you've said a lot of mercy. You know, with the analysis there, that Simi has kicked against the usage of his song, you know, and of course he rightly looked at the copyright issue and the copyright laws, which are really barely enforced in this country. But of course there's something called Fair Use. In a way, use a song not for profit, but just, you know, for what is meant to be used, which is people listening to it. You know, for instance, if I have a TV station and I play a song, and I'm using that song to make money, or have a radio station and I play a song, and I'm using that song to make money, or I have an event or something where I use that song for profit, then of course I'm using someone's intellectual property, you know, or whatever I want to call it. So I don't know, I don't have a full grasp of Nigeria's copyright laws, but I think the DJ, I mean, I was in a position where I couldn't hear all that was being played out, so I was listening to the speeches. The DJ from that rally last night was, I think, the side attraction. He was a star. And DJ was a star. He came up with songs and was playing stuff, you know, that brought a bit of a comical feel to everything. He even played a Yahoo song for the vice president. And a lot of other, you know, he really just added some life to it. So if the DJ was the one who played that song, I don't think that Timmy has any complaints because he was just playing songs of different artists. Exactly. Fair use, as people could dance at the venue, he was DJing. If it was an official performance, like you have Superbowl, you know, if you play a song at Superbowl, it's a commercial event where people are watching and it's not just, you know, tickets are being gathered. It's not just a ticketed event where people go to pay, but also on TV, instead of alberts and people tuning. And the performances are a big part of the Superbowl. So you would want to expect that the NFL in America would write to the artists to say, even if you're not inviting to perform, your song is on the set of the program. Exactly. It was a free event by Politico Party, which is a voluntary organization, you know, sort of NGO, you know, Politico Party is there like that. So would they have needed to ask for your permission? I don't know. But Timidakolo has liked the fact that he speaks up, you know, and he's sharing his mind. Let's move on. This time around to look at the Jesus challenge. Mercy, I'm sure you followed that yesterday. My wife, you know, was the one who brought my attention to the fact that on different people's DPs, you had Jesus, Jesus, you know. Is this someone's, you know, as Rapture happened or something like that? Of course, we expect that even as Rapture will be part of it, so it just shows us, you know, joking. You know, then I said, I don't know. Maybe me who, me usually I'm the, you know, one who is always the voice of reason. I said, you know, maybe, maybe somebody's trying to sell something, or I hope that people will not realize that this is someone's album that is trying to sell, only for us to go and then realize, okay, a lot of people were putting on WhatsApp, you know, status updates. You see, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And then we now did some research and realized it was Nathaniel Basi who first put up a post, you know, asking Nigerians to shut down WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and others, other social media platforms. So Jesus, you know, he is previously been known for his Hallelujah challenge that, you know, he's done for some years. It's also trends as well. So yesterday he shared that picture you can see played on the screen of Jesus, the word Jesus, and Nathaniel has 2.6 million followers on Instagram, 1.3 million followers on Twitter. He asked them to make it their profile picture and share it over their social media accounts. And this is what he said, I quote, can we make this picture, our profile picture and tweet at 12 noon, let's release at 12 noon, let's release a precious ointment of our land and nation, and he put Jesus, he tweeted. So at about 12 p.m. a lot of Nigerians, gospel, you know, fans of gospel music and Christians did that. And on Twitter, Jesus was trending. It had more tweets than I think any other local trend at the time I checked. Yes, and I have one question for you, Mercy. Did you update your status? I was going to ask you the same. Did you update your profile picture? I was going to. Did you post on social media? I was going to ask you the same. You were Jesus? No, I didn't post on social media. Are you sure you're a good Christian? No, it doesn't make me less of a Christian. It doesn't even make me not being a believer. Of course, my religion is I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, and I believe in everything that he stands for. But me not posting that does not make me less of a Christian because I felt like it was more like I'm going to be pressured. That's how I saw it. A lot of people were posting that. And so if I had posted that, it would mean that I'm being pressured. That's how I felt. Like if I had posted it, I would have been pressured to be part of it. But I understand the reaction that follows, you know, the generate a lot of people. I mean, popular daddy for he's had talked about it. A colleague as well. He said, he shared his own consent. So he said, Baba one trend. Yes. I think that the reason why a lot of people, even those who are Christians have come out to not really support this particular trend, not like supported is the fact that people are thinking that, hey, come on on the other hand. And I hope that Nathaniel Basi does not come up with a song titled Jesus at the end of the day, because he would be had breaking for a lot of people. Now we are still two days after the war attack. It's been a lot. It's very emotional. And there's no way you're going to talk about that without thinking, except you don't have a conscience or you're dead of, I mean, you don't have a conscience. But if you put yourself in the shoes of this people, we're talking about empathy. There's no way you talk about that without feeling that. So I understand where a lot of people are coming from, saying, hey, come on. What's the essence of this trend now? We understand that Jesus reigns supreme. Is it that we're calling Jesus to come down and fix the problem that we're faced with? Calling Jesus to come and fix the issue of insecurity? You know, Christians in Nigeria should stop all the Jesus thing and go. And that's what some people said, I'm just going to and go get their PVCs. And then others now to start saying, no, the churches are even having registration drive for your members. We've done all that, allow us to worship our God. But if Nathaniel decides to come up with a song, tell the Jesus afterwards, there's nothing wrong. No, there's nothing wrong. I mean, it's just the fact that you're at this point. He shouldn't think about Jesus. I'm sure. No, no, no. It's not like he shouldn't think about Jesus. Coffee, coffee. It's not like he shouldn't think about Jesus. It's not that he shouldn't think about Jesus. People are thinking that, hey, as Christians, we have decided, a lot of people, I mean, if you look at Christianity, I mean, we're being prompted to leave, but this is what it is. The anger surrounding that reaction is not that. Maybe if it didn't happen at the same time where this or what issue happened, a lot of people would have taken a chill pill. But the question here is, come on. You know, come on, really. What are you doing at this point in time? They feel that the priority should not be at this particular point. We're saying, it feels like we have relegated ourselves to the back. And we have constantly said, we want Jesus to come and we're not saying Jesus cannot solve the problem. We have to go. We have to go. But we can't constantly allow everything. Let those who want to post, post, is their right. No, we understand that they have their right. But you also understand the fact that some people feel that the likes of... Release their albums, release their songs. I mean, you mentioned that Daniel Basi has a lot of following. Some people would think that, you know, he has a lot of following and what is the priority at this time? I think we should not stretch it too much. If you want to do what pleases you as Swaz, you're not breaking the law or harming anyone. If you want to release or if you want to train, train, now you're right, do it. You know, even freeze. Freeze also wanted to train. We have to go. Freeze also needed to train. Let them do what they want to do, please. Just before we go, it's just that a lot of people think that at this point, there should be some level of unison. We should be speaking in one voice and we should be patriotic. That's the much we can take this morning on top trending. Thank you so much for being part of the conversation. We'll return tomorrow. When we're done, it would be time for us to be looking at the front pages of our national dailies with great analysis. Please stay with us.