 Today on The Breakfast, power experts condemn the increase in electricity tariffs describing age's obituary. They are also calling for the immediate reversal on the increment. Also on The Breakfast, we will take a look at the 2022-2023 season of the Nigerian professional football league with sports journalists. And like always, we will be reviewing all the biggest stories making headlines across major dailies. Welcome to The Breakfast. I am Justin Akadone. It's a Friday and we are thanking God. How are you doing? Where you are? I trust you had yourself a wonderful night, and you were braced up for the day ahead. And of course, the weekend, speaking of the weekend, speaking of Lega, speaking of all the challenges, it is another harrowing experience again, this period with the fuel scarcity resurfacing. And this time around, it is worse. There are long queues, like always, and Nigerians are actually paying as much as 300, now 490 to buy a liter of petrol. It is really, really crazy. Yesterday, just yesterday, I was trying to get home from Victoria Island, I was going to the mainland. I spent, ordinarily, I shouldn't spend more than one hour in traffic on the average. But I spent almost four hours getting to the mainland because of the gridlock, because of the fuel scarcity. That's basically the issue. And Nigerians are paying through their noses for foodstuff, for transportation costs. Even Loma, I think I have to make a case out of this. Ordinarily, what flats pay, I don't know how much you pay in your area, but somewhere on the mainland where I live, we used to pay for Loma, charges for 1,250 Naira. So after all the traffic, after spending four hours in traffic, I got home, okay, let me just go and sort out this guy for December, since my apartment neighbors, my co-tenants, they pay, and I collect the money and I go to pay at the Loma, I guess it's too much information. So what I'm trying to say, in essence, is that I got to a Loma office or their PSP agent and I was told that it is no longer 1,250 Naira, that we are going to be paying, I mean, going forward 1,850 Naira, an increment of 600 Naira. When I tried getting an explanation, the lady was telling me, don't I live in Lagos, don't I live in Nigeria, don't I know that there's fuel scarcity, diesel, the price of diesel has gone so high that over time they've been talking about increasing their rates, even if you're going to increase your, I'm trying to understand the margin you are adding to this. It used to be 1,250 Naira, you added another 600 Naira, what's the difference in the increment of fuel? She was like, well, over time we've not made an increment, but it's just a long term. What I'm trying to say is that Nigerians would also try to make or take advantage of the situation and then pour it out on Nigerians who are struggling by the day. Well, that's not top trending, but let me just get straight on to what's trending this morning. We'll start with the NDLEA and, of course, Abakere who is in the news. Let me just give you a bit of a background concern in that. Now, the detained deputy commissioner of police, DCP Abakere, who is facing a drug trafficking charge, challenged the powers of the Nigerian or national drug law enforcement agency to prosecute him. Kiari, who heated her, headed the police intelligence response team, IRT is on trial for allegedly tampering with cocaine that was seized from two convicted drug peddlers, Chibunna Patrick Umebe and Emeka Alfonso, isn't one of them. He is answering to an eight-count charge, now the NDLEA preferred him and the four members of his team, and they are ACP, Sunday Ubia, ASP, Bawa, James, Inspector Simon Agriba and Inspector John Nuhu. Now, I presume here, and this was on Wednesday, Kiari, through his lawyer, Nurini Jimo S.A.N., maintained that the charge against him was legally defective, whatever that means. I'm not a lawyer. Well, he told the court that the charge was premature, insisting that the NDLEA ought to have allowed police to exhaust its internal machinery before it instituted the action. He is saying that the NDLEA has not really done its own homework and that the charges are premature. That's what Kiari's lawyer is saying. Now, the lawyer went on to say that the police had already commenced investigation on allegations against him and issued an interim report. He maintained that he could only be charged to court upon completion of the internal investigation by the police. So he can be charged onto the police eastern, which, Kiari, investigation, that is what he is saying, or through his lawyer, to the court. Okay, he went on to argue that the Police Service Commission has similar powers to investigate and discipline Aaron police officers in line with the police act and regulations, the same way the National Judicial Council, NJC, discipline judicial officers. So he's saying that he's supposed to be disciplined by the Police and Commission, of course, before he's taken to the court, just like it's done with judges and the NJC. Now consequently, Kiari urged the courts to quash the charge and discharge him. His application was also adopted by the other defendant who prayed the court to terminate further proceedings and the charge against them. Meanwhile, the NDLEA, through its director of legal services, Sunday Joseph, urged the courts to dismiss the defendant's preliminary objections, which he argued was based on fundamental misconception of the law, a whole lot of legalities, if you ask me. Well, he told the courts that, unlike the Armed Forces Act that made provision for establishment of a court martial, the Police Act expressly stated that police offices are not exempted from any criminal liability under the law. Now, the NDLEA went further to argue that it was, if it was the duty of the police to investigate or persecute drug-related cases, it would not have transferred such cases to it. Let me quote him. He said, it was police itself that brought this matter to us, knowing that it has no power to handle cases that fall under the NDLEA Act. Now, powers of police does not include selling of hard drugs that were seized. That is what we classify as tempering, and that is the charge the defendant are facing before this court. And that alone has actually got a whole lot of Nigerians talking on Twitter. There has been so much reactions concerning that. Let me just see if I can take some comments I got from Twitter here. Captain Cush is replying to a true oppose by Yaba left, and he says the whole body is corrupt, and they know themselves. Why won't there be statement like this? He will be free tomorrow and would even get a political position. A lot of, you know, post and the response in here. Some are saying try or trial. Say, don't be surprised that Abba Kerry will contest for presidency in 2027. All right, Nigerians are saying that there's no moral in this particular case. Drive to Cosgrove Junior on Twitter as well. He's saying this one still has mouth to talk. Pessing with them for extradites. Okay, a lot of people are saying that he should have been extradited. He will not even have time to be saying all of this. Another response says, Baba One Singh. A lot of comments can send in all of that. So that's the top trend. And number one for today, Abba Kerry is saying that the NBLEA cannot try him. It should be done by the Police Service Commission, the PSC. Let's go to what's trending next, that the NNPC is still in the news. And this time around, it has gotten approval to construct or reconstruct. 44 wrote, it got about 1.9 trillion Naira by the Federal Executive Council. Let me give you a beat of a background to that particular story. All right, now the Federal Executive Council are fake and its first meeting this year approved the proposal by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its subsidiaries to invest 1.9 trillion Naira for the construction of 44 selected federal roads across the country. At the Council on Wednesday, chaired by the Vice President Professor Yamio Shibajo, they also endorsed the sum of 1.35 billion Naira for the procurement of 31 vehicles for the ease of the federal measure of environment. Let's see if we can get what our people are saying, concerning all of that particular gesture. Let me just slide on again now to Twitter. All right, Nigerians are actually commenting, and this one is saying, I thought it's the duty of the Ministry of Works to worry about road constructions, why NNPC? Again, why are the roads not mentioned? These Puhari men has decided to finish Nigeria before leaving. This one went on to comment on the other issues that were mentioned at the Council. He was talking about the Hilux price for approval that was given. All right, Ben Aikero is also commenting as regards to NNPC getting approval to reconstruct 44 roads. He said NNPC should have concentrated their efforts to build new refineries instead of financing road construction. That is a clever way to account for unremitted funds. Can we ever stop this corruption? A lot of people are even commenting, what's the plan for doctors, the health sector education, why is NNPC reconstructing roads? I wondered too, I thought it was in the preview of the federal Ministry of Works to handle road constructions. All right, more comments, let's see if we can take more. This one is from 2023, Don Real on Twitter. He's saying, misplaced priority, NNPC should be thinking of how to make our four refineries work first before thinking of constructing roads. More comments, there are more Nigerians are actually commenting on this particular issue. Now, Carly from Twitter as well, at Steve Carly one is saying that a Nigerian national petroleum company, the NNPC, that cannot produce petroleum product now want to diversify to making roads. And he commented and said, more, amazing, mm. Manga, in razor, is also commenting on that particular post on Twitter. He says, this is a distraction from its core business of exploration and production. How will it meet OPEX quota and increase the country's revenue if it spent its revenue even meant for a federation account on roads? This is completely absurd. He tagged the Nigerian president and he said that it should be reversed. Now, Ote Amuta, let me take two more comments. Why did NNPC limited, or when rather, did the NNPC limited become our government? Is this public private initiative? He now tagged Peter Bee, please dismantle all this structure that is milking Nigeria dry when you become the president by God's grace. All right, Ade Olujus is also commenting. He says, the federal government approving NNPC, if not Niger, many of us we weren't consorted on the matter, so the federal government of Nigeria approve NNPC, not be Nigeria, would you talk about? All right, this one, the minister of works, he says, we are hoping that the Abad-Tuput-Hackert and Jungle Road of the NNPC expressway is included. Don't also forget that the entire federal roads in the state have become jungle roads, let good conscience prevail in this matter as you prepare to live office. All right, it is actually surprising that the NNPC is now getting into the business of road construction or reconstruction, Nigerians are actually talking and they need precision, they need to know exactly those 44 roads at the end of the day so they can actually be monitored for transparency and of course accountability. On the last top trending for this week, a court remains judges, others for alleged 500 million naira theft. We're talking about the judiciary right now and corruption in the judiciary. Let's see if I can give you a bit of a background concerning that particular story. I'm going to read it directly from the punch newspaper. It says Akashia or the Kaduna or Kano State Sharia court division, who's a Naira Imam and 14 others including judges and registrars, were on Wednesday evening arraigned and remanded in a correctional center for allegedly committing offenses bordering on criminal conspiracy, joint act or criminal breach of trust by public servants, forgery and theft. The offenses run contrary to sections 97, 79, 315 and 289 of the penal code. When the case came upon Wednesday before the chief magistrate, most of us are at that time, the prosecution council, Zaharuddin Mata, pray the courts to grant him leave for the content of the first information report be read to the defendant post went to section 129 of subsection 177 of the administration of criminal justice act as we round up for this discussion. Let's see if I can get and see how Nigerians are commenting about this on Twitter. Now Mazi Igwebeke is also responding. He says, I have seen the proponent of Sharia comment on this post, yet what's happening? If it's Rahama Saddo, now they will start running up their mouths like oversized water tap. This one is from Abdul Hakim. He says, the prophet cursed the thief because he is a corrupt element in society and if he is left unpunished, his corruption will spread and infect the body of the woman. Now Victor Waleh Mong is also talking this morning. He says, Sharia, what does Sharia law say about stealing? I hope the law will also be applied to the judge. Okay, each year ED, I hope Sharia law will be applied. It should not be for the poor alone. Okay, more comment as we round up from this particular discourse. Now theft, stealing and secret is punished or punishable by the amputation of the offender's right hand and armed or highway robbery may be punished by execution, crucifixion or amputation of hands and fades from opposite sides of the body. Wow, that's really, really harsh. Dependent on the severity of the offence, what is their punishment for stealing again Nigerians are asking on Twitter? Who will come judge the judge? That's from Chido at Chido Swaga 25. All right, the last comment I'll take this morning. His past judgments need to be reviewed. That is the judge that is, you know, indicted in all of this. Any armed court must be replaced. Anyone killed must be resurrected or the family compensated very well. The Sharia court should be the one to preside over his case again. It is really sad when we hear that M. Those who should actually be dispensing justice in the country are actually also culpable in this whole matter. We're just hoping justice actually to take its course in this matter and those who found them guilty should actually be made to face the full wrath of the law. That stopped trending forward this morning. You can comment about all of that on our social media platforms. Would want to hear from you just let the conversation flow on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook as well. All right, I will take a quick break when we return. We'll be going straight to off the press and see what's making headlines on the front pages of national dailies in a moment to join us again.