 Let's see all the breakfasts in Plastivio Africa. We have a Ziko Nyayitok, of course his title. He likes to be addressed as the Otoekong and you would only understand if you are from that part of the country. Otoekong, thank you for joining us. We appreciate your time. Thank you for having me. Actually, Otoekong is one of the highest titles you could have. It's like Aria or Naka Kanfo. It's like the general. It's one of the biggest titles you can have within the Otoekong sector. So the general, thank you for joining us. It's all right. We set off with the punch newspaper as always. We'll take you through the pages of dailies and we'll run through the papers as we have as available by Paper Vendor and would have great analysis and perspective to it. Let's set off with the punch like I mentioned. The big caption or the story you like to see, as you strike, NLC rejects Buhari's two-week ultimatum, insist on protest. That's what the punch is saying this morning. NLC thoughts, two-week timeline says three days enough to meet demands. Planned protests illegal, Nigerian Labour Congress partisans as government. Asu says, no going back on protest. Aviation workers plan strike. It feels like we probably might also be joining this action. Well, that's the boat caption on the right as you find underneath it this morning on the punch away from that. CBN panel worries over Niger's debt repayment capacity. EFCC, ICPC, FORDS propose ACJA amendment. And blackouts as grid collapses from 300 megawatt and 3922 megawatts to 50 megawatt. It feels like we are a weird joke. Reps plan tax crimes commission headed by IG. Again, you find Baker's holds bread production today over increasing costs. I mean, I'm so sorry for those who love to eat bread. Another caption says, anti-Schatimo forces anger as Tunubu defends running mate. Again, Reps probe lipside at TCN recruitment and summons MD HOS a delicate winds appeal and gets certificate of return. Four men gang rape Legos school child for five days. What evil. We hope that the law is, you know, justice is meted and those who are responsible for this barbaric evil actor brought to book. How it will be I go killed my seven brothers in my presence. It's quite unfortunate what's going on in our country. Protesters, Legos, land grabbers, burn houses and eat your resident. A shoe woman wanted for a large burning husband over infidelity. I mean, you know, it's a story and a report that you probably would have seen, but we move away from that. We have the nation and on the nation, Tunubu on Shatima, I have made had best choice. Okay, that's interesting. APC presidential candidate says 2023 poll must win. I won't be vice president to Muslims. Let's join hands with candidates for victory. Says party chair, Buhari show of victory. I mean, how do you even say that? It's very contradictory. You know, in the figure of speech, I would say it's an irony. You can't say that you're having a Muslim, Muslim one, a Muslim as a presidential candidate, Muslim as a vice presidential candidate and you say that you're not going to be, you know, a president or you're not going to be chairing over, you know, Muslim. You're not just going to be for the, it's obvious. Isn't it very biased? Well, another talks about, let's join hands. I took that already. And you still have blackout as greed collapses to zero, megawatt, thrives in three months, or in three hours, let's say zero megawatts and all the quarters are reporting 50 megawatts. Well, that's what you find there. NDLEA tenders $61,400, alleged bribe cash in court. Weithnesses testify against Etete in 1.3 billion dollars Malabu oil prostitute. And Akira Dalu orders sack of civil servant on double salaries. Oshun governor-elect deputy gets certificate. These are the headlines you find on the nation. Away from the nation, we have the daily trust newspaper. It talks about 2023. Nigerians will vote competence over sentiment. Shatema, of course. Nigerians will vote competence over sentiments. That's what Nigerians have been saying. And ex-Boronu governor's choice had, but best. That's what Tunubu is quoted to say. Could he be that, you know, the flag bearer is trying to pass a message? Could he be that there are forces that are responsible for this beyond the eyes of Nigerians? 11 governors attend on veiling of running mate and 11 orders, lawan missing. God willing, you will succeed. That's what Buhari's quarter to say. And protest at party headquarters over vice president candidate's choice. Feels like there might just be a lot of commotion. Baker's closed shop today over high production costs. And that's for those in the bakery, those who make bread. So bread might just be, in case you don't see bread, you need to look for an alternative. Opponents of water bill driven by parochial political interests. That's what minister is quoted to say. Ask to strike hundreds to miss law school as NLS begins new session. And cargo trapped as dock workers shot a papa port terminal. Everyone might just be very displeased and angry protesting. 2UC, six salary review, 65 years retirement, age for workers really. And Super Falcons boycott training over unpaid allowances. What is going on? It feels like we need to overhaul the entire country. Let's press the stop button and begin to fix everything. Bandits, terrorists kill 43, abduct many in Sokoto, Katsina and Taraba. This morning, seven siblings kidnapped in Katsina. Quite unfortunate and two year old left behind after mortars kidnapped. The headlines on the daily trust newspaper. And away from the daily trust, we just quickly look at the leadership now. The leadership also talks about the Muslim Muslim ticket. We were in presidential race for Nigeria. I take that again. We're in presidential race for Nigerian projects, not Islamic agendas. And Nigerians are saying and all this is saying that if that's the case, then why don't you have a Christian as a vice president so you could balance the equation? Well, God willing, I would hand over to you in 2023, President Muhammad Dabuhari acknowledges can this owns bishop at unveiling of Shatima as Tunibu's running mate says they are desperadoes who don't know how to wear bishop's garment. Protests rock the APC secretary. It's been a lot going on. The Nasus strike federal government declares plan NLC solidarity protest illegal. Why? Bread makers to shut down over high operating cost today. I'm so sorry. Very saddening. Can you imagine what would happen? National grid records six collapse in seven months. And you find we killed ESN members, not wedding guests in emo. That's what the DSS is quoted to say. But really, the DSS would say that. What happened to you being tried by court of competence jurisdiction? Could this also be tamed as or classified as extra judicial killing? But that's the much we could take this morning on the pages that's been made available by our vendor. We have Ezeko Nyai took who joins the conversation. Ezeko, thank you so much for always making our time to be part of the breakfast. We appreciate you on your time. Would like that you unmute your microphone so we can have a smooth conversation. Yeah, thank you. Sorry for as I consider that a privilege. So I should be grateful for having your program. All right, Dan. Let's start off with the NLC and the fact that they have rejected the president's two weeks or to meet him and insisting that the protest would continue. That's on the punch this morning. The NLC is saying that, hey, the timeline being given two weeks is so much in three days, we can sort all of this. And some passes have also described, you know, the government is saying that the plant protest is illegal and the Nigerian Libor Congress is very partisan. What do you make of this? I think that the government is confused to say the least. And all they need is just to get a few consultants to guide them to direct them. That's number one. Number two, they need to just for once think of how they can be honest and sincere. Playing the ostrich and trying to beat a child and tell that child not to cry is nonsensical. It is not consensical. And I think that we are getting really tired. If this was just like super far comes missing in the game that we just say, oh, I felt so bad. The next money you get up and move, it will be a different program. This is about our children, our future, who have been at home for almost six months. I don't know how we understand how these things work. It goes back to jam. Those who took jam last year, we are there. Those who are taking this year, are we going to have first year A and first year B? How are we going to do this? There's a lot of implication to all the things that we are doing. So the first thing is, you know, I like it when the presidential candidates of African Democratic Congress, A, D.C., Mr. Dumebe Kachikou, held a state of the nation or state of the union address, so to speak. And he just appealed to ASU and said, please, go back to school. These guys are lying to you. They don't have the money. They're just buying time. Come out clean and clear and say, ASU, we know that your demand is legitimate. We know that this is a situation. But please, this is where we are as a nation today. Can you just help us? Then ASU is going to tell them, I understand, I'm going to make sacrifices, but you are also going to make sacrifices. Do you need that? Do you need this? Because there's a lot of frivolities in government. There's a lot of reckless spending in government. And you said you have no money, and yet your lifestyle does not depict that. So there's this disconnect between what they say and what they are, and you really can't meet the mindset or the body language or the direction or that we are running as a people and as a government. Thirdly, if they had a consultant that interface between them, that consultant will tell ASU, you know, the health sector has a lot of things. The housing sector have a lot of needs. All sectors have a lot of needs. So they can't, if they make their demands for what is rightly theirs, Nigeria will not be able to make one point of it. That's the fact. So these are your entitlements, but these are our realities. Can we just see how we meet halfway, one way or the other? When you have that honest conversation, we will have progress made. But when the federal government is on one hand grandstanding, on another hand, free volos, and on the third hand, trying to bring about setting threats, I don't know when strike became illegal or protests, not even strike, when protests became illegal in a country where freedom of speech and association is guaranteed by the constitution, these are the things that our leaders just do. And you wonder how they found themselves. I say somewhere, I really am starting not to blame leaders again. We run a democracy. The time has come when the nation, the citizens have to take responsibility. There's something called office of decision of the state, and responsibility to it. All right. Ezekon, I took less quickly look at this one, you know, at some point, looking at that headline, it's also on the punch, it dominates some of the papers. It talks about the fact that those who make bread are withdrawing, they're down. That's going to be a down tool. And it might just be, you know, a nationwide movement. They have raised some concern. And some of the issues they have talked about is that the cost of production, raw materials actually, especially at a time where, you know, there's been a ban on importation of flour. And also, if you look at, you know, the capacity of the nation to produce locally, it's not even there. And so it's not available. We don't have the capacity. And they're saying that, hey, they're going to down tool. Now, this is one. We also, this is not me trying to be not optimistic. But it's what might likely happen. There might be other sectors or, you know, other persons who might be, who decided down tool in no time, or just withdraw because of, you know, the costs of production. What can we do? I mean, it feels like we're going through a lot now. What exactly can we do? When you look out and see the campaigning that we are carrying on, starting with the presidential primaries, you just can't help but shake your head if people really know what's going on. All these people that want to be governors and presidents, are they aware of the state of Aikuman? Are they aware of the challenges that are ahead of us? We that are running around like headless people with these people? Have we sat down to really think and profile each of these people in terms of the challenges, the space? Have we really come to understand our position as a nation? Or are we living under this false pretense of a great nation and, you know, prosperous? And there are a lot of things that we are just not getting right. I'm bringing, you know, with respect to the question we asked, challenges are in every sector. When I start to talk, you know, my one area is actually housing. That's what I'm really known for, without the public policies and government. You know, if I tell you the challenges, you know I'm contesting to be the governor of Akwaibom State, I've sat down with a team to look at the housing challenges in Akwaibom State. I want to tell you on record that 100% of the budget of Akwaibom State cannot give us the ideal housing environment that is expected of a citizen. Cannot. That same 100% cannot give us healthcare in a way that it should be. So when you sit down and you look at the debt burden, look at the revenue, look at IHCR, when you sit down and look at all these things, the first thing is really somebody who thinks well, this way to think of withdrawal and running again, except they're motivated by something that somebody's got to fix this problem. And then you now see your opponents spending money nearly in the billions. You see, you see the convoys on there, you know, when they are going on campaign, you just sit down sometimes and almost have migraine. I think the time has come when Nigerians, especially those of us that God has given the privilege to enlighten, you know, what we call the elites. I think we really need to sit down and ask ourselves what country are we going to have in 2023 and what can we do today? Look at the aviation. Aviation is such that, you know, look at what's about one of the airlines today being suspended. People are cutting corners at the risk of life. We shouldn't, there's a problem. We are in an emergency. And Mr. President, I don't know, I made a promise that since he signed the electoral act, we're not going to blame him again. But don't you think that you're being biased? Yeah. I mean, if you get to that particular point, of course, it's your choice. You have a right, you know, to be where it is that you should be as regards your thoughts and your opinion. A lot of persons still do not understand the importance or, you know, what has really happened with the electoral act. But a few persons actually understand and they have given accolades to the president. And that's what it is. So if you have people doing good, then you applaud them. If the president and his team and every other person is getting them right, he gets the accolades. And if they're not getting it right, it's okay to get the knocks. It's we're in the system. But let's quickly move away from that. It's an aside. Now, on the leadership newspaper, the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Now, according to Shatimar, who was unveiled yesterday, he says we're in the presidential race for Nigerian projects. I take that again. We are in the presidential race for an Nigerian project, not Islamic agenda. Now, these has been the notion prior to the unveiling, prior to this time. There's been a lot of reaction shortly after you had the APC saying, hey, we're going to have Shatimar, Shatimar. There's been some people say, hey, the prominent leader of Boko Haram was arrested in his lodge at the time. You have so much going on. And there's a lot of worry. And they're saying that it's not a problem. We also saw some of the bee sharps yesterday and some of those men of God who said it's not a crime. There's really nothing wrong. And if you have a Muslim-Muslim running or vying for the office of President 2023, that's not a problem. It's for the unity of the people. But is this statement, do you believe this thought that this is not an agenda, whether or not it's an Islamic agenda or any other agenda? Do you think that this is for the Nigerian costs? You know, there's something, if you take time and read the Bible, you find a lot of wisdom, a lot of things that are very inspiring. One of them is that all things are lawful, but not all things are expedient. It's one of the passages that I home dear because it helps me to analyze certain situations. As a vice president, I am liberty to appoint anybody as to your vice president. Secondly, you know as a president that your vice president doesn't pay time. As of today, the vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a pastor, or just a Christian, the pastor. But the question is, what impact have we felt as a Christian being a vice president? They are setting councils that the vice president is not a member of. And at the highest bodies of taking decisions outside of like the Federal Executive Council, which of course has both Muslims and Christians, that the decision-taking procedure of government, unfortunately, is not out of robust engagement of the Federal Executive Council, either at the Federal level or the State Executive Council. But an endorsement and a kind of carrying on of the decisions of the Chief Executive. That is why I always tell people that the worst person to be a president is a minister, or the worst person to be a governor is a commissioner. Because as a minister or as a commissioner, you are a professional yes man. You don't have an opinion. You don't know what it means to take an executive position. Yours is to endorse the decision of your boss. And he wants to do this. He says, you know, jump and you're like, how high. So these are people who have not been put in taking executive decisions, which is the work of Mr. President or of a governor. These are points we really need to start to interrogate because that's why we keep having the wrong set of, oh, he has experience. What experience? Does he have relevant experience? What is relevant experience to the office? So it goes back, we would not have this issue in the terms of who is a vice president, whether he's a Muslim or a Christian, because it really doesn't matter. But the second part, which is justice should not only be served but be seen. That perception, perception is reality. Just know that number one is a Muslim. Number two is a Christian. It gives something to the psyche of the people, especially at a time like this, when we are so fragmented and divided as a nation, not on economic basis, but largely on religious basis. So it's not really an expedient time for you to give that analogy or that discussion of, oh, it doesn't matter, because really in the mindset of the people, it matters. That is problem number one, numero uno, that we are having in the psyche. They feel that we are not a part of the system. Are you even advocating cessation? If you are coming in as a president, you are giving the first body language that, you know, a kind of sensitivity to the different dynamics of different sections, whether it's tribal sentiment or religious sentiment or ethnic sentiment, that you are impervious to it and it's a very bad body language to start with. For whatever is worth, you know, I want to say something about PDP and APT. Now to win an election, the PDP presidential candidate, by cessation and public, by public cessation, you would have been better off going with Obong weekend. But I think that having been a vice president, he is thinking of somebody that will be able to play the role of the vice president and will it be underestimated humility in the capacity of Mr. Wike? So he settles for my Oga Okoa. So while Artiku is thinking about administration, how we can run effective administration, I think my Oga is thinking in terms of winning an election, you know, it's like when we get to that river, we possibly get to that river first. It makes sense within logical argument, but when you are running a system, a government system, you need to be sensitive to all the dynamics. Could he have gotten the guy in the good will of Shetima, his financial watches, where Tinibu does not have to be the sole financier, so to speak, we have gotten it based on a certain arrangement when he still works with somebody that is a Christian from the north. You know, you can tell me that there's no Christian that is of consequence in the north. So in all of this, it's okay to say that this is not a Nigerian cause. It's not a Nigerian project, that all that you have mentioned. I have a personal challenge with respect to how expedient that choice is. But in terms of logical argument, you know, the vice president is a spare tire. Today, our vice president is passed on, not just a Christian. But to what extent is he given the latitude? So you can get a vice president, he doesn't make him there, he's there and he's there. But Ezekiel, yeah, I took that side. It feels like you're contradicting yourself, but we like to move. Not really that you are, but if you say that the major issue is that people feel not part of the system, they feel marginalized and that's why you have all of the movement for cessation. And so if that's the case, how do you then say this is a Nigerian project? We understand that as a vice president, as a governor of a state, you can be highly placed and you can be a professor. But you know, your importance is as good as nothing because you would follow the beatings under doing, you know, the orders of the superior or the president. Let's not disappear now. But that's what it is. But let's move away from that, Ezekiel, quickly. No, no, no, no. It's important that we say something. No, no. I mean, we're out of time now. All right, go ahead. Go ahead. Okay. I am a student of intellectualism. I've drawn a line between two things. Intellectually, the man is at liberty to take the person who thinks he can win a election and put it above an administration. He's at liberty to take a person who thinks he can win a election above the sentiment of the nation. Intellectually, he's at liberty. That's one point I said. But in terms of leadership, the feeling of the people is important. That's why I said, though all things are lawful, in this case, it is not expedient. So I'm not contradicting myself. I'm very much on the point. Okay. Well, thank you so much. Unfortunately, we weren't able to continue with the other thoughts. But I'm hoping that- The bishops that were disguised- Not necessarily, but the power, the national greed and the fact that the new NMPC might just be the hope for a guaranteed energy security for the country. But let's see how that pans out. And let's also see what happens if we say that everyone wants to become president and governor, but they fail to recognize the things that constantly influence our election and influence us as a country. We are not leaving our truth. We constantly don't tell us of the truth. Religion and ethnicity constantly influence the election every other time. And it's high time that we're accepted and leave by it. That's how much we can take. Thank you so much for being part of the breakfast. We appreciate you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Ezeko and I took as a public affairs analyst. He's also a governor. She's a candidate in Aquabomb state. I'm sure that someday we'd talk about his ambition and his plan if he becomes governor of the state. Well that said, this morning we'll take a break. When we return, we'll head straight to a first major conversation right here. Please stay with us.