We're still on the breakfast in plus CV Africa. Thanks for joining us this beautiful Tuesday morning Chris came in one do de-trabalized Nigeria. He joins us You know to bring great perspective on the papers Chris is good to have you join us Thank you very much for having me I mean what what attire you're wearing and what culture does it represent? You know, I move from east to west to north and this one is a traditional That's great. All right, we're set up with a punch newspaper Looking at the big stories. We'll also have The leadership the Nigerian Tribune all things being equal the nation as well. The punch says Queen Elizabeth's funeral world leaders Over four billion audience bead farewell. It was really a historic event Trust Boris Johnson Tony Blair for others ex-Prime Minister pay last respects Former presidents all the shaggon of Bassenjoe Elijah's late Queen says she carried herself with dignity We look forward to a prosperous reign a vice-president YAMLC Badra tells King Charles the thorned Away from that you have Buhari to launch $100 billion SDG financial or financing framework and National Assembly resumes 2023 budget Chief George of Nigeria's confirmation of justice top agenda National Assembly's resumption starts with the 2023 budget and the confirmation of the chief George or Chief Justice of Nigeria as a top agenda NDLE a seizes 194 billion narrow cocaine in Lagos arrest five And I just second quarter death heats four trillion era and meet revenue crisis Corruption running Nigeria I take that again corruption ruining Nigeria fuel subsidy organized crime Or B is quoted on that and SA and react as advance ex-soldier bags 21 years in prison student target a proper port after airport road blockage and so You know, that's what it is yesterday. We saw that the airport was actually Road was blocked or the airport activities leading to that was disrupted by that protest by students PDP or Tom once at equal fire chase use for peace This is the burner caption or the board stories this morning on the punch You have the Nigerian Tribune In front of us this morning Rebs raises a lamb over plot to sink Nigeria through fuel subsidy Says we're subsidizing neighboring countries presidents PMs crosses to come around through the North East PMs gets to Mall and neighboring countries Hadly import PMs in fact some of them do not have the LLC covered to back up import If you go to Niger Republic you will find that PMs is sold in bottles like coca cola That's what Ibrahim most of our Honorable Minister quoted to say it's like a lengthy statement underneath the issue right there As to strike student protests and ground activities at Lagos airports and they're also saying that they're going to take that You know to the seaport Sets for showdown with please over planned showdown of a luring airport No plan to shot a Boudja airport nun says there's own protests in Lagos really Reps leadership to meet federal government as to delegation today NDLE a boss cocaine warehouse and seizes 193 billionaire worth of drugs in Ikorodu a Van suspend 21 years in jail for kidnapping and Place holder running mate caught strikes out PD pursuit against tunable and OB anxiety as Ina conveys final list of presidential National Assembly candidate today and the Commission dismisses claim of seven million Disenfranchised Nigerians. That's the conversation. We had what leaders with us Queen Elizabeth's grand barrel And that might just be dominating all of the papers But that's it on the Nigerian Tribune and away from that we have we have the nation and just before the nation will just quickly take a look at the We'll take a look at the the leadership newspaper this morning Queen Elizabeth the second world beads final farewell to her majesty Students shut down Lagos airport of a strike the several riders right there cord rules and Fridays suit on Wednesday Bandit abducts 60 and kill four in Niger Kaduna and demand 200 millionaire NDLE on covers 193 billionaire worth of cocaine at Lagos way house and That's what you find there on the leadership newspaper and we take a quick look at The nation The nation says federal government's planned salary increase a cushion inflation effects Or Schumann and Knox governors not paying 30,000 a monthly wage. I mean so was he talking about the implementation of you know the minimum wage 30,000 I was requested Bishop cocker. I paid 30 millionaire ransom for my priests. That's interesting advanced jail 21 years for kidnapping and collecting $420,000 and just before move away from the nation newspaper You have students block Lagos Airport over ASU and PDP crisis This misses we case dangerous or Tom wants Okay, this is the riders you find and just before then the NDLE sees 193 billion drug raid of Lagos way house This is some of the headlines you find this morning on the nation newspaper. We have Chris Kennedy Wendell who joins the conversation Chris, thank you so much for being part of the show Thank you once again for having me Well, I said if with the Nigerian Tribune reps raise a lamb over plot to sink Nigeria through fuel subsidy. What are your thoughts? My thought is what I've always said The issue of subsidy is killing the nation as it were currently and The burden on us Is just too Just too much that For now we are finding difficult apart from the subsidy we are finding the even much more difficult to be able to Service the the huge debt that is on us We can't we keep on burying on a daily basis. I see burying is being out of assistance National legislative body the National National Assembly Senate and the House of Rebs Parties, whatever the executive brings to them over burying. We have no put this in more. We are not exporting more Even our quota with Topic we cannot meet now. We are losing over 400,000 Paris or 12 on the good or a on a daily basis to theft and That that is a true picture of what is happening now and then the federal government seems To doesn't even know what to do again Recently they signed a contract of over 40 or 45 billion with the topolo for the Division of security and our various pipelines That's the only hope and we continue saying this every time Before I've done what we need to do would be where we are today Nigeria obviously is the only country in among the Public countries Country that produces could I best still import petroleum products? No country does that What we do is that we produce food or a sports there we import Petroleum products and the issue is that if we're going to do but it's making sure that our refineries are working We'll be finding ourselves where we are today This is some people are so comfortable with what is happening the government and NPC and others to make sure that the refineries Don't work they'll continue to tell you oh it will work in December it will come up in January come up Five years eight years down the line this government's promise when it was been elected in 2015 That's all the refineries with a new one's views. No single or a new single Refinery is working correctly as it's where and the most annoying part of fitness is the fact that we see the norm Well, if what we budget for turn around maintenance every year, I ask is where is that money going? So what do they use that money? The those working in this different areas are collated billiards and billiards of mirror On a year on a yearly basis and cannot you find a single fuel? So that is a Nigeria for you, but look at what happened in in Kenya president Ruto was sworn in last week and Immediately he removed he saw the problem his country was going to and he removes subsidy and they say that And that was it. We just have to face this. I know it's a way We are we are ready. I know we are ready to do the writing or work continue to go about it To me I repeat some people are benefiting in billions and billions of dollars With what is happening with the show of high subsidy and the inability to make a refineries work Well, Chris Would he be also okay? I mean silicon of the Nigerian Tribune the fact that it will be difficult for us to Remove I mean to continue with the swell subsidy regime while we're subsidizing for other countries neighboring countries Yes, because once we subsidize that then other countries is going to affect all those other Leakages here and that we find you see that remember what's the controller the controller general of custom said You say that NEPC cannot justify the number of about 65 million or close to 90 million 85 million liters of fuel that is being released into That claims it's been released into the system on a daily basis that they cannot leak that they cannot justify that because over the years we also find out that if You cannot say that this is the true consumption the level of consumption and because About 30 million of that cannot be accounted for and he suppose about this issue of most of the truck moving out of the country To neighboring countries and so we are not only subsidizing Petroleum products were also subsidizing for Countries around us DJ charge Cameroon and rest of the just like that report say that most of this content It will just find a way out of the country through the nuts into Cameroon and other parts of the country And you continue to ask yourself who are those behind this NMPC knows what we're going on the minister of petroleum knows what Not what is going on even that will not say that even the president is the self Who is the minister of petroleum? Don't forget that present moment where it is the minister of petroleum So if there's a failure in that sector all blame should go to the minister of petroleum who express the moment where he cannot claim Not to know what is going on and know what to do Another one is the protest finance. I mean yesterday The road to the airport. So you want to see those gridlock around the Murtala Mohammed Airport right in Lagos and They're also threatening that they would and back on other protests where they will take it, you know to Very prominent eras. I mean we're talking about transportation Access or access road right there. What are your thoughts on this protests? And do you think that it was it's really a rational thing to do by Nantes? What other strong do they have? They have begged they have begged federal government. They have begged us to this has been that I've been home for over eight months Now before this they lost about a 11 months last year there But before that the covid setting and they lost particle another almost one year now Over the months they have been appealing to the federal government to look into the crisis The problem with us so that the schools can be resumed so that they can go back to school They have begged they have tried they have done anything who my everything only possible The government doesn't seems to be listening to them Then they're taking the they're taking their destiny to their hands since the government is not ready to listen What would they do they have only the only thing they have is the power of protest and nobody has a right to stop Anybody from protesting or agitating when they come to show protest the only thing that the law Abol is that boy that protest Tony Wallace they started with the legacy by the expressway they've moved to The airport roads yesterday, and they also continue threatening that they are going to move to other places government knows that what to do is go back to what I've said before and the only person that can solve the issue of Asu presently is the president of federal government idea That issue of negotiation that power to negotiation to bring them also To agree on most of the time have been thrown out of the window don't forget that federal government come to the industrial court and then the industrial court in the next few hours is going to Come out with a judgment or a pronouncement on that suit and the question I've always asked is Even if they ask us to members to go back to work and they refuse to go back to work What can they come to do? They cannot do anything. You cannot force a Libra or an employee on a On an employer if he decides not to work that's not we can do about it That's we can do is to stop the salary which they have done and then part of the agitation of us Is that they want it they want to be paid a different government is saying that it is no work No pay that has already been established. So the students are in as much as I don't like the way I'm mad About it. They have no other option than to support what they are doing because that is only thing they can do protest on their own whether they're blocking the road blocking the airport or blocking anywhere There is nothing anybody can do about it. Let the government do the needful You had an agreement a contract signed with us and once that's come to the side in as much as it's not custom So it is really you to make sure that tenants of that Contract is obeyed the government to come to say oh we didn't sign it. It was said by the previous government Government is a continuum whenever you inherit a company as we say in company in law Both assets and the liabilities and that is the true situation now. So There's nothing anybody can do about it than to make sure that this issue is Totally resolve as quickly as possible so that we don't continue to get ourselves People are for what it is they had the answers Protests started it started like this and the program has forgotten what happened through the answer This was how it started before you knew it to spread that I call the country And we're going to have seniors in security on our hands And I hope they'll be able to need this in before that's quickly as possible by making sure that the issue Between the federal government and last week is free so Well, so I mean for the for me the concern would be what results have we actually Gotten from all of this protest as much as it's within their right to protests they have a right to An assembly as long as they don't constitute a nuisance or I mean they're not a threat to your national security But however, we know that this is not the first time that you know Nance has protested We talked about the Lagos about the way the gridlock that it costs and and afterwards what happened now We're having the airports being blocked yesterday I mean or the roads to the airports being blocked and and that also you know was quite stressful Let's look at the fact that this is also Contributing to economic loss. We know what happens when you have a gridlock This passengers who are going about their businesses or you know ordinary citizens are going about their businesses Should I be taking you know the brunt and the the pain for all of this? That's on the one hand There's also another plan to have another protest You know students are saying they're going to shut down the lowering airport and the police is actually also appealing that hey They can't go that way Has protest really been a tool to resolve conflict or has a has a really pressured government hand to acting in this certain You know direction And the question I asked again what other options is left to the students onto somebody come out with a much better Argument then that is only option that is left to them. Well, you are talking about whether I In fact, whether has any threat or not. It does is the national embarrassments The word you see what is happening and the word is taking notes. Is a is a global village Whatever I believe because yesterday I've been seen and read in Washington. It has been spreading in London It has been read across the globe and have been seen across and that puts the Niger government in terrible bad light because they Government I cannot handle just the basic elements issue like education How those please in governance and that is it if you cannot have the simple issue like Students Strike and resume you have no way we're not even talking of the bigger work We are not talking about it is security now that in itself is a much much bigger work But education there are basic things that is required of a government a Government has to provide social amenities As to build infrastructure I'll also look at education is there is no country in the world where the education system is taking lightly Because this are the future. These are our future leaders if you've had to get them educated today They were going to have problem tomorrow. So every country across the globe There are some countries in the world where education is totally free. I may see let me shock you more most of these leaders that we are having now those of them Most of them we are beneficiaries of the free education of Nigeria of Nigeria Most of them went through the system in the south west in the south west in the north where education was free Most of their parents could not afford to pay their school fees and they had the benefit of going to school free If they didn't have that opportunity they wouldn't have been where they are today and that is very very sad so what You ask yourself what are the options are left to the students and then you want them to carry gone Or you want them to start killing people or you want them to start denying people or you want them to start to destroy Government for structures or stop burning down houses and rest of them There's nothing they've done what they did was just put this block with the rest of them in other climes It could be worse or they can get you what so what that is what I'm saying that why it is as quietly as this as Simple as this let us make sure we resolve this issue before this crisis gets out of control. We are having serious serious Some people will not take advantage of this process to come Cosmo have work within the system and that is what I'm saying but you know recently that as the federal government has made an offer to ask and Asu has not really accepted that offer You also want to begin to look at the current reality a budget deficit were or were faced with a deficit of six point To six trillion narrow, which is also forcing the government to new borrowings of 5.012 trillion era of which domestic you have domestic borrowings of 2.506 trillion era and a foreign You know boring at almost two trillion or there about and so looking at all of this Is it not rational? You're already seeing what seemed the dynamics and how things are being played out Quota production has been reduced were faced with revenue issues And how can the government respond to all of these issues? At the beginning I make a statement and they make a comparison with what happened in the oil sector And I said that billions and billions of dollars have been pumped into the turn around maintenance of our refineries And no single refinery has been turned around We need a Susie had to say that this is time for the agencies like EFCC and I CPC to turn their Satellite on what is happening in the city of petroleum and NPC that has been What do they call it in a privatized or not? Those wastages can be used to be able to sort out these issues that I was talking about You bought billions and billions of dollars are not saying naira billions of dollars into a sector That is known that is producing absolutely nothing So what are we talking about there are so many other critical areas where the cages here and there We saw we read about ghost workers that was uncovered recently. We have billions of billions of naira We have been where we have been stolen by sickle servants under the same government We have seen a situation where the account general of Nigeria stole billions and billions of naira under the same government We have seen situation where so many other government officials and agencies and getting involved in graphed and issues that have bought us on Unstealing and rest of them if government in his wisdom have been able to do the need to some of this money How can this channel into our education sector? I won't be having this problem So when you continue to say, oh, we don't have the money. We don't yes We don't have the money, but you can see the tactical about it Yes, I agree that federal government has been able to agree to a salary increase of about close to 23 to 23 percent or there about for intellectuals and about 35 percent for Professors in the investors, but it does not end there because there are so many other issues that happen I personally also say that yes in as much as we are also blaming as a So in this wisdom also should be able to come down to the table to be able to look at these areas The way is going so that the federal government cannot agree to everything else who have said But do we even know what has been agreed on what has not been the government is saying something else I should say something and that is why I said I remember last time I was talking on this program I say it has gone beyond the federal government We should look at opportunity of having a thought party The government cannot solve this problem from with us and is asking that is a problem with Can we look at all parties like those into arbitration those into mediation and consolation to come in and be as a bridge between in this negotiation so that something tangible can come out of it as it is going It is going to be very difficult for also and the federal government to resolve There's by the pattern gone to cut even the government if the cut make a pronouncement in the next few days I wish that I should also is good to buy my dad And if they don't what will you do? Are you going to arrest some members of us? It's not possible Okay, and so so that there are two issues as we coasted down now one is on the punch Top of the punch paper. It talks about Nigerians second-quarter You know debt heats 42 trillion era. I mean revenue crisis and that's it That's on the punch now But it feels like the way out for us is more boring. We feel like we have to continue to borrow to solve the problem What do you make of this and on the nation the nation talks about? Inflation now the government is saying we're going to increase salary to cushion the effect of inflation Is it almost the same thing as printing money to help solve the problem? What are your thoughts really? My thoughts basically is that we're just going to be sure to come into what to do If we are so if you tend to make sure that we have a turn around Depending over dependence of our is not happy house. You have to produce more gas for tomorrow That is only where we can make any and there are so many critical area We did of the economy that we can be put to cash. We are looking at the mineral. We're looking at the agriculture. We are looking at Good areas like even information technology if we move in these areas then there's a possibility that we'll be able to get more and Our problem is cash comes but even at that I say time and time again that he who was a boring goes I'm sorry if we continue to borrow on a daily basis and You you run into problem one way the problem now message is not even what we are going the problem is that all we are having We are using to service our beds, not only servicing that not the main debt We are servicing most often than not the interest on this debt and is keep on piling That is the issue that we find ourselves So we should put all our thinking cap before also means it looks passive That we are running into a situation where the government doesn't even know what to do as far as this issue is concerned But quickly that is for the economy quickly. Let me just talk quickly on the sentencing of an advanced yesterday so called billionaire Kidnapper Who was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment yesterday in Lagos that for me is a way forward and it's a clear Education to all those that are going to crime that no matter how we try to run away from Justice justice with definitely catch up with you one day. So that is one and We also look forward to a situation where all those that have been arrested by the federal government for For banditry kidnapping killings and the rest of them are also brought to judgment The problem we always face is that we make so much noise about arrest and the rest of them And the end of it all nothing comes out of it the federal government had named said that they're going to name some people that are involved with Banditry, kidnapping, killings, pokoram and rest of them For years and their sponsors for years now not single person have been brought to book or have been brought to judgment Or have been brought to the courts and that in itself is Well in this level of insecurity on to who people responsible for their actions There we cannot run away from the problem a solving the problem of insecurity in Nigeria So for me the government of the courts in Lagos Yes, the Uber advance and the issue of kidnapping is commented for me All right, Chris, this would just be the final one because we're out of time I would just you know anticipate that you probably returned from London yesterday central London to be precise Queen Elizabeth the second farewell It was a historic event. We saw a lot of persons who were represented global leaders and what have you but What really stood out is the fact that six countries were not represented and others had some diplomatic, you know invitation But this country's we talk about Russia, Belarus, Syria Venezuela and Afghanistan and the reasons are not, you know Away from what it is. You talk about the issue of the coup that happened You know last year and for Russia you talk about the invasion and what have you what are your thoughts really lack of diplomatic relations with this country Merci, you have the right to who come to your house You have the rights is not everybody that you can invite to your house is your discretion is your it doesn't matter Whatever the person feels if I don't want you to come to my house. Are you going to force yourself to come to my house? I could show up at the gate Yes, in international politics that is what is called international politics and it goes along a good different ways If the the government in United Kingdom is that this is an offer that they call on friendly nations in international politics If they see that they are on friendly nations then not to stop them from Stop them from stopping them from coming to London. They don't want to see them You're not afraid if you're not afraid. You're not my friend You are inside you are my enemy and if when you are different to my enemy you also An enemy so that is what is happening with Belarus and the rest of them We've seen what is be going on between Russia and Ukraine where a country's invaded a sovereign nation and that in itself is But good enough the wife of the president of Ukraine was invited She was there to represent Ukraine and her husband and so many other countries But the lack you know so many things goes on in the city social media nowadays that you just laugh about You saw what was going on social media yesterday We had a separate Biden came with his with his own vehicle and all African I thought we're going to leave that Exactly So people are believing that they were pushing to a bus In fact they came out we posed a piece of paper to drive in a bus It was really risky you know it was just risky I mean just imagine that there's actually an attack You could probably just rip out all the African you know president Yeah but because of logistics there's nothing they can do about it But the laughable one is where you saw picture where they said is the vampire president was one Dive one of the buses that's so ridiculous We need to go now please We need to go now please Yes we need to go thank you so much it's been fun and quite engaging We appreciate your perspective right here every other time We look forward to sharing your thoughts next week Thank you so much Chris came to Wandoo for being part of the show Thank you very much for having me and Mary Gaston with me and Grace Alright that's it on After Press We take a break now to let you know what happened today in history When we return we continue with a conversation right here Please stay with us