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00:00 Welcome to The Guardian TV and today the 29th of May 2024 marks exactly one year of the
00:06 President Nnubu's administration.
00:09 Now today we'll be evaluating the administration so far for the past one year.
00:13 So we'll be joined by commentators, political and business analysts who will be doing justice
00:18 to our discussion.
00:19 We are joined by Mr. Temitope Olaye and Mwiywa Adeyemi.
00:24 They are brilliant analysts and they'll be helping us to do justice to the challenges
00:28 and the future prospects of the current administration.
00:32 Thank you for joining us Mr. Mwiywa Adeyemi and Mr. Temitope Olaye.
00:37 Let me ask you, how have you been enjoying the President Nnubu's administration?
00:44 I think we are all equal in the same boat in Nigeria.
00:50 So if I say I'm enjoying it, everybody will know that I'm not speaking the truth.
00:54 But we are hopeful that maybe things will be better.
00:58 How about you?
01:00 It's been a tough year, tough experience.
01:05 The hardship has just been unimaginable from one to the other.
01:12 Every phase, you know.
01:13 And it's, maybe when we get into the interview proper, it was a build up.
01:20 Whereby, even if it was Jesus Christ that emerged the President in 2023, it was a build
01:25 up.
01:26 So, from the elections, right from the beginning of the year in 2023, we saw the crisis, the
01:34 Naira crisis, the flask acidity, the Naira schools inflation, dovetail into the elections.
01:42 Before we start talking about the challenges that the administration has faced, I want
01:46 us to talk about some of its laudable achievements.
01:49 What is your opinion about this argument, the student loan in particular?
01:53 I think concerning the student loan, if we are starting an argument from that, I've not
01:59 seen anything that would make anybody start applauding the Mr. President.
02:05 Simply because, I think the criteria has been spread out, but when it comes to implementation,
02:11 I think there are fears that the government, I think the fear, without bringing in politics
02:20 of who knows who into the implementation.
02:24 Then on this Calabar Coastal, a 700 kilometer crossing across nine states, you know, unknown
02:31 to many Nigerians, it wasn't designed by Tsunumbu.
02:35 The design had been there for more than, I think 30 years or thereabouts, that people
02:40 that I think were going to be a co-star, but nobody knew, with the kind of austerity measure
02:46 the country is facing, that the government would come so suddenly to implement it.
02:50 The motion has been established, right?
02:51 The fact that a lot of times in Nigeria, we start a project and we don't ever end them.
02:57 You made an example and what do you think about that?
03:01 Taking off from where he stopped, the Bola Tsunumbu administration, give it to it, at
03:11 taking time out, set out its plans and had been ambitious to pursue that plan.
03:19 Every administration always looks forward to a legacy project.
03:24 You talk about the student loan, a million already from the five billion grant is less
03:31 than 400,000 or 500,000 per student.
03:35 That will be a peak.
03:37 Now what is the value of that 500,000 to an tertiary education?
03:47 What is the value?
03:50 Most of the policies that the administration is currently doling out is in a bid to stabilize
03:55 the economy.
03:56 Don't you think we should focus more on the long term?
04:00 No, you can't forget the long term effect, as he has rightly said.
04:04 I think when you are trying to lay a foundation for a better economy, I think it does have
04:10 to just let's say wrap it up.
04:12 I think all of us agree that we cannot continue the way we were going during Buhari, where
04:18 you borrow money to pay salaries, borrow money for consumables.
04:23 So that's why I think experts and some, most elites, I think will appreciate this removal
04:31 of subsidy and removing tariffs.
04:34 No, I think subsidy on electricity and that kind of thing.
04:38 So for more money to be in government cover, at least to be able to do what it's supposed
04:42 to do.
04:43 I think where you are talking, yes, at the end of the day, if all those policies, I think,
04:48 are well implemented, because one topic was talking at that time, the area he was trying
04:53 to have, these are good policies, but when it comes to implementation, are we going to
04:58 have the results as Mr. Governor said, Mr. President said, we wanted this thing to happen,
05:03 right?
05:04 That's him as an executive.
05:05 But what are those people to translate those visions into reality?
05:11 Would they take all, would they look at all issues surrounding?
05:16 I think, do you understand, pros and cons, and where people might want to cut corners
05:22 and all those things, have they factored into the implementation?
05:25 Do you understand?
05:26 But it's implementation, that's where we always have issues.
05:31 So that is where the evaluation should come.
05:33 This is where the president should use the opportunity of the first year in office, I
05:37 think, to critically look into the areas.
05:40 I think the minute this thing starts, because those are the people that will implement his
05:45 policies.
05:46 To develop a country or to boost the economy of a country, you need to consume what you
05:52 produce.
05:54 Because of the declining productivity, companies shutting down, some moving out, they are now
06:03 trying to put a burden on the remaining surviving productive elements by way of trying to...
06:15 Taxation.
06:16 Talking about loan and taxation, how do you really think the government can manoeuvre
06:22 their way around this challenge of not having money in the cell?
06:28 Increasing the interest rate at this moment.
06:31 I have not seen, unless maybe experts, I think, will let us know the immediate benefits of
06:36 that.
06:37 I think, based on the current economic situation in the country and what Nigerians are passing
06:43 through, because they've passed a lot of work into Nigerians, you know, when you're removing
06:48 this, removing that, increase taxation, levy and tax, almost, etc.
06:52 If Nigerians cried out, I think the cyber security would have also been there.
06:57 So by the time you are taxing everything and you're increasing all this, I think, I don't
07:05 know how that would benefit Nigerians immediately.
07:07 So from everything you said, I would hope your solution to all the challenges we are
07:13 facing at the moment would be that the administration should take it to a cure.
07:18 They should look at all the steps and, you know, take it one after the other instead
07:23 of bringing everything all at once.
07:25 What is your own opinion?
07:26 How do you think, or what do you think the administration can do?
07:30 With what we have now, let's see through to implementation stage the effect of these policies.
07:42 This alone is enough to go through the lifespan of the administration.
07:48 Implementation of the one he has ruled out is enough in the four year tenure.
07:53 It's enough.
07:54 Because each time you try to upstage the apocat, or each time you try to inject something fresh,
08:04 it causes some imbalance.
08:07 And that imbalance is more grievous than even the benefit of what you are trying to do.
08:15 So on that note, I just want to appeal to Mr. President.
08:22 In 10 months, 11 months, in one year, we have seen enough.
08:26 My advice to Mr. President is beyond the rhetoric.
08:29 We need action.
08:31 The citizens need a breather.
08:34 Before 2027 politics come in, let us have a breather from the rollout of these policies
08:41 so far.
08:42 So, let me quickly add something to it.
08:44 If Nigeria really want to get full benefits of all this, they must be ready to hold their
08:51 leaders accountable.
08:52 If you are suffering this, and they keep quiet, without asking questions, and holding them
09:00 accountable, the gains of this hardship will just be finding itself in foreign accounts.
09:09 I think you should understand that one.
09:12 And with that, we'll be wrapping up the discussion for today.
09:14 Call it or die.
09:15 It's my name.
09:16 Bye for now.
09:16 [END]