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TECH HUBS IN NIGERIA: IMPACTS ON EMPLOYMENT CREATION AND KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT

2022-07-17T09:59:00.001-07:00

ABSTRACT

Technology has been identified as a propeller for changes in the society. The creative power of technology has made it a major decider of the nature of work and knowledge. The recent development that have seen the world experience a geometric rise of innovative products have brought to the front burner, the role of hubs, which have been identified as the breeding ground for these disruptors. From Palo Alto in California to Yaba in Lagos, hubs are now emerging as an industrial cluster, building innovations that are transforming the nations.

Nigeria has embraced hubs, and many start-ups have emerged from them. Despite the increase in the study of the impacts of hubs around the world, same cannot be said about Africa, most especially Nigeria. This write up examine the contributions of hubs to job creation and knowledge development. We examine the issue with focus on its impacts and challenges. The effort of private sectors, government and other major stakeholders were examined in respect of the identified impact that this special sector can made on the development of the country. In order to fully optimise the sector recommendations were made on what needed to be done to achieve optimal utilization of the sector.

INTRODUCTION

The growth in technological innovation of the last few decades has proven that technology, most especially in telecommunication, is the influential factor that is transforming every sphere of human lives. Many Africa countries have leapfrogged into modern day IT driven economy through the liberalization of the telecommunication sector of the economies. This adoption is propelling a new wave of innovative entrepreneurial outlets and individuals.¹ it has also been identified as a vehicle for bridging the lag between the rural and urban areas (Choudrie et al, 2017).

The entrepreneurial ideas emanating from these emerging innovators have positioned them as a source of employment for many unemployed youths. Their roles in economic transformation do not start with job creation as there is a need for training and retraining for many of the working population. The near to nothing presence of IT education in the education curriculum or the persistence closure of educational institution have seen the hub taken up the role of developing new technological education.

Although there have been series of views saying there is danger in digitalization and employment. Should nations who have not perfected manufacturing be fearful of automation of jobs? Or are there opportunities for the nations to leapfrog to the fourth industrial revolution? The hubs that are springing up in all corners of the country have become the breeding ground for these innovative outfits and it's essential to examine their roles in employment creation.

One of the many areas where technology is having tremendous impacts is in the areas of emerging start-ups. Start-ups are one of the aspects of the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) business models that have become popular around the globe. (Kolade, Atiase, Murithi, & Mwila, 2021)^[1] Entrance into this type of entrepreneurial activity comes with little financial and professional requirements, which is propelling the tremendous growth that is taking place within the sector. The hubs are the incubator centres for these start-ups. Nigeria has been identified as the number one destination of VC investment in Africa in 2020, earning over $300M out over $1,258M generated on the continent (Statista, 2022)^[2]. This shows that the sector has a significant financial power to make its impact fell in the nation, creating new jobs, improving existing once and encouraging learning of new skills. The hubs are the breeding growth for these innovative enterprises, offering mentorship and training. This created a dual role for them as they are not only knowledge development outlets, as some of them can also be classified as EdTech, they are also start-ups using their technological power to bring about social goods. This implies that they contribute to the reduction of the unemployment and underemployment issue facing the country, either directly or indirectly through the start-ups that appear from them.

CONCEPTS AND THEORETICAL LINKAGE TECHNOLOGY AND EMPLOYMENT

There have been many bodies of work where the issue of technology and employment knowledge has been discussed. For us to have clear direction and linkage between these concepts, a little dive into their conceptualization before having a bit of theoretical linkage.

CONCEPT OF TECHNOLOGY

Technology is a constantly changing concept, which has different layers of meanings. Scholars have not been able to have a precise concept to describe based on the evolving nature of his scope and meaning. It stands at the crucial point of the human system as it's related to every aspect of human existence. It has been identified as the major propeller of the evolving nature of human society. Hence changing man’s social reality. For an engineer, this concept is around the artefacts of man that lies in material substances (That have changed to the present-day information and communication tools), and educationist will view it from the sum of the scientific knowledge that exist, while a social scientist definition will always include the materials and non-materials (knowledge) aspect of the human life. This implies that technology has always been part of human existence as it has always been a major part of his existence. In this work we will limit our coverage to the activities with information and communication technology (ICT).

In the view of UNESCO institute for statistics, ICT is “Diverse set of technological tools and resources used to transmit, store, create, share, or exchange information. These technological tools and resources include computers, the Internet (websites, blogs, and emails), live broadcasting technologies (radio, television, and webcasting), recorded broadcasting technologies (podcasting, audio and video players and storage devices) and telephony (fixed or mobile, satellite, visio/videoconferencing, etc.)” (UNESCO, 2022)^[3]. This definition sees ICT as a combination of software and hardware, interactive interact together for achievement of a predetermined outcome. This outcome can be targeted as achieving cost reduction, increased efficiency, improved service delivery or satisfaction of service beneficiaries. Pratt also aligned with this same thought when he described it as, “both the internet-enabled sphere as well as the mobile one powered by wireless networks. It also includes antiquated technologies, such as landline telephones, radio, and television broadcast -- all of which are still widely used today alongside innovative ICT pieces such as artificial intelligence and robotics” (Pratt, 2022)^[4]. This view has expanded our scope to include technological activities that are mobile-based, robotics, as well as artificial intelligence centred.

EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT

The first demand to make from everyone, that is of working age, is about their contribution to society through employment. Employment as concept described the class of people who are either taking part in productive activities or had taken part in the past. It can also be applied to those for whom their productivity is fully used or those who are partially used. These participants exchanged their work for wages or salary, in cash or in kind, and it might be in self-employment, where profit is the reward. (Luebker, 2008)^[5] The position of participant in employment is subject to many factors. In a capitalist economy, the market situation plays a key role in deciding individuals’ positions. When issues of unemployment and underemployment are prevalent in any country, it means the market system of such a country is not efficient. Issues of uncertainty, externality and indivisibilities are factors responsible for this market failure, as well as failure of government. Thereby preventing or reducing private sector investment.

Unemployment on the other side has been defined as “the number of the economically active population who are without work but available for and seeking work, including people who have lost their jobs and those who have voluntarily left work” (Obadan & Odusola, 2022)^[6]. The inability to secure work that can make them productive despite the desire to work means that someone can only be categorised as unemployed when the readiness to do the work is there and the situation is not his fault.

Underemployment in the same vein, is the situation whereby someone is employed in a job below the ability or his/her skillset. In the view of Kayode et al (2014), this situation can lead to ineffectiveness and unproductiveness, with a small reward that might not meet the needs of the person. (Kayode, Arome, & Anyio, 2014)^[7] This definition of International Labour organisation reference by Obadan and Odusola (2020) and the description of underemployment confirmed that systemic failure is what handles employment situation of this class of citizens, with loss of efficiency and productivity as their end points.

In Nigeria, the employment report of Q4 2020 shows that 33.3% of the of the working age has been identified as unemployed. There has been a consistent increase in the percent of the country’s joblessness rate since Q1 2017, with youth unemployment been the highest at 42.5% (National Bureau of Statistics, 2021). This is estimated to increase to an estimated figure of 40 to 50 million by 2030 (The World Bank, 2015)^[8]

During this period, the economy has not experienced a major growth in nominal Gross Domestic product, having miraculously come out of in the fourth quarter of 2020. This situation is in contrast with the growth in these hubs. Many of the start-ups incubated in them have scaled up, Flutterwave which was incubated in Lagos now worth over $3 billion after its series D funding round, with correspondence impacts on jobs and knowledge development. The entire sector (ICT) now stood at 10% of the GDP in 2018 from less than 1.5% in 2001 (Ramachandran, Obado-Joel, Fatai, Masood, & Omakwu, 2019)^[9], and grew to 15% in 2020 (Adhikari, Clemens, Dempster, & Ekeator, 2021)^[10]. The problem of unemployment is a multifaceted issue. As a capitalist-oriented economy, the private sector ought to lead the way for innovative ideas that will bring about new jobs, many of them are being hindered by the failure of government. Basically, a result of inefficiency in allocation of resources of the state.

THEORETICAL LINKAGE BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY, EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT AND KNOWLEDGE DEVELOPMENT

As alluded to in the conceptualisation technology has been at the fore front of many of the changes in human society. It has continuously redefined how we interact, work and live. Its evolving nature is the major crux behind the phases that man work has continuously experienced. It is also pertinent to note that society has also been deliberate by developing these technologies. This might be done deliberately to solve some of the many challenges.

There have been divergent views on the type of linkage between technological innovation and employment, as well as unemployment. Referencing Mokyr et al (2017), (Domini, Grazzi, Moschella, & TaniaTreibich, 2020) posited that, “Assessing how innovation affects employment has long been at the centre of economic debates, both in terms of the effects on the single person, i.e., how the changing working conditions affect the life of people, as well as on employment at a more aggregate level”^[11]. This argument is not new because of the usage of humanoid robot worker in the late 1920 as cartoon and the introduction of cybernetics, where machines and human are fundamentally equivalent^[12], there have been strong divides about the contribution of technology/automation to job creation and job loss. This division is much more pronounced along political party lines, and workers with business owners. The business owners and the reformist (those with left political outlook) have always argued in support of the benefit of automation and technology for job creation. On the other hand, the labour leaders and politicians with ‘right’ political view have always been demanding for cautious approach to adoption of technology. This can be seen in the submission of the British labour Leaders at the congressional testimony to the JEC in 1957^[13].

In the academic world, the view of Schumpeter is one of the earliest and prominent views on the benefits of technology to society. To Schumpeter, Technology is a ‘creative destruction’^[14]. This means technology is at the centre stage of the new economic order in society. Hence, naming technology as the superstructure (borrowing from the word of Karl Marx) that dictates changes in society – destroying the past and bringing about in ones.

While it is important to mentioned that new economic system always requires new skill sets to thrive a responsible for the loss of job among those who cannot adapt to the new economic requirement, measuring using aggregate job will shows that technology net job provision is always more than the lost job. Examination of the work of Kane (2010) on start-ups in USA shows that between 1977 and 2005 start-ups in US supplied the most net jobs (Kane, 2010)^[15].

This shows that technological change always comes with displacement effect and productivity effect. “This process is both challenging and indispensable. Inventing new ways of carrying out existing work, new business models, and entirely new industries drives rising productivity and new jobs. Such innovations bring new occupations to life, generate demands for new forms of ability, and create opportunities for rewarding work” (Autor, Mindell, & Reynolds, 2020)^[16]. The displacement effect though in most case affects the people with low skill set and those with high skill set benefits more. The technological hubs serve the purpose of bridging the gap through knowledge development in the form of training and retraining of this class of people. Hence creating opportunity for active participation in the new technological order, and ‘creating relevance for the future’ (Akanle, Ademuson, & Abraham, 2019)^[17].

IMPACTS OF INNOVATION HUBS IN NIGERIA

Started like a seed planted in the middle-class area of Lagos called ‘Yaba,’ tech hubs have now become the order of the day, with over a hundred of them scattered across the length of the country. With the likes of CC_HUB and Andela as the earliest starters, many more have joined and to the extent of getting the attention of international players like Facebook, who launched his first hub, NG_Hub. (Adepetun, 2018)^[18] . The contribution of innovative hubs in Nigeria cannot be overemphasised. They have been identified as sources of many benefits which include but not limited to job creation^[19]. According to the World Bank, ‘It is vital to examine the role that this specialised and newly emerging sector has been playing in skilling up this important population and how impactful their effort has been in reducing unemployment and underemployment’. (World Bank, 2020)^[20]

According to a 2009 report from the US department of Commerce Economic Development and Administration, hubs provided jobs 20 times less cost than any public infrastructural projects.^[21] This was recognised by the Nigeria government and stated development of digital skills with the aim of making the youth ready for global digital market^[22], as well using it to build a digital ecosystem. (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2017)^[23]. One of such hubs that is providing this skill is Data Science Network. The hub has trained over 500,000 Nigeria on digital skills. Just as Facebook has set out to make use of NG_HUB to revolutionize digital knowledge by training 50,000 students, Andela set out to training Africans to bridge the gap in global technological skill shortage. In the last seven years, it has not only proven itself in Lagos, but spread across 6 continents. The company is now known for training and placement of young people in tech jobs.

This has helped the country and its people. As Rouwmaat et al (2003) as posited, “Incubators help society and create the opportunity for societies to evolve such that each society can create jobs and remain relevant in the future (Rouwmaat et al. 2003). They help the government, the community, and the tenants in the hub”^[24]. Some of the graduates of these hubs tend to stay back within the locality of the hubs, affecting the businesses and the community. It is estimated that over $2billion investment has been attracted to Lagos alone through the activities of these start-ups. In 2020 VC investment report, Nigeria is estimated to have attracted the highest funding on the continent, getting over $300M.

The main reason for the development of this new knowledge is to ensure provision of jobs for over 43% of the unemployed young Nigeria. The hubs have played this role successfully through two distinct parts. The first being a direct effort in job placement either through training and job placement as we have in the case of Andela; and Data Science Network (DSN), who train the young once but help employment through relationship with the private sector. The booth camps of DSN have continuously served as ground for employment for many good talents.

The second route for employment provision is through mentoring and serving as breeding ground for many new start-ups. Referencing African Tech Start-ups Funding Report 2021, about 161 start-ups in Nigeria have raised around US$900M since 2015 (Jackson, 2022)^[25]. Many of these funds have ended up in training and employment of the ever-growing tech experts that are emerging. According to Matt Warman, UK undersecretary for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Nigeria tech space has the capacity to create about 3 million new jobs and generate GBP67.4Billion. (Adepetun, Technology, 2020)^[26]. Within the e-commerce sector, Jumia who is the leading firm have created over 3000 direct jobs and 100000 indirect Jobs (Ramachandran, Obado-Joel, Fatai, Masood, & Omakwu, 2019)^[27].

The growing activities of these innovation centre have not gone unnoticed by the tech giants, national government, and international communities. Many of them have developed programs and policies to tap into the skills coming from the country. For instant, the first visit of Jack Dorsey, Parag Agrawal, Mark Zuckerberg to these hubs have not only resulted into employments of some of these talents, but it has also led to collaboration that resulted in the support for them to enhance their training capacity. It has also prompted Google and Microsoft to set up their development centre in Lagos. Many developed countries have also proven specialized Visa program to tap into the growing tech skills in Nigeria. The aim of Microsoft is to use the platform for recruitment of world-class Nigeria talent to create innovative solutions for global impact. The implication for this is that the population will become a source of remittances to the country in the nearest future. A House of common committee of the United Kingdom recognises the importance of this creative population in his report about the state of Tech in Lagos state. The committee found science and technology as the first of its four priority areas of collaboration (House of Commons, 2022)^[28]. This has led to the establishment of “Go Global Africa”, which include iNONO Accelerator program called UK-Nigeria Tech Hub. (UK government, 2021)

CHALLENGES WITH INNOVATION HUB IN NIGERIA

Despite the tremendous impacts that the innovation hubs have made in Nigeria, there remains a lot of challenges prevent them from effectively deploying the power of technology for the benefit of the nation.

In a 2021 report by “Financial Times” and “Briter Bridge” on the tech space in Nigeria, despite having the highest numbers of hub and start-ups in Nigeria, the tech space in the country is seen as less business friendly when compare with other nations on the continent. (Olasoji, 2021)^[29]. The Nigerian state in recent times have been known to have introduced policy that inhibit the growth of the technology sector. In February 2021, the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced a circular banning facilitation of exchange of cryptocurrency through the banking sector (Central Bank of Nigeria, 2021)^[30]. This situation led to the relocation of cryptocurrency start-ups. For instance, Patricia Technologies Limited incubated and developed in Nigeria was forced to move its head office to Estonia, because of his cryptocurrency product. The implication of policies like this do not end with job creation and knowledge development but affects the entire structure of the tech ecosystem.

The perennial power problem has continued to affect the cost of operation of these hubs. Most businesses are known to be the source of their own electricity. The fund that ought to be invested in the business ends up as running cost. This is also applicable to Internet services that are at the forefront of the technology business. However, the effort been put into internet service by the big technology outfit like google can solve this problem.

Despite all the pronouncement of the government, there has been much support from government in terms of funding and laws. The government needs to support restructuring the existing loan system to make it fit into the business cycle of the innovators. The issue around rate, documentation and moratorium must be addressed to get the ecosystem to blossom.

CONCLUSION

It has been proved that technology hubs could aid the country bridge the issue of employment and unskilled young population, through many of their activities. This they have been doing through various online and offline training, as well as recruitment and job placement, within and outside the country. This will only help the country to achieve the needed development and become a player in the fourth Industrial Revolution.

There are many challenges that require attention, many of whom can be solved by rethinking some of the policies of government. This will also improve the local economy and improve the quality of life of Nigerians. The government and private developers need to work in tandem to ensure that hubs of the future supply the full range of facilities. While this integration is essential, it is not enough on its own. There is a need for effective collaboration between all the players with the government playing a leading role through provision of amenities and effective policies that will stimulate the sector. The pending start-ups bill at the national assembly must be passed and assented to, to assure investors of the reediness of government to support the sector. Now there is a weak relationship between the private hubs and the government, strengthening this tie would help the community to grow and the government would make policies that would help build and sustain it."

References

Federal Republic of Nigeria. (2017). ECONOMIC RECOVERY & GROWTH PLAN 2017-2020. Abuja: Ministry of Budget & National Planning.

Adepetun, A. (2018, May 23). Facebook brings first African tech hub to Nigeria. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://guardian.ng/technology/facebook-brings-first-african-tech-hub-to-nigeria/

Adepetun, A. (2020, January 20). Technology. Retrieved from The Guardina: https://guardian.ng/technology/tech-sector-to-add-67-4-billion-three-million-jobs-to-economy/

Adhikari, S., Clemens, M., Dempster, H., & Ekeator, N. L. (2021). A Global Skill Partnership in Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) betweenNigeria and Europe. Washington DC: Centre for Global Development.

Akanle, O., Ademuson, A., & Abraham, O. (2019). Incubation Hubs and Development in Southwestern Nigeria. Ilorin Journal of Sociology, 248-260.

Autor, D., Mindell, D., & Reynolds, E. (2020). The Work of the Future: Building Better Jobs in an Age of Intelligent Machines. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bassett, C., & Roberts, B. (2019). Automation now and then: automation fevers, anxieties and utopias. New Formations: A Journal of Culture, Theory, Politics,, 9-28.

Central Bank of Nigeria. (2021). Cryptocurrency Trading: CBN Orders Banks To Close Operating Accounts. Abuja: February.

Domini, G., Grazzi, M., Moschella, D., & TaniaTreibich. (2020, October 23). Threats and opportunities in the digital era: Automation spikes and employment dynamics. Retrieved from Elsevier: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0048733320302122?token=F7632748E65ED1D6D0F1C87EBCBD5B24775CD922912C900033DDED51FA7A7499B72934B04DBAF980B1289229D1D4185B&originRegion=eu-west-1&originCreation=20220509122441

House of Commons. (2022). Lagos calling: Nigeria and the Integrated Review. London: House of Commons.

Jackson, T. (2022, January 28). African tech startup funding trebles to pass $2bn mark in 2021. Retrieved from Distrupt Africa: https://disrupt-africa.com/2022/01/28/african-tech-startup-funding-almost-trebles-to-pass-2bn-mark-in-2021/

Kane, T. (2010). The Importance of Startups in Job Creation and Job Destruction. Missouri: KAUFFMAN: The Foundation of Entrepreneurship.

Kayode, A., Arome, S., & Anyio, S. F. (2014). The rising rate of unemployment in Nigeria: the socio-economic and political implications. Global Business and Economics Research Journal, pp. 68 - x.

Kolade, O., Atiase, V., Murithi, W., & Mwila, N. (2021). The business models of tech hubs in Africa: implications for viability and sustainability. TECHNOLOGY ANALYSIS & STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT, 1213–1225.

Luebker, M. (2008). Employment, unemployment and informality in Zimbabwe: Concepts and data for coherent policy-making . Harare: ILO Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-Harare).

National Bureau of Statistics. (2021, May ). Nigeria Unemployment Rate. Retrieved from Trading Economics: https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/

Obadan, M. I., & Odusola, A. F. (2022, May 05). PRODUCTIVITY AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA. Retrieved from AgEcon Search: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/307335

Olasoji, T. (2021, May 26). Nigeria has the most startups in Africa but falls short on other critical metrics. Retrieved from QUARTZ AFRICA: https://qz.com/africa/2012780/nigeria-ranks-first-in-african-startups-but-faces-challenges/

Pratt, M. K. (2022, May 05). ICT (information and communications technology, or technologies). Retrieved from TechTarget: https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/ICT-information-and-communications-technology-or-technologies

Ramachandran, V., Obado-Joel, J., Fatai, R., Masood, J. S., & Omakwu, B. (2019). The New Economy of Africa: Opportunities for Nigeria’s Emerging Technology Sector. Washington: Centre for Global Development.

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ADELEKE EMERGED STATE OF OSUN GOVERNOR ELECT

2022-07-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

Following yesterday gubernatorial election in Osun State, South Western, Nigeria, Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the candidate of People Democratic Party, PDP, as the Winner of the election. Adeleke, a one term Senator pulled 403,364 votes, while the incumbent Governor, Gboyega Oyetola of All Progressive Congress pulled 374,827 votes. The Governor elect won in 17 of the 30 Local government Areas of the state.

This election was a rematch of the 2018 election, where the outgoing governor was able to win with a few hundreds of votes after a rerun was organised by INEC.

In the mean time congratulatory messages have been coming in for the Governor Elect. One of such messages was from the President, Muhammadu Buhari, who has congratulated Mr Adeleke, and also promised Nigeria a credible electoral system as he enters the twilight of his administration.

Mr Jackson Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke is a sibling to the Chairman of Pacific Holdings, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, who is the father of the popular Nigeria Musician, Davido. The Adelekes are from the highly influential Political family in Ede Town, Osun state. Their father, Adebayo Adeleke was a first and second republic politician, as well as the brain behind the popular Banana Island.

AI POLICY THAT SHOULD BE RECEIVING ATTENTION AND WHY?

2022-07-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

The world has made tremendous progress on the issue of AI. It is now an essential and an integral part of human life. Different level of societal fabrics is now engaging in the competitive development of strategies, policies and plans for the development, usage and governance of artificial intelligence. The technical progress that has happened in terms of automation powered by machine and deep learning, which is a result of great improvement in the computational power and data that can be used by AI system have increased the usage of AI in real world. This vast area of usage has made AI possesses vast positive and negative consequences for the society at large. It has also resulted in spirited debate on the directions that policies should follow for its management. People like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have posited that few companies will dominate the society, while Vladimir Putin is of the view that “whoever becomes leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world” (Agrawal, Agrawal, & Goldfarb, 2019) . While AI researchers and industry players are responsible for the technicalities involved, it is the government and civil society that will determine the policy framework.

A search into literature confirmed that the development of policies are geographically lopsided, with relative underrepresentation of geographical areas such as Africa, South and Central America and Central Asia (Jobin, Ienca, & Vayena, 2019) . The interest of the countries that led the development of AI is well captured in their policies. The reason for the development of AI policy by the US government is basically rest on two premises attributed to Eric Schmidt and Bob Work, where they posited that “acceleration of AI innovation to benefit the United States and to defend against the malign uses of AI” (National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, 2021) . Just as the US, the Japanese government document stated application in four priority areas of health, mobility, productivity and information security; the Chinese aimed at becoming the world leader in production of AI and for its society to be able to adapt its usage. (ENGELKE, 200) .

The reality of the implementation of these policies have resulted into issues around ethical utilization of the power of AI with countries engaging in Arm race, and technology companies and security establishment invading the privacy of the users without limit. This has brought into the light the fear being exhibited by the users and nations states without such technological capacity. In view of this players and government need to develop an ethical approach for the usage of AI and such AI policy should be centres around innovation, trustworthy and respects human rights and democratic values as recommended by the OECD (OECD , 2022)

Uncontrolled usage of AI is very dangerous for the world. This is based on the ability of the technology to be used for ulterous motive. From the security personnel’s that can assess the technology and use it to invade on the privacy of the users, and nations that have the capacity to snoop on the security and socio-economic properties of another state, privacy is no longer guaranteed. While there might be justification for some of these actions, standard must be set for its usage by ensuring that there is a lucid explanation. This will assist in solving the issue of trust that exist between the security agencies and users. Countries of the world will also be able to avoid unnecessary arm race. Lack of trust is what led to the view of the Chinese government allegation against Starlink over thousands of satellites that the company has on the orbit. If this is ensured, the fund been expended on the arms can be available for further research in an area that will directly improve people’s livelihood. Failure to do this will see the Moore’s Law and declining cost of production prompting other nations into acquisition of these technology. And it will make the world loss out on the positive benefits of AI. Developer of algorithm must be able to provide a concise and clear explanation to whatever model has been developed for usage. Doing this is conforming with the letters of the constitutions, as many of these countries have right to explanation stated in their laws and in international treaties.

Furthermore, policy must be able to address inequality in accessibility and application of this technology. The weaponization of advancement in technology by some nations through deliberate policies or sanctions fuel rivalries that has resulted in unhealthy development and utilization of AI. Nations now developed technology to either give them competitive edge or to be at part with other nations. Profiling issue and unequally application to people should be prevented. Wrong profiling of people through feeding of wrong training dataset for technology create wrong learning pattern for AI. For instance, Asian American pay for more test preparation due to price variation and Africa Americans are known to see little opportunity on Facebook due to platform discrimination. (Calo, 2017) These are issues those policies must considered. Though some of these issues might not be intentional, but the dataset been supplied for the training must be ensured to be fair and well represented. Doing this will ensure social cohesion and ensure that everyone get the benefits of this technology. Thereby preventing radical individualism. (Jobin, Ienca, & Vayena, 2019) .

As it is difficult to predict all possible system behaviours and determine the impacts ahead of time, there is need to ensure that safety is considered as part of any policy framework. Consideration must be made against accidental and deliberate misuse of AI. Best safety practices must be included in any of such strategy, even if there is no perfect system. It will be better to set this standard than leave it as open ended.

While trust is an essential factor that stakeholders must ensue, there is need to reduce excesses trust in AI. Although, creating role for human in machine process can reduce the speed and efficiency of the system. The point remains that AI should be developed in a way that people can make their decision about utilization and have the chance to reconsider their decision. This will bring about, the best of the machine and human being.

It is also important that an intergovernmental agency like the one for atomic energy should be put in place to drive the development and implementation the policy that will be based on the above tent. Its presence will assist in monitoring the compliance with the set standard by national players. Nations can then have their own agencies that will monitor compliance within their territories. As a result of this the issues that pervade the development and utilization that is responsible for present divisions that characterized AI can be resolved.

References

Agrawal, A., Agrawal, A., & Goldfarb, A. (2019). Economic Policy for Artificial Intelligence. Innovation Policy and the Economy, 139-159.

Calo, R. (2017, AUGUST 8). Artificial Intelligence Policy: A Primer and Roadmap. Retrieved from SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3015350

ENGELKE, P. (200, May 19). AI, Society, and Governance: An Introduction. Washington: Atlantic Council. Retrieved from JSTOR.

Jobin, A., Ienca, M., & Vayena, E. (2019, June 24). Artificial Intelligence: the global landscape of ethics guidelines. Retrieved from ArXiv: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1906/1906.11668.pdf

National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. (2021). Final Report. Arlington, VA: THE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMISSION ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

OECD . (2022, May 19). OECD Going Digital Toolkit: An overview of national AI strategies and policies. Retrieved from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: https://goingdigital.oecd.org/data/notes/No14_ToolkitNote_AIStrategies.pdf

How might incentives for innovative activities change with the advent of AI as an ‘invention of a method of inventing

2022-07-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

The effects of the continuous progress that comes with artificial intelligence on the society and economy is tremendous. This progress comes with vertical and horizontal changes to all existing industries, expanding the present products and services lines and facilitating the emergence of new ones. It also enhances productivity, ensuring job loss and job creation. This innovation is now gradually becoming the source of invention and being refers to here as invention of the method of invention as postulated by Alfred North Whitehead. While there has been argument on the legality of AI having a patent right as seen in the case of DABUS AI, AI is now known to possess the capacity of invention, and there is need for right policy that will ensure right incentive. If this dynamic is not recognising and continue with the existing approach of human been the source of invention it will not only limit the positive benefits of IMI but maintain the negative implications of retain such approach.

Firstly, artificial intelligence through the power of its deep learning capacity can be tag as general-purpose technology, taking it above the traditional automation possesses its has power that allows both vertical and horizontal changes in any industry. For instance, the invention of hybrid corn doesn’t not just improve the seedling, it brought about new products with broader application, as well as allow others to apply this same method in other seedling. Thereby having great impact on agricultural productivity (Agrawal, Gans, & Goldfarb, 2019) . This type of impact can be seen on the medical field. The development of AlphaFold that has brought about the understanding of structure of protein is a major breakthrough medical field and can help aid preparation against pandemic, as well as development of drugs to fight disease (Deepmind, 2022) . The benefits of these technologies can be beyond what is explained above, as some of the technologies have the capacity to invent another invention.

The present issue of not recognising these technologies as inventor can cause distortion of investment. This, according to (Agrawal, Gans, & Goldfarb, 2019) is linked to vertical and horizontal externalities. Investment is known to flows to the direction that policies encourages. As it is presently, investment in technology that can ensure the development of other technologies will be next to nothing as there won’t be any incentive for the produce of the invention. This is one of the unintended consequences as predicted by Ryan Abbort (Chen, 2020) . This can also be link to the termination of the Watson for Drug Discovery. Many drug researchers made use of the platform but there was next to nothing for IBM in term incentive for aiding the work of other sector.

Changing the present policies that stand against the recognition of these important IMI – Invention of Method of Inventing would allow the flow of investment in this direction, It would prevent the ending of programs like Watson for Drug Development, which not only reduce the time for discovery of new drugs but prune down the over $2billion that get injected into drug discovery. This in no small way safe lives that would have been loss while in search of cure for diseases. A good example of what can be achieve with this technology was the development of Covid-19 vaccine within short interval. This happened because these was incentive that prompted biopharmaceutical companies to apply the power of AI to the discovery.

In addition, allowing the patent of the technology will ensure right compensation for the inventions. It will also allow the emergence of products that would not have emerged if the inventor of the source invention is not appropriately renumerated or discouraged by policy. If the case of DABUS AI remains as it stands, it will discourage other inventors of inventions that can invent from going ahead with such invention. Thereby delaying the development of the society and deny the economy with the activities that would have result from such invention.

Furthermore, it will allow policy makers and other stakeholders to ensure that quality of products emerged. By setting up appropriate standard the result of the invention will not only meet up to the expected standard, the process of its creation will also be within public domain. Restriction will only bring about secretive use of these knowledge, and it will come with consequence loss of income and standard.

Works Cited

Agrawal, A., Gans, J., & Goldfarb, A. (2019). The Economics of Artificial Intelligence: An Agenda. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Chen, A. (2020, January 8). Can an AI be an inventor? Not yet. Retrieved from MIT Technolgy Review: https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/01/08/102298/ai-inventor-patent-dabus-intellectual-property-uk-european-patent-office-law/

Deepmind. (2022, May 19). AlphaFold: a solution to a 50-year-old grand challenge in biology. Retrieved from Deepmind: https://www.deepmind.com/blog/alphafold-a-solution-to-a-50-year-old-grand-challenge-in-biology

Chinese-built Lagos-Ibadan railway expected to be operational later this year: Xinhua

2020-09-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

An open day event was held by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) on Friday to brief international audiences on the progress of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project and the life of workers there from a 360-degree multifaceted perspective.

ABUJA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- An open day event was held by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which is affiliated with China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), on Friday to brief international audiences on the progress of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project and the life of workers there from a 360-degree multifaceted perspective.

Themed "Working Together for Connected Future", the event was presented with vlog and cloud livestreaming.

Yakubu Adogie, an external liaison officer with the project, introduced it and guided international viewers on a virtual tour around the entrance hall and dispatch center of Lagos Railway Station.

Photo taken on March 7, 2017 shows the scene of a ground breaking ceremony for a railway project in Lagos, Nigeria. (Xinhua/Jiang Xintong)

As the first double-track standard gauge modern railway in West Africa, the 156-km railway starts from Lagos, the commercial hub and port city of Nigeria, and ends in the country's northeastern city of Ibadan. It is also the second leg of the much more ambitious Lagos-Kano Railway Modernization Project which once completed will form a more than 1,300 km long railway corridor across the country.

The first phase of the Lagos-Kano railway project is the 186 km Abuja to Kaduna railway, which has been in operation since 2016.

Adogie said the Lagos-Ibadan railway is expected to be put into operation this year. It will reduce the travel time between the two cities to less than two hours, easing traffic congestion, facilitating the transportation of commodities and promoting economic development of cities along the railway line.

He added the railway station of Lagos, which is designed to accommodate up to 6,000 passengers, will be the largest in West Africa. ■

Washington Post Publishes Jamal Khashoggi's Final Column Before Disappearance

2018-10-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post on Wednesday published the final column written by Jamal Khashoggi before his disappearance on Oct. 2 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Karen Attiah, Khashoggi’s editor at the Post, said in an introduction that she received the column from the Saudi journalist’s translator and assistant on the day after he was reported missing.

In the column, Khashoggi discussed the imperative of fostering a free press in the Middle East. The journalist cited the 2018 “Freedom in the World” report, which classified many countries in the so-called Arab world as “not free.”

“As a result, Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed,” Khashoggi wrote. He continued:

“They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change.”

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, was last seen more than two weeks ago entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain a marriage document. Reports immediately surfaced that the journalist had likely been killed inside the consulate by Saudi officials who flew in from Riyadh that day.

Once close to the Saudi royal family, Khashoggi had grown increasingly critical of human rights abuses in the kingdom and was living in self-imposed exile in Washington, D.C. 

“Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate,” the journalist wrote in his column. “There was a time when journalists believed the Internet would liberate information from the censorship and control associated with print media. But these governments, whose very existence relies on the control of information, have aggressively blocked the Internet.”

Saudi leaders have denied any knowledge of Khashoggi’s whereabouts, claiming he left the consulate freely shortly after getting the papers. But the kingdom’s royal court is widely believed to be involved. U.S. intelligence documents obtained by the Post indicated Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered an effort to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia. Turkish authorities say several of the men who killed Khashoggi were top Saudi officials and diplomats close to the crown prince.

Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia after the kingdom’s government banned him from using Twitter and pressured the popular Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat to cancel his column. The kingdom considered him a “dissident,” a label he rejected.

In his columns, Khashoggi put his home country and its leaders under close scrutiny with the aim of putting forth a vision for a freer, more egalitarian future.

He wrote about the repression of the free press and a wave of arrests targeting activists and intellectuals. He outlined the kingdom’s modest advances for women’s rights and why much more is needed to be done. In one piece, he accused the Saudi crown prince of acting like Putin. In another, he wrote about what Saudi Arabia can learn from the film “Black Panther.”

On Thursday, the Post will run a special-edition Opinions page dedicated to Khashoggi’s writings. Attiah wrote in a tweet on Tuesday: “They may have silenced my friend but they cannot kill his words.”

Read Khashoggi’s full column at The Washington Post.

By Antonia Blumberg

Dasuki, Badeh, Daniel, Amosu, Yuguda, 45 Others Top Travel Ban List

2018-10-14T02:55:00.000-07:00

A former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), 13 former governors and seven ex- ministers have been barred from travelling out of the country under
Executive Order 6 (EO6) issued yesterday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The restriction followed the judicial affirmation of the constitutionality and legality of the Executive Order 6 (EO6).

The watch-list and restriction were put in place pending the conclusion of the cases against those affected.

Also on the watch list seen last night by The Nation are: ex-governors Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Rasheed Ladoja (Oyo), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), Muazu Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); and Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina).

The ex-ministers are Nenadi Usman, Bashir Yuguda, Jumoke Akinjide; Bala Mohammed; Abba Moro; Femi Fani-Kayode; and Ahmadu Fintiri.

Others include a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh; ex- Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral A. D. Jibrin; a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar; a former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero; and a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu; Chairman Emeritus of AIT/ Raypower, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi; Waripamowei Dudafa (a former Special Assistant (Domestic) to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan); a former Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike; a former judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia;

Also on the list are a former National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh; Chief Jide Omokore; Ricky Tarfa; and Dele Belgore (SAN).

Most of the affected persons are currently facing trial for alleged corrupt practices in different courts.
The list was generated from cases and proceedings filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Nigeria Police, and 17 other agencies.
The document indicated that many of those affected had earlier been placed on similar legal restrictions by the courts and security agencies including restriction of movement, seizure of passport, temporary forfeiture of assets, freezing of accounts and others.

Explaining the government’s action in a statement yesterday, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), Mallam Garba Shehu said: “Following the instant judicial affirmation of the constitutionality and legality of the Executive Order 6 (EO6), President Muhammadu Buhari has mandated the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice to implement the Order in full force.

“To this end, a number of enforcement procedures are currently in place by which the Nigeria Immigration Service and other security agencies have placed no fewer than 50 high profile persons directly affected by EO6 on watch-list and restricted them from leaving the country pending the determination of their cases.

“Also, the financial transactions of these persons of interest are being monitored by the relevant agencies to ensure that the assets are not dissipated and such persons do not interfere with, nor howsoever corrupt the investigation and litigation processes.

“It is instructive to note that EO6 was specifically directed to relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure that all assets within a minimum value of N50 million or equivalent, subject to investigation or litigation are protected from dissipation by employing all available lawful means, pending the final determination of any corruption-related matter.
“The Buhari administration reassures all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians of its commitment to the fight against corruption, in accordance with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the general principles of the Rule of Law.

“Accordingly, this administration will uphold the rule of law in all its actions and the right of citizens would be protected as guaranteed by the Constitution.
“We, therefore, enjoin all Nigerians to cooperate with the law enforcement authorities towards ensuring a successful implementation of the Executive Order 6 which is a paradigm-changing policy of the Federal Government in the fight against corruption.”

A top government official, who spoke in confidence, said there is no cause for alarm on E06.
The source said: “The ban is not different from the conditions given by the court in granting these accused persons bail. The E06 is like a codification of steps to prevent those on trial for alleged corrupt practices from tampering with assets.

“Some of these accused persons used to go to court for permission before they can travel out of the country. The E06 is not a new thing but instead of all agencies working at cross-purposes, a list was generated and backed with the Executive Order.
“Some of those on trial, especially the Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) had been selling their assets. What will they return after being convicted?”

EFCC seizes N1b gold at Abuja airport, goes after rich suspects

2018-10-14T02:52:00.000-07:00

EFCC seizes N1b gold at Abuja airport, goes after rich suspects

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has seized gold worth about $3,131,412.39 (N1,127,308,460.39) being allegedly exported to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, illegally.

EFCC named Abba Ali Yahaya as the brain behind the deal.

Apart from impounding his passport, about €112,000 undeclared by Abba, has also been forfeited over alleged violation of the nation’s Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

The precious metal was handed over to the suspect by a syndicate of illegal miners operating in Zamfara State.

The anti-graft agency is already on the trail of four members of the said syndicate said to have perfected ways of beating security agencies at the nation’s airports.

According to a document sighted by The Nation, the suspect, who admitted to be a courier, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by EFCC operatives led by a crack female detective.

It was gathered that the suspect had escaped being caught by all the screening machines at the airport.

The fact-sheet indicated that “the suspect was caught following a tip off after he had managed to pass through all the screening machines without being caught.

“He was in possession of N1.1b worth of gold while travelling alone to meet with the Dubai end of a ring of buyers of illegal miners. Being illegally in possession of the gold was a violation of Minerals and Mines Act.

“Abba had €112,000 on him which he hid from Customs and he was caught with 19 ATM cards. Upon interrogation, he admitted he is a courier and he fingered a businessman. Our detectives later discovered that the suspect only implicated the businessman as a decoy.

“The EFCC is already on the trail of four suspects connected with massive illegal mining activities in Zamfara and exportation of mines. Preliminary evidence has linked the suspect with a miner in Zamfara.

“We have confiscated the passport of the suspect, seized the gold and the €112,000 he strapped into his body will be 100 percent automatically forfeited to the Federal Government as contained in the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

“The EFCC will file application before a Federal High Court for the forfeiture of the undeclared cash. The suspect is empowered by law to travel with about $10,000.

“So far, Abba has been released on bail pending the conclusion of investigation.”

As at press time, it was gathered that a probe of how the suspect scaled through the scanning points without being detected was ongoing.

A government source added: “It was embarrassing that we have many screening and scanning machines being managed by different security agencies but they were unable to detect the suspect.

“We are suspecting connivance with the suspect by some of the officials at different points. It is likely that the syndicate sending the suspect to Dubai might have penetrated the security opperators at the airport.

“At the end of our discreet investigation, we will be able to find out how he beat the security network at the airport

No 10 contacted Guardian over Edward Snowden secrets

2013-08-20T21:51:00.001-07:00

The Guardian was approached by Britain's top civil servant Sir Jeremy Heywood

Number 10 was involved in discussions with the Guardian about material it had obtained from American whistle-blower Edward Snowden, it has emerged.

Prime Minister David Cameron ordered Britain's top civil servant Sir Jeremy Heywood to contact the newspaper.

It came after the Guardian published details about secret US and British surveillance programmes.

Editor Alan Rusbridger said it was later forced to destroy the computer hard drives storing the information.

Mr Rusbridger said his conversations with the government were with "a very senior official claiming to represent the views of the prime minister".

But he did not say exactly who he had spoken to.

Explicit approval

The Independent and Daily Mail now report that Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy made contact with the Guardian.

BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said these reports were accurate.

Whitehall sources emphasised it would have been a "total abdication of their responsibilities" not to talk to the Guardian.

The government feared that if secret data held by the newspaper fell into what it called "the wrong hands" it could have been a threat to the UK.

The Guardian destroyed the computer containing information leaked by Edward Snowden

The conversations between Whitehall and the Guardian took place with the explicit approval of Mr Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Following the conversations, Mr Rusbridger agreed to what he has called one of the most bizarre incidents in the newspaper's history.

Two GCHQ security experts oversaw the destruction in a basement of computer files containing information from America's National Security Agency leaked by Mr Snowden.

Files copied

Mr Rusbridger said: "We were quite clear we were not going to hand this material back to the British government so we destroyed it ourselves under advice from a couple of GCHQ intelligence experts, who told us which bits of the hard drive to smash up, in what way."

The files had already been copied and the Guardian will continue to pursue the Snowden story, but from the US.

Mr Rusbridger believed handing the hard drives to the government would have been a betrayal of the newspaper's source.

Alan Rusbridger: "It was made plain that the government was on the verge of launching legal action against the Guardian"

Former National Security Agency contractor Mr Snowden is now based in Russia.

Asked about the Independent's story, a spokeswoman for the Guardian told the BBC: "We're not going to comment on this."

Meanwhile, a Brazilian man held for nine hours at Heathrow airport under anti-terror laws on Sunday has said he was forced to divulge email and social media account passwords.

David Miranda said his interrogators threatened that he could go prison if he did not do so.

Mr Miranda is the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald who has covered stories based on leaks by US whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

Mr Miranda has launched legal action over the use of the powers on him

Pakistan ex-leader Musharraf charged over Bhutto case

2013-08-20T00:48:00.003-07:00

Mr Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile earlier this year

Pakistani ex-President Pervez Musharraf has been indicted on three charges over the 2007 assassination of opposition leader and former PM Benazir Bhutto.

Prosecutors said he was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy to murder and facilitation of murder.

Mr Musharraf made no public remarks at the hearing but denies the charges. The case was adjourned until 27 August.

Mrs Bhutto was killed at an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi in December 2007.

Mr Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile earlier this year, is currently under house arrest.

But he appeared in court in Rawalpindi amid tight security. Six others were indicted along with Mr Musharraf, including four suspected militants and two senior police officials. The court set the next hearing for 27 August.

Mr Musharraf's legal team dismissed the indictment: "These charges are baseless. We are not afraid of the proceedings. We will follow legal procedures in the court," his lawyer, Syeda Afshan Adil, told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Correspondents say although many expected Mr Musharraf to be charged, the move is unprecedented. In a country which has been ruled by the army for more than half of its existence, no serving or past military chief has ever been indicted for a crime.

Array of charges

Mr Musharraf has consistently maintained that all charges against him are politically motivated.

Security was tight as Mr Musharraf was produced in court in Rawalpindi

He first came to power in 1999 when he ousted Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup. He ruled the country for nine years before being voted out and then he left Pakistan to live in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London.

The former military ruler returned to Pakistan earlier this year in the hope that he could lead his party into elections, but was disqualified from standing and found himself under house arrest fighting a series of charges relating to his time in power.

These include charges relating to the murder of a Baloch tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti, in 2006 and his attempt to sack the entire higher judiciary in November 2007.

Mr Sharif is now back in power having emphatically won elections earlier this year. His government has said that it also plans to put Mr Musharraf on trial for treason.

Ms Bhutto's assassination at an election rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007 was blamed by Mr Musharraf's government on the Taliban.

A 2010 UN report said Benazir Bhutto's death could have been prevented and that Mr Musharraf's government failed to provide enough protection - at the time his aides dismissed the report as a "pack of lies".

Pakistan ex-leader Musharraf charged over Bhutto case

2013-08-20T00:48:00.001-07:00

Mr Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile earlier this year

Pakistani ex-President Pervez Musharraf has been indicted on three charges over the 2007 assassination of opposition leader and former PM Benazir Bhutto.

Prosecutors said he was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy to murder and facilitation of murder.

Mr Musharraf made no public remarks at the hearing but denies the charges. The case was adjourned until 27 August.

Mrs Bhutto was killed at an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi in December 2007.

Mr Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile earlier this year, is currently under house arrest.

Array of charges

Mr Musharraf has consistently maintained that all charges against him are politically motivated.

Security was tight as Mr Musharraf was produced in court in Rawalpindi

These include charges relating to the murder of a Baloch tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti, in 2006 and his attempt to sack the entire higher judiciary in November 2007.

Mr Sharif is now back in power having emphatically won elections earlier this year. His government has said that it also plans to put Mr Musharraf on trial for treason.

Ms Bhutto's assassination at an election rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007 was blamed by Mr Musharraf's government on the Taliban.

Rose-tinted return for French government but recovery not assured

2013-08-19T08:08:00.002-07:00

(Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande's return from holiday has been eased by a spurt in second-quarter growth. Yet looming tax hikes, raging unemployment and an upcoming pension overhaul will determine whether the rebound can last.

France's exit from recession with growth of 0.5 percent last quarter buoyed a government meeting on Monday where ministers outlined rosy visions they had been asked to draw up during the two-week break of how the country could look in 2025.

A sustained recovery, after two years of stagnation, could vindicate Socialist Hollande's economic policy choices in the face of liberal-minded critics who deride him as too focused on tax hikes and lacking the courage for deep structural reforms.

Economists remain circumspect, however, noting the quarter-on-quarter rebound in output was due less to the government's policies than to a European Commission decision to ease up on austerity demands, which analysts said spurred spending.

None expect to see the second-quarter figure - which could still be revised in September - matched for the rest of the year and note that quarter-on-quarter data is prone to volatility.

Consumer morale, which will be key to turning the fledgling recovery into a sustainable one, may be hurt by plans in the upcoming 2014 budget to wring 6 billion euros more in tax out of the economy. It could also suffer from a September pension reform that could extend the mandatory contribution period.

"Even the government is showing some caution," said Fabrice Montagne at Barclays Capital, which has nudged up its full-year growth outlook to 0.2 percent from 0.1 but has not changed its third and fourth-quarter forecasts of 0.2 and 0.3 percent.

"We are still in a constrained environment where fiscal consolidation and high unemployment are weighing on the economy," he said. "You can't generate much growth when you have a big fiscal adjustment in a climate that is not that bright."

A big part of the second-quarter spurt in consumer spending was due to higher heating bills due to bad weather and a chunk of the overall growth in economic output was due to temporary inventory restocking at manufacturing firms.

Deutsche Bank has left unchanged its third and fourth-quarter growth estimates at 0.1 and 0.2 percent, noting fiscal consolidation is creating a "drag" this year equivalent to 2 percent of GDP and predicting further job cuts.

Societe Generale even sees a chance that economic output may recede in the current quarter compared to the previous one.

ENCOURAGING SIGNALS

Hollande has been battling to guide Europe's second-biggest economy out of its slump while stemming the high public spending and borrowing that fed into the euro zone crisis. A lag in competitiveness in French industry makes his quest harder.

Voters will only reverse their negative view of Hollande if and when he fulfills a promise to reverse the long rise in unemployment by year-end, something he hopes to achieve in part via state-subsidized temporary jobs and training places.

While the surge in Q2 growth - the strongest since Hollande took power in May 2012 - should stoke some hiring in the second half, growth is generally believed to need to reach 1 percent before firms stop trimming staff and 1.5 percent for net overall job creation.

Forecasts for full-year GDP are broadly flat, with the government eyeing between -0.1 percent and +0.1 percent.

"There are encouraging signals but we need to consolidate this recovery," Digital Economy Minister Fleur Pellerin told BFM television as ministers headed into a meeting to share their rose-tinted visions -- quickly scorned by opposition politicians -- of a France restored to economic glory a decade from now.

Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said full employment was a realistic target for 2025 if France pursues more labor reforms, diversifies its economy and cuts both public spending and taxes.

Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg foresaw France returning to dominance in sectors like transport and aeronautics and leap ahead in new areas like renewable energy and smart power grids, but did not explain how this would happen.

Hollande's critics - including his conservative predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy who is reportedly planning a comeback campaign for 2017 that will asks why France is the only country lacking the courage to reform - say big structural changes are needed to revive waning entrepreneurship as many flee the country.

"The stirring of some economic indicators in mid-August should not reassure us, or, even worse, put us to sleep," Pierre Gattaz, head of the national employers group Medef, wrote in an editorial in the daily Les Echos.

Conspiracy Theories Still Haunt Diana’s Death

2013-08-19T08:06:00.002-07:00

These are golden days for conspiracy theorists. If you believed your government was spying on you, Edward Snowden’s revelations have shown you’re probably right. WikiLeaks and Bradley Manning laid bare a world in which the authorities routinely do one thing and say another. You may be paranoid, but they’re still out to get you–or at least to detain you at Heathrow airport for questioning.

Now, just a week shy of sixteen years since a Mercedes plowed into a pillar in the Pont de L’Alma tunnel on August 31, 1997, depriving Britain of her People’s Princess and the young royals William and Harry of their mother, along comes a fresh allegation in the story that has generated more conspiracy theories than any other. Scotland Yard announced on Saturday that it is “scoping” new information about the Paris car crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales and Patron Saint of Conspiracy Theorists. The claim surfaced during the trial of a member of Britain’s elite and secretive SAS army regiment; according to some reports, the estranged in-laws of a key witness told the military police that the witness had alleged SAS involvement in Diana’s death.

(MORE: How Diana Transformed Britain)

The circumstances of that death, though, have been exhaustively investigated, by the authorities in France and the U.K., most recently in the 90-day inquest at London’s Royal Courts of Justice that reached the conclusion in April 2008 that the Princess and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed had been “unlawfully killed.” The verdict highlighted the “gross negligence” of the driver Henri Paul, who died at the wheel and was found to have blood alcohol three times above the French legal limit, and of the paparazzi, whose reckless pursuit of the couple sparked the high-speed chase that ended in tragedy. But no matter how deep the probes or how expensive — the cost to British taxpayers of the police inquiry and inquest is estimated to have topped £10 million ($15.6 million) — skeptics continued to raise questions and rumors to swirl.

A quick Internet search reveals a plethora of sites devoted to “exposing” Diana’s murder. A large and vociferous online community remains convinced, despite evidence to the contrary presented to the inquest, that Queen’s former daughter-in-law was pregnant with Fayed’s child, provoking nebulous rings of vested interest at the heart of the British establishment into ordering her assassination to protect the monarchy. The more lurid versions of the tale claim the crash itself never happened (the Mercedes was dented in a car crusher; the princess hijacked in the tunnel, forced into a vehicle masquerading as an ambulance and slaughtered). A surprisingly persistent meme depicts Diana as the victim of giant shape-shifting lizards that secretly control Britain. There are queries raised too, about how and when a white Fiat Uno came into contact with the Mercedes, leaving paint traces, or whether Paul’s blood toxicology tallies with what is known of his last movements and usual habits, or why Diana’s seatbelt was found not to work.

(MORE: Why the Royal Baby is Already a Global Figure)

These queries seem sensible enough, and if we’ve learned anything from the whistleblowers, hackers and leakers, it’s that the authorities don’t always tell the truth. But we knew that already. We may be in greater danger of forgetting that the authorities often do tell the truth, too. Sometimes things are exactly as they seem: President Obama was born in Hawaii and Diana died in an accident, a victim not of unseen malefactors but of a collision between her desire for a private life and public fascination with her private life.

Scotland Yard — itself seeking to restore public trust after the twin blows of the News Corp phone-hacking scandaland the Jimmy Savile sex abuse revelations revealed its tendency to protect the establishment rather than question it — has no choice but to evaluate the information it has received. To fail to do so would spark new conspiracies. Yet to divert more taxpayer money into a new inquiry also risks criticism. Hence the Yard’s carefully worded statement, issued on Saturday night, which made clear “this is not a reinvestigation.” Diehard Diana conspiracists will be disappointed. They will always be disappointed.

2013-08-19T07:45:00.001-07:00

A Palestinian programmer has highlighted a flaw in Facebook's security system by posting a message on Mark Zuckerberg's private page.

Khalil Shreateh used a vulnerability he discovered to hack the account of the Facebook founder and raise the alarm.

Mr Shreateh said he had tried to use Facebook's White Hat scheme, which offers a monetary reward for reporting vulnerabilities, but had been ignored.

Facebook said it had fixed the fault but would not be paying Mr Shreateh.

Mr Shreateh found a security breach that allowed Facebook users to post messages on the private "walls" of people who had not approved them as "friends", overriding the site's privacy features.

'Not a bug'

He wrote to Facebook's White Hat team to warn them of the glitch, providing basic details of his discovery.

After a short exchange with the team, Mr Shreateh received an email saying: "I am sorry this is not a bug".

Following this rebuttal, Mr Shreateh exploited the bug to post a message on Mr Zuckerberg's page.

In the post, Mr Shreateh, whose first language is Arabic, said he was "sorry for breaking your privacy and post to your wall" but that he had "no other choice" after being ignored by Facebook's security team.

An engineer on Facebook's security team, Matt Jones, posted a public explanation saying that although Mr Shreateh's original email should have been followed up, the way he had reported the bug had violated the site's "responsible disclosure policy".

He added that as Mr Shreateh had highlighted the bug "using the accounts of real people without their permission", he would not qualify for a payout.

Roger Federer Is Now No. 7, His Lowest Ranking Since November 2002!

2013-08-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

The championship points from Roger Federer’s 2012 Western and Southern Cincinnati title fell off the computer today dropping tennis great Roger Federer to No. 7 in the ATP rankings, his lowest mark since November 3, 2002 (week of October 28, 2002).

Unless there’s a withdrawal from the Top 6, the 32-year-old Federer will be seeded No. 7 at the upcoming US Open. He’ll be placed in the 5-8 seeded bucket which means he’ll be slotted to face a Top 4 player in the quarterfinals.

Federer hasn’t been seeded this low at a Slam since being No. 6 at the 2003 Australian Open.

A year ago Federer entered the US Open as the Top seed and the World No. 1. Since then he has won just one title in Halle.

http://www.tennis-x.com

Roger Federer Is Now No. 7, His Lowest Ranking Since November 2002!

2013-08-19T07:34:00.005-07:00

Federer hasn’t been seeded this low at a Slam since being No. 6 at the 2003 Australian Open.

A year ago Federer entered the US Open as the Top seed and the World No. 1. Since then he has won just one title in Halle.

http://www.tennis-x.com

Roger Federer Is Now No. 7, His Lowest Ranking Since November 2002!

2013-08-19T07:34:00.003-07:00

Federer hasn’t been seeded this low at a Slam since being No. 6 at the 2003 Australian Open.

A year ago Federer entered the US Open as the Top seed and the World No. 1. Since then he has won just one title in Halle.

http://www.tennis-x.com

Roger Federer Is Now No. 7, His Lowest Ranking Since November 2002!

2013-08-19T07:34:00.001-07:00

Federer hasn’t been seeded this low at a Slam since being No. 6 at the 2003 Australian Open.

A year ago Federer entered the US Open as the Top seed and the World No. 1. Since then he has won just one title in Halle.

http://www.tennis-x.com

Pope Benedict XVI formally resigns to become 'pilgrim'

2013-02-28T17:20:00.001-08:00

The Pope left the Vatican in a motorcade before boarding a helicopter to the papal retreat

Pope resigns

Pope Benedict XVI has officially resigned, saying that he now "will simply be a pilgrim" starting his last journey on earth.

The pontiff, aged 85, was earlier flown by helicopter from the Vatican to his retreat at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.

The college of cardinals, headed by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, is now in charge of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics until a new pope is elected.

Benedict vowed "unconditional obedience and reverence" to his successor.

He stepped down after nearly eight years in office - the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.

Analysis

James RobbinsBBC News, Rome

A cardinal, who was inside the Clementine Hall of the Vatican to take his leave of Pope Benedict, told me it was one of those moments one can only describe as "electric with emotion".

He said he felt "the gratitude, the appreciation and the love that was flowing between the Pope and the cardinals".

But another Vatican insider admitted that the next pope has to continue the work started by Benedict to counter sexual abuse by clergy.

"Speaking as a Catholic priest myself", he told me, "it's something that blights our Church, that affects our whole role as priests in the Church.

"It's clear that there's a long way to go before healing occurs and before the whole issue is consigned to the past."

'Pope emeritus'

Benedict officially ceased to be the Pope at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

The resignation was marked by the papal Swiss Guards stepping down from their posts at Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican. The protection of Benedict was taken over by Vatican police.

In his retirement, Benedict will wear a simple white cassock rather than his papal clothes, and swap his famous red shoes - the colour is symbolic of the blood of the early Christian martyrs - for brown.

His "Fisherman's Ring", the special signet ring which contains the Pope's name and is impressed to validate certain official documents, is expected to be destroyed along with the lead seal of the pontificate.

The German pontiff, who was born Joseph Ratzinger, will continue to be known as Benedict XVI, with the new title of "pope emeritus".

The long-time theologian is expected eventually to retire to a monastery on a hill inside Vatican City, with officials saying he will not be able intervene publicly in the papacy of his successor, though he may offer advice.

The conclave of 115 cardinals is expected to meet at the Vatican on Monday morning to start planning the election of the next pope.

Joy and sadness

Pope Benedict XVl: "Thank you and good evening"

Earlier on Thursday, bells of St Peter's rang across the Vatican as Benedict boarded the helicopter for a short flight to Castel Gandolfo.

Before that, the pontiff was greeted for the last time by top officials in the Curia - the administrative body that runs the Holy See.

Benedict then appeared at a window overlooking the public square in Castel Gandolfo to bless a cheering crowd.

"Thank you very much for your friendship," Benedict said.

"I will simply be a pilgrim who is starting the last phase of his pilgrimage on this earth.

"Let's go forward with God for the good of the Church and the world."

Some in the crowd were in tears listening to what could be Benedict's final public words.

Castel Gandolfo retreat

The traditional lakeside summer home of the popes is a picturesque "castle town" in the Alban hills, 15 miles (24km) south-east of Rome
The papal palace dates back to the 17th Century and its gardens occupy the site of a residence of the Roman Emperor Domitian
Benedict XVI is expected to spend two months resting in the residence as his successor at the Vatican is chosen and installed
He will have a staff of two secretaries and four women helpers, drawn from a Catholic lay organisation
Vatican police officers will guard the former pope, who lost his Swiss Guards when his resignation took effect

"What a joy to see him, but how sad to think it is for the last time," local resident Giuseppina was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

In a final posting before his @Pontifex account was suspended and all its entries archived, Benedict tweeted: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."

The Vatican now enters the Sede Vacante - or period of transition between two pontificates.

Benedict's successor must focus on reforming the Vatican bureaucracy which has often been overly hesitant to react to the various crises which have arisen during Benedict's papacy, the BBC's David Willey reports from the Vatican.

Beset by scandals

On Thursday morning, the Pope received the cardinals at the Vatican's Clementine Hall, warmly embracing Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who passed on best wishes on behalf of those gathered.

"Among you there is also the future pope to whom I promise my unconditional obedience and reverence," the pontiff said.

"The Church is a living being," he added, but it "also remains always the same".

In his public farewell speech on Wednesday, Benedict hinted at Vatican infighting.

Swiss Guards leave their posts at Castel Gandolfo

His decision to resign has been openly criticised by Australia's top Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, who questioned his leadership skills.

The Church has been beset by scandals over sexual abuse by priests and leaked confidential documents revealing internal corruption and feuding.

An estimated 150,000 people packed into St Peter's Square on Wednesday to hear Benedict speak in his last address there.

Pope Benedict XVI formally resigns to become 'pilgrim'

2013-02-28T17:17:00.003-08:00

The Pope left the Vatican in a motorcade before boarding a helicopter to the papal retreat

Pope resigns

Pope Benedict XVI has officially resigned, saying that he now "will simply be a pilgrim" starting his last journey on earth.

The pontiff, aged 85, was earlier flown by helicopter from the Vatican to his retreat at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.

The college of cardinals, headed by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, is now in charge of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics until a new pope is elected.

Benedict vowed "unconditional obedience and reverence" to his successor.

He stepped down after nearly eight years in office - the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.

Analysis

James RobbinsBBC News, Rome

A cardinal, who was inside the Clementine Hall of the Vatican to take his leave of Pope Benedict, told me it was one of those moments one can only describe as "electric with emotion".

He said he felt "the gratitude, the appreciation and the love that was flowing between the Pope and the cardinals".

But another Vatican insider admitted that the next pope has to continue the work started by Benedict to counter sexual abuse by clergy.

"Speaking as a Catholic priest myself", he told me, "it's something that blights our Church, that affects our whole role as priests in the Church.

"It's clear that there's a long way to go before healing occurs and before the whole issue is consigned to the past."

'Pope emeritus'

Benedict officially ceased to be the Pope at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

The resignation was marked by the papal Swiss Guards stepping down from their posts at Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican. The protection of Benedict was taken over by Vatican police.

The German pontiff, who was born Joseph Ratzinger, will continue to be known as Benedict XVI, with the new title of "pope emeritus".

The conclave of 115 cardinals is expected to meet at the Vatican on Monday morning to start planning the election of the next pope.

Joy and sadness

Pope Benedict XVl: "Thank you and good evening"

Earlier on Thursday, bells of St Peter's rang across the Vatican as Benedict boarded the helicopter for a short flight to Castel Gandolfo.

Before that, the pontiff was greeted for the last time by top officials in the Curia - the administrative body that runs the Holy See.

Benedict then appeared at a window overlooking the public square in Castel Gandolfo to bless a cheering crowd.

"Thank you very much for your friendship," Benedict said.

"I will simply be a pilgrim who is starting the last phase of his pilgrimage on this earth.

"Let's go forward with God for the good of the Church and the world."

Some in the crowd were in tears listening to what could be Benedict's final public words.

Castel Gandolfo retreat

The traditional lakeside summer home of the popes is a picturesque "castle town" in the Alban hills, 15 miles (24km) south-east of Rome
The papal palace dates back to the 17th Century and its gardens occupy the site of a residence of the Roman Emperor Domitian
Benedict XVI is expected to spend two months resting in the residence as his successor at the Vatican is chosen and installed
He will have a staff of two secretaries and four women helpers, drawn from a Catholic lay organisation
Vatican police officers will guard the former pope, who lost his Swiss Guards when his resignation took effect

"What a joy to see him, but how sad to think it is for the last time," local resident Giuseppina was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

The Vatican now enters the Sede Vacante - or period of transition between two pontificates.

Beset by scandals

On Thursday morning, the Pope received the cardinals at the Vatican's Clementine Hall, warmly embracing Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who passed on best wishes on behalf of those gathered.

"Among you there is also the future pope to whom I promise my unconditional obedience and reverence," the pontiff said.

"The Church is a living being," he added, but it "also remains always the same".

In his public farewell speech on Wednesday, Benedict hinted at Vatican infighting.

Swiss Guards leave their posts at Castel Gandolfo

His decision to resign has been openly criticised by Australia's top Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, who questioned his leadership skills.

The Church has been beset by scandals over sexual abuse by priests and leaked confidential documents revealing internal corruption and feuding.

An estimated 150,000 people packed into St Peter's Square on Wednesday to hear Benedict speak in his last address there.

Pope Benedict XVI formally resigns to become 'pilgrim'

2013-02-28T17:17:00.001-08:00

The Pope left the Vatican in a motorcade before boarding a helicopter to the papal retreat

Pope resigns

Pope Benedict XVI has officially resigned, saying that he now "will simply be a pilgrim" starting his last journey on earth.

The pontiff, aged 85, was earlier flown by helicopter from the Vatican to his retreat at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.

The college of cardinals, headed by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, is now in charge of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics until a new pope is elected.

Benedict vowed "unconditional obedience and reverence" to his successor.

He stepped down after nearly eight years in office - the first pontiff to do so in 600 years.

Analysis

James RobbinsBBC News, Rome

A cardinal, who was inside the Clementine Hall of the Vatican to take his leave of Pope Benedict, told me it was one of those moments one can only describe as "electric with emotion".

He said he felt "the gratitude, the appreciation and the love that was flowing between the Pope and the cardinals".

But another Vatican insider admitted that the next pope has to continue the work started by Benedict to counter sexual abuse by clergy.

"Speaking as a Catholic priest myself", he told me, "it's something that blights our Church, that affects our whole role as priests in the Church.

"It's clear that there's a long way to go before healing occurs and before the whole issue is consigned to the past."

'Pope emeritus'

Benedict officially ceased to be the Pope at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

The resignation was marked by the papal Swiss Guards stepping down from their posts at Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican. The protection of Benedict was taken over by Vatican police.

The German pontiff, who was born Joseph Ratzinger, will continue to be known as Benedict XVI, with the new title of "pope emeritus".

The conclave of 115 cardinals is expected to meet at the Vatican on Monday morning to start planning the election of the next pope.

Joy and sadness

Pope Benedict XVl: "Thank you and good evening"

Earlier on Thursday, bells of St Peter's rang across the Vatican as Benedict boarded the helicopter for a short flight to Castel Gandolfo.

Before that, the pontiff was greeted for the last time by top officials in the Curia - the administrative body that runs the Holy See.

Benedict then appeared at a window overlooking the public square in Castel Gandolfo to bless a cheering crowd.

"Thank you very much for your friendship," Benedict said.

"I will simply be a pilgrim who is starting the last phase of his pilgrimage on this earth.

"Let's go forward with God for the good of the Church and the world."

Some in the crowd were in tears listening to what could be Benedict's final public words.

Castel Gandolfo retreat

The traditional lakeside summer home of the popes is a picturesque "castle town" in the Alban hills, 15 miles (24km) south-east of Rome
The papal palace dates back to the 17th Century and its gardens occupy the site of a residence of the Roman Emperor Domitian
Benedict XVI is expected to spend two months resting in the residence as his successor at the Vatican is chosen and installed
He will have a staff of two secretaries and four women helpers, drawn from a Catholic lay organisation
Vatican police officers will guard the former pope, who lost his Swiss Guards when his resignation took effect

"What a joy to see him, but how sad to think it is for the last time," local resident Giuseppina was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

The Vatican now enters the Sede Vacante - or period of transition between two pontificates.

Beset by scandals

On Thursday morning, the Pope received the cardinals at the Vatican's Clementine Hall, warmly embracing Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who passed on best wishes on behalf of those gathered.

"Among you there is also the future pope to whom I promise my unconditional obedience and reverence," the pontiff said.

"The Church is a living being," he added, but it "also remains always the same".

In his public farewell speech on Wednesday, Benedict hinted at Vatican infighting.

Swiss Guards leave their posts at Castel Gandolfo

His decision to resign has been openly criticised by Australia's top Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, who questioned his leadership skills.

The Church has been beset by scandals over sexual abuse by priests and leaked confidential documents revealing internal corruption and feuding.

An estimated 150,000 people packed into St Peter's Square on Wednesday to hear Benedict speak in his last address there.

APC will end rule of PDP scavengers –Tinubu • Opposition should criticise constructively –PDP

2013-02-07T18:32:00.001-08:00

| credits:

OPPOSITION figures on Thursday stepped up the marketing of their newly-christened joint party, the All Progressive Congress, with a promise that the new platform would bring an end to the rule of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, a key component of the new alliance, Bola Tinubu, described the years of PDP in power as the rule of “scavengers and wayfarers.”

“What we have now are wayfarers, scavengers in the corridors of power and apologists, professionals whose ethics evaporate the moment they come in contact with the paraphernalia of power.

“But there is help coming. Help is on the way as the opposition moves to form a broad-based coalition that will send these characters out of power and put into gear the Nigerian project.”

Another key figure in the new political dispensation and an ex-Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, also enjoined Nigerians to give the APC, an identity unveiled just on Wednesday, the opportunity to prove itself in rescuing the nation from those he called “strong men” that had damaged the system.

Tinubu and Buhari spoke in Abuja at the public presentation of a book, The Accidental Public Servant, written by a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. The el-Rufai book, an expose on the thoughts and words of men of power during the administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, had already become controversial before it was presented to the public.

Tinubu said the story of the country had not changed from what it was during the time el-Rufai was in government.

He said that the situation had worsened with the citizens saddled with a government concerned more about “elongation in power and fighting imagined enemies” than applying themselves to running the country properly.

Tinubu, who was represented by the ACN spokesman, Lai Mohammed, thanked the author for exposing the “unbridled lust for power” by those in government.

He said, “Thanks to Nasir, we now know that most of our leaders are soon overcome and consumed by their unbridled lust for power; Nasir tells us Nigeria still has a long way to go and the architects of a new Nigeria are not yet in place.”

Tinubu described the book as unrivalled in the history of the country, noting however that the author could not exonerate himself from what happened during the Obasanjo administration which was the focus of the book.

He said, “In as much as Nasir may not and cannot exonerate himself from all that happened, he has chosen a road less travelled by telling it all. One of yesterday’s men is coming clean.

“The power and courage of Nasir’s work is not just in the carefully woven narrative but in the mere fact that the key figures he has written about are still alive and perhaps only one or two of them are dead, hence, Nigerians should expect to get a few reactions and if lucky see more books churned out by a few who think Nasir has only told the story of that era from his own angle.”

Buhari said that Nigerians should give the APC a chance to prove itself, assuring that the party would not disappoint them.

The new party consists of the ACN, CPC, All Progressives Grand Alliance, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party though Anambra State Government, administered by an APGA Governor Peter Obi on Thursday dissociated itself from the merger.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Chief Joemartins Uzodike, the state government also said the Anambra State chapter of the APGA was not a party to the merger.

The statement said the issue of merger had never been discussed at the National Executive Committee of the party and neither had any national convention of the party been called to discuss the so-called merger.

It rather said that APGA was part of the PDP-run Federal Government of President Goodluck Jonathan, having benefited in appointments from the government.

“Our Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, has never mentioned any issue regarding APGA merging with any political party in the executive council meeting of the state,” the statement added.

But Buhari said the new party would strive to meet Nigerians’ expectations and “I will want the people to give the party a chance to rescue the country. People talking about the disintegration of Nigeria don’t know what they are saying; Nigeria is too intertwined to break up.”

The CPC presidential candidate said the nation needed courageous people like el-Rufai to appeal to the people’s conscience.

He said the nation deserved principled leadership, noting that the first Premier of the old Western Region, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was spending 55 per cent on education, while the northern region spent 5 per cent on education and about 56 per cent on security.

Buhari blamed ‘strong men’ for destroying the strong institutions in Nigeria left behind by the colonial administration, adding that el-Rufai’s book was the ex-minister’s way of reviving the comatose institutions in the country.

Niger State Govenor, Aliyu Babangida, a PDP member, also at the forum said he was delighted with the new party being formed by the opposition.

He said, “I am one of those in the PDP praying for the merger to work; it will rationalise Nigerian politics and put an end to riff-raffs and charlatans in government.

“People have been coming to me to ask me if I am interested in the Presidency and I said yes. I am prepared for The Presidency, I am not an accidental leader; I am prepared for the Presidency, but I won’t comment on when I will run.”

However, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, attributed the backwardness of the country to disregard for merit and competence.

He stressed that important national issues should only be entrusted to capable hands.

Sanusi said, “I always tell people that our problem is not corruption, but disregard for merit and competence. In our private lives, we entrust the most important things to people we trust but we left important national issues in the hands of those with nothing to offer; People should be judged by their character and not their affiliations.”

Also, the author, el-Rufai, shed tears, while thanking eminent Nigerians for attending the programme.

Meanwhile,the PDP on Thursday congratulated those behind the new APC and challenged them to engage the PDP elected and appointed officials on issues of governance.“

National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, in a statement said, “We charge the opposition to use the new party to challenge our elected and appointed officers on debates on issues of governance.

“We are ready, willing and able at any time to debate on any issue pertaining to the economy and any other issue of governance.

“We want useful and constructive debates so that at the end of the day, Nigerians will be the utmost beneficiaries.”

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, on Thursday, however, ridiculed the emergence of the APC, saying it posed no threat to the PDP.

“PDP is not threatened in any form by the merger. The only challenge that I see in this kind of fusion is that they are not driven by ideology. They are driven by people and positions,” Ahmed said in Ilorin during a monthly public enlightenment programme tagged, ‘The governor explains.’

Emenike, Victor Moses sit out Thursday’s training session

2013-02-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

Two of the Super Eagles’ star performers,Emmanuel Emenike and Victor Moses, were left out of Thursday’s training session, after they picked up knocks in the 4-1 victory over Mali.

The team’s doctor, Ibrahim Gyaran, confirmed that he advised Stephen Keshi, to exclude the players from training, so they could undergo tests on the injuries they picked up.

Emenike is expected to return to training on Friday, after he showed signs of recovery from cramps, while Moses is still awaiting results of the scan he underwent.

Keshi had told journalists after the match that “We will know about that, probably (on Thursday). The doctor will have to go and do some scans so we will know better,” Keshi said on Wednesday.

“Hopefully, it’s not that bad. We will play (our next game) on Sunday. We just pray to God because we need everybody in the team. We are keeping our fingers crossed.”

The Big Boss will be hoping to have two of his key players in great shape for the final showdown against Burkina Faso o Sunday.

Premier League clubs vote in favour of new financial fair play model at crunch meeting

2013-02-07T18:14:00.001-08:00

Premier League clubs vote in favour of new financial fair play model at crunch meeting

Top-flight clubs also approved a salary cap as the league supported far-reaching spending reforms that limits clubs' losses to £105million over a three-year period

By Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent

Premier League clubs have voted in favour of introducing a domestic financial fair play model from next season.

The breakaway group of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham failed to push through a strict 'break-even' rule at a showdown meeting in London on Thursday afternoon but club bosses agreed to a compromise system that limits a club's losses to £105million over a three-year period.

The top-flight clubs also approved a cap on wage increases as the Premier League imposed the first spending controls by a first major European league.

It was agreed in principle that there will be a ceiling on how much of the funds distributed by the Premier League are spent on players' wages each season from 2013/14 to 2015/16. In the first of a three-year cycle, wage bills can rise by £4million, in the second year by £8m, and by £12m in the third.

The cost control measures apply only to clubs with wage bills in excess of £52m in 2013/14, £56m in 2014/15 and £60m in 2015/16.

The Premier League revealed that clubs who breach the loss limits and wage increase controls face points deductions.

Moreover, the League will ask owners that wish to bankroll losses to show proof they can pay, in a bid to avoid a repeat of the situation at financially-crippled Portsmouth.

It is not yet known which clubs supported the new measures but 14 of the 20 votes were required to push through the reforms at the shareholders' meeting.

Insiders say that the Premier League FFP system will be a more "sophisticated" version than Uefa's

At the last full shareholders' meeting in November, Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Norwich City, QPR, Reading, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Swansea City, Tottenham, West Ham and Wigan had all indicated that they were in favour of stricter financial regulation.

This came after four breakaway clubs – Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham – attempted a coup in a bid to push through a strict break-even rule.

The four clubs most likely to have opposed the introduction of cost-control measures at the meeting in a London hotel were expected to be Aston Villa, Fulham, Manchester City and West Brom.

The Premier League's FFP system mirrors that of Uefa's, which comes into force next season and limits owners to covering losses £38.9 million losses over the first three years.

The 'gang of four' had pushed hard for a strict interpretation of the Uefa model but instead had to settle for a compromised system.

In a statement, Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: "The clubs have voted in principle for new financial regulations that will further benefit the sustainable running of their businesses, while allowing secure owner investment, as well as enhance the reputation of the Premier League as an organisation that takes its responsibilities in the governance arena seriously."I would like to thank the clubs for the time, effort and thought that they have applied throughout this process and the attention they have applied to helping secure the continued success and health of Premier League football both on and off the pitch."
The measures will come into effect from the start of next season if they are approved at a full Premier League board meeting in April.

INTERVIEW: “stop Blaming Awolowo For Starving The Igbos” – Obasanjo

2013-02-06T18:21:00.001-08:00

INTERVIEW BASIL CHIJI OKAFOR

• Without Employment Opportunities, Youth Revolution Imminent

• What Do You Expect When You Extol A Thief In Your Community?

• Blame The Commanders, Not Awolowo For Civil War Killings, Starvation

• I Didn’t Know Yar’Adua Would Die…

President Olusegun Obasanjo
A sprawling view of Abeokuta lay prostrate from his hilltop mansion, a metaphor for the clout of its owner, a man whose sheer strength of character held an impossible Nigeria in the palm of his hand for eight long years. It is not for nothing that he is called Baba, yet another aphorism for some sort of a hard-to-get-to-know paterfamilias, whose offspring would usually approach with great trepidation, not knowing exactly what to expect.
Long after he had left office, as President of the Federal Republic, General Olusegun Obasanjo’s home is still like a pilgrimage ground, with hordes of visitors, trooping in and out, to hold court for one reason, or the other — Baba’s opinion, influence and wise counsel, still count. The man is, indeed, an enigma. Playful, as a kitten, wise, as an oracle, hard, as a tornado-nail, and wily, as a fox, you have to watch your step — every step of the way — with the general.

When our team of reporter and camera crew stepped into his living room to keep the interview appointment, his face was buried deep in a game of ‘ayo’; he was busy enjoying with a friend, a local, surrounded by visitors, and more visitors, some waiting in an ante-chamber. Without raising his face from the game, and waving his left arm, almost hostilely, his well-known gravel-voice barked out, with all the force of a subaltern marshalling a phalanx of his men into action, as we moved our gear into place: “Where d’you want to set up?”

Yet, the next moment, as he broached questions, he stuck out his hand at some point, to “take five” with the reporter, when he seemed ‘into the session’. He had been asked about the future of the youth of this country, his pet subject. He had also been referred to the rumour from some quarters, that he is a hater of the Igbo.

Well, if, actually, he hates the Igbo, how come his government appointed the most number of Igbo to so-called powerful positions, perhaps more than any other government, since independence? How come his Chief-of-Staff — a young man he has described as “my beloved son, in whom I’m well pleased” — was Igbo?

His face lit up, as he took those questions on the youth, particularly on his closest aide whilst in office, Dr. Andy Uba: “Andy was the first man that saw me in the morning, when I woke up and the last man that saw me at night, before I went to bed…”

Of course, intermittently, flashes of his legendary disdain for the Press came forth through the phrase, “You press people”. No matter. As he took his seat before the camera, on a sculpted perch before his beloved ‘ayo’ board, we were as determined, as General Obasanjo remained his combative, old self. Out-to-see!

YOUR Excellency, recently, the media quoted you to have warned the government against an imminent youth revolution. You were also quoted to have described some of those young people as ‘Area Boys, Yahoo-Yahoo Boys, and ‘Blackberry Boys.’ How do you project the future of this country vis-à-vis this teeming young population that you so described?

Let me first of all put that statement in the context, which I made it. I was in Senegal at the invitation of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the issue for discussion was Youth and Employment.

The Chief of Staff of the President of Senegal, who represented the president, gave stunning statistics. One of the statistics he gave was that 65 per cent of our populations in Africa, on the average, are under 25 years of age and well over 60 per cent of them that are old enough to have jobs, have no jobs. Now, my reaction to that is that we are all sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

If you are a young man, or young woman, between say, 18 to 30 years, you think that the entire world is in front of you, that you can achieve anything you want to achieve. And, what do you do? You struggle; you are young. Your parents sent you to primary school; by the time you leave primary school and go to secondary school, you start having the feeling that things are looking bright.

Then, you go to university and you come out and you look and it becomes a vapour — that hope, that expectation just flies away in front of you; no hope for a job. Then, of course, you become an educated, jobless person. I believe there is no greater frustration than that. And when that frustration turns to desperation, there is danger. So, that’s why I said we are all sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

It is not only in Nigeria, it is all Africa. You can even take it as a global thing because Spain has about 50 per cent (youth unemployment rate) and they’re a little bit better.

And as I said in that conference, I don’t know whether to say we’re in good company, or in bad company, if Spain is like that. But Spain is a different issue because it is a member of the European Union. Spain has an organisation that can write a cheque for her and bail her out and do things that would help her situation. We don’t have anybody that can write a cheque for us.

I then went on to say that if this is a global problem and we are the worst hit, our youth are the greatest victims, we must be seen to be doing something about it. And what should we do? I believe we must find a global solution. I prescribed that now that the international community, the UN, is working on a replacement for the MDGs, the Millennium Development Goals — because the MDGs would come to an end in 2015 and they’re wondering what to replace it with — and I said, whatever it is they come up with that would replace the MDGs must come up with one important element of it as youth employment. That must be the global approach.

And I said, there must also be the regional solution. The AU, African Union, has something that we — myself, President Thabo Mbeki and President (Abdelaziz) Bouteflika (of Algeria), when we were in government — initiated and worked on, which is called NEPAD (New Partnership for African Development).

I said the time has come when NEPAD must be reviewed, with the issue of youth employment made a major focus of the organisation. I also said that even ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), a sub-regional organisation, should do the same thing.

And at the national level, all our nations should have, in their economic development, this aspect of youth development, so that when you make your budget, whether it is medium-term budget, or annual budget, the content of your budget should be, when you spend this money, you earmark so much, either for agriculture, or for road, or for whatever, the question must be, what is its employment — particularly youth employment — content? You would build a road, yes, but what is its employment content?

I also went ahead to suggest that our states should do the same thing; the local governments should do the same thing. Even communities should be able to ask: what are we doing to ensure that our youth are gainfully employed?

The private sector, too, must be challenged. They should not just come up and say, yeah, we’re doing well. And this so-called growth — oh, we grow by seven per cent GDP — we have growth, yet we have more poor people, more jobless people. How can you talk of growth without job for people, with people getting poorer and poorer? Then, there must be something wrong with that type of indicator for measuring our economic development.

‘Killers Of Youth Corps Members Must Be Dealt With’

THE purpose of the National Youth Service Corps, as a means of engaging our youth, presently, appears completely defeated; and it turns out that young people, after graduating from higher institutions, simply drift around for one precious and critical year of their lives, out of school. Should the NYSC scheme remain, or be scrapped, as many have voiced out?

The NYSC was not designed as a youth employment project. It was designed as a means of inculcating nationalism and patriotism into our youth, to render one year of service and thereby get to know their country. That was what the NYSC was designed for.

If you remember, when it was started, people objected to it and went on strike because at that point in time, things were still reasonably alright, from the youth employment point of view. In 1973, people went on strike and they didn’t like it. But today, some people go into the NYSC even two or three times. There is nothing else they can do even though they don’t get full salaries; they just get a token, but it is still better for them than just sitting down and doing nothing.

Yes, it was meant to give them that sense of being Nigerian. That was the idea. Initially, that objective was achieved. I remember, for instance, one of our traditional rulers whose daughter was getting married. He invited me and I sat with him and he complained: “You see, this NYSC thing that you people have created, my daughter is getting married to somebody across the Niger; what if there’s an emergency, how do I run across the Niger?” I said, “Don’t worry; you don’t have to run across the Niger. Nowadays, you don’t have to run at all. There is telephone; there is Internet; there is email and so on.”

To the extent that it was meant to bring about youth understanding of their country, youth love of their country, youth service for their country, nationalism, patriotism; I believe, at least initially, it achieved that. It also brought about this unity; people knowing themselves; inter-marriage and things like that.

Now, a number of things have crept in. They do community service, but that community service has not been organised the way it used to be and the way it was meant to be organised. In the last election, for instance, 13 Youth Corps members were killed. That doesn’t help the Youth Service scheme. We must all decry that; we must all condemn it. Now, those who killed them, what happened? What have we heard about them?

If I have a child that I have seen through school and into Youth Service and I say, Youth Corps is meant for you to serve and he or she agrees with me and the next thing you know, my child’s body is brought home to me in a bag, how am I supposed to feel about the Service as a means of ministering to the youth and to my children?

So, what is your position; do you want the Service scrapped?

I don’t think it should be scrapped; I think it should be reviewed. Where there are lapses, such shortcomings should be corrected. We should revisit the initial aims and objectives. Are those aims and objectives still relevant today? If they’re relevant, what has gone wrong in the operationalisation and what should we be doing?

It is something that is good for the country; I believe it is good for the country.

‘My Generation Laid Foundation Of Today’s Democratic Dispensation’

LOOKING at the situation on ground, it would seem that your generation accomplished quite a lot. But as the days went by, the situation kept getting worse, and the scale of achievement appearing to diminish by the day. What spurred your generation to its comparatively greater successes, as it were?

Now that you bring it to generation, I will speak generally about generation, but I do not believe that there is any generation that does not have heroic qualities in them. There is no generation that you would just write off. Of course, the situation in every generation varies.

For instance, I have said that whatever we may say about the generation before our own generation, it is the generation that gave us independence. Whatever you may say about them, they gave us independence and that you cannot deny. Well, they did not fight for it; it was given to them on a platter of gold. But whatever you may say, they gave us independence.

(Cuts in) Just like we cannot deny that General Obasanjo dismantled the power cartel that hitherto controlled Nigerian politics so viciously…?

(Smiles, ignores the interjection and continues) You also cannot deny — and I have said this — that my own generation fought for the unity of this country. Obasanjo just happened to be one of the feasible instruments, but my generation must claim credit for that. My generation can also be credited with laying the foundation of today’s democratic dispensation in Nigeria.

Now, about the opportunities the generation before us and our own generation have had, members of the present-day generation have asked me and I have said they equally have the opportunity to build on the foundation that my own generation and the others, have laid: how do you enhance democracy; how do you strengthen and deepen democracy?

That is the responsibility of the present generation and they can do it, and they must do it. How do they really make us have an economy? How do they make Nigeria one of the largest economies by the year 2020? That is their challenge and they must do it.

Then, you ask what the ingredients are that make for greater success in one generation? Well, not every member of a particular generation would be outstanding. You have some that would be drivers, while others would be passengers. You may even have some that constitute a setback. But they are all members of the same generation.

Having said that, there are certain qualities in individuals that, if developed, and if the environment and the community help, that individual would become a very important contributor in that generation.

What am I saying? First of all, there must be education. For instance, you are talking to me and we are communicating in the same language because you have education. If we were to go back to our respective mother-tongues, I won’t be able to understand what you’re saying. All I understand in Igbo is, “ogom”. And this is because when we were in Kaduna, whenever I went to my friend, Chukwuma Nzeogwu’s house, Mama (his mother), who never spoke a word of English, would hug me and say, “ogom”. I wouldn’t know what to answer and Chukwuma would just laugh at us and say, “Look at these two people.” (I also understand, “dianyi” and I also understand, “ka chi fonu”)

Now seriously speaking, education is foremost. Then, there are those other qualities such as integrity, honesty, courage, truthfulness, so that when you say something, people can rely on it. If it however turns out that the information you had when you said a particular thing wasn’t adequate, you go back and correct it and say, ‘look, in the light of new information I have, let me correct what I said earlier.’ These qualities must be developed.

Then, values! But what values do we stand for now? When I was growing up, when you saw a man in a new car, you prayed for him because the belief was that he had worked hard, and he had earned the car that he had acquired. You prayed for him and wished you would become like him some day.

But when I was in the Yola prison, each time we heard a siren blow past from behind our walls, all the prisoners would start cursing the man in the car, with the siren. So, one day, I called them and said, “look, what is all this?” They replied and said all those people were thieves. How did we degenerate to the point where we now believe that every car owner is a thief?

So, I told them that I bought my first car, brand-new, in 1961. I wasn’t a thief. I bought it with my money. In 1960, I went to the Congo (war, with the UN contingent) and I was getting UN allowance, Nigerian allowance and my salary was kept, intact. And I came back and bought a car. Was I a thief? They said, “Oh no, no, no; your time was different.”

I think we should backtrack and find out what we have done wrong. How did we lose those values that we cherished so much, those values of integrity and hard work? Now, when you continue to extol a thief in your community, what do you expect?

Whilst I was growing up, the children of those who were known to be of bad character in the village were ostracised, not just the man, but the entire family. But now, a thief, because he has money, would be the first you would want to give your daughter to. What sort of thing is that?

‘Secret Of My Staying Power Is Knowing Nigeria A Little Bit…’

YOU are a very strong personality and you simply held Nigeria in the palm of your hand…

(Cuts in, smiling) I don’t know about that…

How did you do it?

(Still smiling and general laughter) I didn’t hold… You see, that again… that’s not correct; I didn’t hold Nigeria in the palm of my hand…

(Cuts in) No leader has ever held Nigeria like that… a civilian government; what’s the secret?

(Continues smiling) Look, let me tell you; whatever you’re going to do, you must know it; you must understand it. I think without being immodest, I know Nigeria a little bit and that is very important. This country is a complex one and you must know that.

I was in Warri the other day and I was saying to them that when I was going to contest election in 1999, people, including a Bishop of the Anglican Church, were saying to me — and listen to this — that a Yoruba man had never held the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the Centre — and these were well-meaning people.

Now, I know that there is nothing in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, except the Prisons and Immigration. That is reality and the reality, for me, is that there is really nothing important in that ministry. But the perception is different and I must cater to that perception.

So, when we won the election, I said well, if there were some people who felt that there was a particular ministry that the Yoruba were excluded from, then let a Yoruba man go there. I decided that Chief S.M Afolabi (may his soul rest in peace) should go there. Of course, I knew S.M Afolabi; he was my senior in secondary school. So, I said, “Now you have a Yoruba man in the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” and they said: “Yes, yes, yes!” But what does it really come to?

In the same vein, we had an Igbo lady as Minister of Finance. We had an Igbo man (nice man) as Governor of the Central Bank. Yet, some people said the Igbo were still not pleased. Why? They said since the end of the Civil War, an Igbo man had never been Minister of Defence.

I then explained that the Minister of Defence is only an administrative head of the ministry. Those people that really matter are the Service Chiefs, who command their Services. They said nooo. So, I said, “Alright, don’t worry. If that is the perception, we can deal with it.” So, I brought Tom Ironsi, the son of my own oga (JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi) — I went to the Congo in 1960, under the command of General Ironsi. I satisfied the reality, and I also satisfied the perception.

It may not mean anything to other people, but you must know how you carry out the checks and balances. Then also, if things happen, who are the people you can reach? Who are the people you can call? Who are the people that can advice you, genuinely? You must have all of that. For a country like this, you must have that. It is this feeling of knowing what rope, what chain, to pull, that makes a difference.

‘Sani Proclaimed Sharia To Make Himself Untouchable’

THERE’S something intriguing about you, and thus, this question. There was the situation in Odi and you cracked down on that community. There was the killing of soldiers in Zaki-Biam and you dealt summarily with the situation. Yet, there was this Sharia declaration in the North, in Zamfara State, precisely, where people suddenly said they were a Sharia State…

(Cuts in) What’s the difference?

You should equally have cracked down on them because this was clearly a rebellion, a total violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Why didn’t you crack down on them?

(Pauses) You see, again, you must be very, very, sensitive. As the Commander-in-Chief, as the man who had responsibility for security in this country, what were my instruments for maintaining law and order and ensuring security? The Police; the Military.

Now, if my police can be sent anywhere and be treated with impunity and my soldiers can be sent anywhere and be treated with impunity, what right, as Commander-in-Chief, do I have to go out there and say, hey, you go there? That is very important.

Odi. We sent policemen; they were killed. We sent soldiers; they were killed. And I said to the governor, “Look, this cannot be allowed to go on. Please, just get me those that killed those policemen and soldiers. I am not going to kill them, but I will make examples of them, because my own policemen and soldiers must trust me, must have confidence in me. When I send them out, I must back them up.”

The governor said, “I don’t know who killed them.” And I said, “Eh-eh. Ok, if you don’t know who killed them, I will do my duty.” And so, I did my duty.

It’s the same thing with Zaki-Biam. That one was even worse. They killed the soldiers and decapitated them. And I said to the governor, “Please, what are you doing about this?” And he said, “It is beyond me; please, come and help me.” And I said, “Ok. Since you’ve called me to help you, I will help you.” And I did.

You see; Sharia is slightly different. The young man (Sani Ahmad), who went into Sharia, I know the circumstances that took him into Sharia. He was a governor and one of my own senior staff, who comes from that state (Zamfara), was really making life unbearable for him, according to him (Sani). And I tried to reconcile them, not once, not twice.

So, one day, the governor came to me and said, “This man is collecting invoices and receipts and is snooping about on me. I will make myself untouchable.” I said, “Eh-eh, make yourself untouchable?”

I didn’t know what he meant by that. So, what he did to make himself untouchable was to proclaim Sharia. And that was why I said at that time, that it was political Sharia.

So, it was more or less the particular governor’s personal survival kit?

Yes. And he was clever enough to go to all the clerics and got them. And I just looked at him and I said, ‘Look, this young man thinks I’m a fool. He wants to lure me into a killing ground. I won’t fall for that.’ And as I said, publicly, “if it is genuine Sharia, well, it will survive, but if it is not genuine, it will fizzle out.” And it fizzled out, without my raising a finger…

(Cuts in) Well, don’t you think that if you had interfered at that point in time, the Boko Haram insurgency, that is ravaging practically the entire North, would have been nipped in the bud?

No, the Sharia that came out at that time was a different issue, altogether… even the man, I told you his story. He came to my residence once — I had a young cousin living with me at the time — and they hugged themselves and I said, “Ah! Oga Governor, Sharia!” He just waved my reaction aside and hissed: “Didn’t you say it would fizzle out?” He wasn’t really into it, as I saw and read it and as it finally proved to be.

But even this Boko Haram (members) that said to me that, when I was in government, I was doing my own thing and they were doing their own thing, I asked them what was their own thing and they said, Sharia. I didn’t worry them and they didn’t worry me and that was true.

Look, I’ve had the experience of Sharia before, as military head-of-state. The Constitution was deadlocked. The Constituent Assembly was trying to ratify it, but it was deadlocked on Sharia. In fact, it nearly divided my own team — the Supreme Military Council — until one day, I wrote a speech and called all my members of the SMC and passed the speech to them. I asked if they endorsed it and they said, yes. And I said, “Oya,” and all of us, we went there. And that was what killed it because my own Supreme Military Council was being divided along lines of pro-Sharia and anti-Sharia and that was not good for me. So, we nipped it in the bud.

This second time, if I had rolled out tanks at Zamfara, I would have set the country on fire and I told him (Sani) so. I said to him, “Governor, you know what you’re doing” and he said, “But you’re there to handle it and you’ve handled it; so, what are you complaining about?” That was that.

THERE were stories of you gunning for a third term whilst in office. May we ask if you honestly support the idea of a strong leader, and for a third term, or longer period in office, for the sake of continuity that some people are talking about, in order to stabilise the country?

Even if you give Nigeria a fourth term, a person, an individual, is an individual. At some point in time, he would surely go away. What Nigeria needs is…

(Cuts in) Surely, an individual can make a difference…

Yes, an individual can make a difference. But if you have, in eight years, laid the foundation — which I did — and somebody comes to undo what you have left behind, such reversal could only be for a short while.

What happened? For instance, take the area of power, the area of transportation. We laid out all that had to be done so that you just keep going. Somebody came and he just halted it and we lost. Not only did we lose about three or four years, but we also lost money because those things would now have to cost two times what they would have cost.

You cannot build the fortunes of a country only on one individual, all the time. A leader comes and a leader matters. If that leader does not perform, it is either the people would do their thing, democratically and vote him out, or God does His own thing in a more dramatic way than democracy.

And that’s it. I personally believe that there is always the hand of God in the fortune, or misfortune of a nation, just as it is in the fortune, or misfortune, of an individual, or any human institution.

Let’s look at one recent misfortune that befell this country — the demise of former President Yar’Adua. People say you knew he was dying, and you merely handed over to him because it was your strategy for returning power to the South. Frankly, did you know he was dying?

I have said this before. When I was looking for a successor, for me, at that time, I believed that we hadn’t reached a stage where, after the completion of a full term, of a president, if he is from the South, he should be succeeded by another southerner, or if he is from the North, he should be succeeded by another northerner — I hope we get to that stage, some day. I believe, at this stage, we are still in transition. You may say it’s a long transition, but we’re still in transition. We have to create confidence and trust, first.

I believed that a northerner should be the one to succeed me. If it’s within my party, another thing that is important is that the primaries would be determined by which way the governors go. So, I took the governors and the leadership of the party along and we settled for that young man (Yar’Adua).

I knew that, that young man had been ill. He had kidney problem and was on dialysis. He told me himself that he had seized to be on dialysis; he told me that even before he was picked for the presidency. Then, I asked for his medical report, which he gave me.

I gave the report to a medical specialist who gave his verdict and said that if someone had been on dialysis and suddenly stopped, it would mean that you’ve had a kidney transplant, which succeeded. And if you’ve had a kidney transplant that succeeded, you’re as good as having not had any problems at all. So, on the basis of that, what do you say is my crime?

But the point is this — and I said that later — if you are given a job to do and you accept to do it and through no fault of yours, something crops up that makes you incapable of doing that job to the satisfaction of those who gave you the job and to your own satisfaction, the most honourable thing to do is to say, sorry.

We all have one ailment, or the other. I have mine, too, but I manage it. So, if, for instance, you give me anything to eat that is likely to jeopardise my health, I would reject it. So, what is your problem? For anybody to say I knew he would die — who knows who will die? Do you know when you will die?

People may say what they like but that doesn’t really bother me. What I do is to satisfy my God and my conscience.

‘1966 Coup Adversely Affected The Fortunes Of Nigeria’

NOW, another case for curiosity, General! During your young officer days, the one close friend you were known to have had was another strong character, in the person of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. What chemistry bonded you together?

I think we had the same aura. Chukwuma was a Nigerian, through and through and that’s what I said when I wrote the book on him. Some people started commenting and I even said he was naïve in the action he took. But one thing you could not accuse Chukwuma of was that he was not a Nigerian. No. He was a committed nationalist; he was a committed patriot.

Was that January 1966 coup a mistake?

I believe so; I believe so. But you see, I knew Chukwuma very well. I have said this before: if I had been in — and Chukwuma knew me, that I was strong enough to try and stop that coup — it probably would have been a different story.

I came in the night before the coup and Chukwuma had said to me that this was the greatest problem that faced him, whether to tell me about the action or not to tell me. And if he had told me about the coup, I probably would have said, ‘nonsense, you can’t do that.’

Now, if he had succeeded in convincing me and I said, ‘good idea, let’s carry on,’ it was already too late in the day because there would have been no role for me to play because they had worked out everything. So, they decided that they must keep the whole exercise away from me. Even when it happened, some of us said, “Look, what is this?” It set democracy back.

Do you believe that coup adversely affected the fortunes of this country?

Yes, it did. Let me take the military, for instance. We were very closely knit. I didn’t even know whether Chukwuma was Igbo, or not. We were in the Congo together, just like two brothers. But that coup did for us what was not necessary, at the time.

The military was already getting weakened, with its gradual politicisation, but the coup actually introduced a very wide gap. I think that it was after Murtala (Muhammed) and I came back that we actually started trying to bridge that gap. And even then, that gap wasn’t fully closed until I came back as an elected president and began to give some concessions to our brothers who fought on the other side.

Knowing Chukwuma very well, I knew he was a man of good intentions and all that, but I think the coup was a mistake, a genuine mistake. It wasn’t a mistake borne out of his personal aggrandisement, but one probably borne out of his understanding of nationalism and patriotism.

Was the rebellion that led to Biafra right?

Look, like I have said, there were actions and there were reactions. And in human interactions, reactions are normally stronger than actions. In the law of physics, action and reaction are equal and opposite but in human interactions, action and reaction are opposite, but they are not normally equal. It is either the reaction — if you have the opportunity — is stronger than the action, or action is stronger than reaction, if you are weak and feeble.

There were actions and reactions, but at the end of the day, we have to backtrack. We have said that the coup was a mistake of some naïve, may be, nationalistic officers. So, the other reaction must be taken from that context. As a result of that, there were reactions. Then, there were reactions, to reactions and more reactions to other reactions. I cannot really justify anything. All I would say is that we came out of it. The way we came out of it, we thank God for it.

Nigeria could have been divided by that and I remember that in 1999, when I was going round and people were advising me, suggesting to me what to say, or not to say, I went to Kano, to one distinguished Kano man and he said that his position was that he didn’t want to have to carry a visa, to go to Lagos, or to Enugu, or to Port Harcourt. And I also said to him, yes, I am considering contesting because I, too, do not want to have to carry a visa to come to Kano, or to go to Kaduna, or Calabar, or Port Harcourt.

I don’t think it is a question of what is right, or who is right; I think that what we should say is that, that period was an unfortunate period for Nigeria. We thank God we put it behind us.

‘The Youth Must Be Part Of Today, Not Just Tomorrow’

YOU were chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP before you suddenly resigned; was it that the party was doing certain underhand things that you didn’t like, or what?

Well, I told people that I want to face four things. One, I’m building a presidential library. In fact, I want to pay more attention to it. This opportunity that has opened for Africa, with the situations in 2008, in America and Eurozone crises, has opened a window of opportunity for investment in Africa. I want to go around, getting investments for Africa, generally and for Nigeria, in particular.

Then, there are those young men and women in Africa, who believe that they need to be mentored and I make myself available to them. That was one of the things I went to do in Senegal, recently. This group of Africans — they call themselves ‘Africa 2.0’, — I talk to them and mentor them. And then, the international arena is making more demand on my time.

So far, you have been the only Nigerian leader to ever talk of a presidential library; what are we to expect of this current, pet project of yours?

It should be a repository of all that happened in my life and what impact Nigeria has made on it and vice-versa. It would be a museum and an archive and a place of education, for those who want to be educated; a place of research, for those who want to research and a place of tourism, for those who just want to look and enjoy themselves.

What advice have you for the youth of this country, particularly, the restive ones?

The advice would not be for the restive youth alone. What I want to say to the youth is that I don’t accept this idea of tomorrow for the youth. No. You must be part of today. If you are not part of today, your tomorrow might be spoilt, marred, or totally destroyed for you by those who are in-charge of today. So, the youth must fix themselves into today, so that tomorrow would be available to them.

As for those of us who believe that we have the God-given right to do things, as we like, let us remember that we would give account here. But the account-giving is not only here; we would give account yonder.

You truly appear to love young people from all over and mentoring them. In this particular regard, we refer to your chief-of-staff, Dr. Andy Uba, who is not even Yoruba, but was your closest aide whilst you were in office. What can you say about your relationship with him?

Andy was the first person that saw me in the morning and the last person that saw me at night.

Awolowo Didn’t Kill Igbo With Starvation, Blame The Commanders..

WHAT would you say about the controversy stirred up by Chinua Achebe’s book, in which he pointedly accused Chief Obafemi Awolowo of masterminding the starvation that killed off millions of Igbo during the war?

I don’t comment on that type of thing… I don’t comment on that type of thing. Look, I was a participant. Awolowo was given a task to manage the finances of the country, to fight a war. He was not given control of killing anybody. If you would accuse anybody, it should be those of us who were commanders in the field.

And if you cannot accuse us of that (and you cannot), how could you accuse anybody else? Because, as I was fighting in the field, I was feeding and as young men were coming out of the Igbo enclave, I was sending them for training. And when they finished their training, I gave them guns, to face where they were coming from.

That was how I fought the war. When I was going to take Owerri, for instance, I didn’t bombard the town. I could jolly well have bombarded Owerri…

(Cuts in) Can you describe that action, sir?

(Waves it off) I won’t… (Laughter) I have said it several times and publicly, too, that a civil war is one experience that is harrowing — when you are fighting, to unite. If you are fighting to destroy, that’s a different thing altogether. How do I fight people that I want, and see as brothers?

The day the war ended in the field, I got David Ogunewe. We were going round. Poor man! He didn’t have shoes and I said, take my shoes, because we were together in 5th Battalion. Even Emeka (Odumegwu-Ojukwu) himself — Emeka used to call me ‘Omoba’. We were all colleagues — Ogbugo Kalu, Mike Ivenso and others, including Patrick Amadi, with whom I joined the army the same day. So, how do I see them as enemy?

I believe, on both sides, mistakes were made. We put those mistakes behind us, to move on.

Another controversy concerning you directly was that Chief Awolowo won the 1979 presidential election, but you favoured the North and handed over power to Alhaji Shehu Shagari…

Did Awolowo win; did Awolowo win?

That was what the Unity Party of Nigeria, in particular, claimed…

UPN said so, but did Awolowo win? If Awolowo didn’t win, why should I hand over to him? If Awolowo didn’t win, on what ground would I hand over to him, because I’m a Yoruba and Awolowo was Yoruba? If I did that, God will not forgive me.

I was there to be an impartial adjudicator. And Chief Michael Ani, who was the (electoral) umpire, didn’t tell me that Awolowo won. If he had told me that, Awolowo would have won (be declared).

You see, that is another thing we must kill in this country. I must look at you for what you are worth, not because you are ‘dianyi’, or ‘mgbati-mgbati’, or ‘malam’. No. What is the quality of this man? How do you do justice, show fairness? How do you now build a nation?

We have to build a nation, whether we like it or not. Some people still believe they can secede. I think it is fantasy. Well, good luck to them.

Guardian Newspaper

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