WhatsApp To End Support For Blackberry And Nokia Operating Systems By 2016

WhatsApp is to cease support for a number of operating systems by the end of 2016, the company announced yesterday.

With Android and iOS dominating the smartphone realm, and Microsoft’s Windows Phone / Windows 10 Mobile still clinging on, the Facebook-owned company has revealed it will end support for BlackBerry (including BlackBerry 10), Nokia S40, and Nokia Symbian S60 by the end of this year. Additionally, it will no longer support Android 2.1 and 2.2 or Windows Phone 7.1.

The news comes in the same week that WhatsApp celebrated its seventh anniversary and also comes shortly after it passed one billion monthly active users (MAUs).

“When we started WhatsApp in 2009, people’s use of mobile devices looked very different from today,” the announcement read. “The Apple App Store was only a few months old. About 70 percent of smartphones sold at the time had operating systems offered by BlackBerry and Nokia. Mobile operating systems offered by Google, Apple and Microsoft – which account for 99.5 percent of sales today – were on less than 25 percent of mobile devices sold at the time. As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use.”

While the news will no doubt be greeted with dismay in many regions, particularly developing markets where Nokia’s older operating systems still enjoy some market share, it makes sense for a company to focus its efforts on platforms that the vast majority of its users are on. WhatsApp has evolved a great deal since its inception as a simple mobile-messaging app — it now offers voice calls, and video calls are reportedly being added too. And it seems this, in part at least, explains why the company is looking to refocus its efforts in terms of the platforms it supports.

“While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they don’t offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app’s features in the future,” the announcement explained. “This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp.”

Moreover, when BlackBerry itself is no longer focusing on its native operating system, well, who can blame WhatsApp for ditching it?

Moving forward, WhatsApp has one piece of advice for any of its users who are still using one of the aforementioned operating systems: Upgrade to iPhone, a more modern Android, or a Windows Phone device by the end of 2016.

Venture Beat.

Nigeria Signs Two Major Agreements With Qatar

Nigeria and the Qatar have signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA, in Doha on Sunday to pave way for direct flights between major cities of both countries.

The two countries also signed an agreement to avoid double taxation and tax evasion. These are on the sideline of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the country.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, representing President Muhammadu Buhari, signed the air services agreement on behalf of the country while Qatar’s Minister of Transportation and Communications, Jassim Bin Saif Alsulaiti, signed on behalf the Emir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hammad Al-Thani.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, also signed the agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes income with her Qatari counterpart, Ali Shareef Al Emadi.

It is also expected that the agreement on bilateral air service will promote trade, commerce and tourism between the two countries just as Nigeria has also commenced discussions on partnerships towards establishing a national airline for Nigeria.

The agreement on the avoidance of double taxation which had been negotiated since February 2015 will no doubt bring in more investments and businesses between Qatar and Nigeria.

Olajumoke Orisaguna: The Nigerian Cinderella – Reuben Abati

About three weeks ago, 27-year old Olajumoke Orisaguna was a complete unknown on the streets of Lagos, hawking bread. A loaf of bread is about N100, and even with a full tray such as she carried in her first public embrace of fame, her whole ware for a day may not be more than N3,000, with daily profit between N300-N700.

She had trained as a hair stylist, got married but had to leave her husband and a daughter back home in Ire, Osun state, to “hustle” as it were in Lagos. The life of a bread seller in Lagos is easily imaginable: exposure to the elements, to sundry abuse, including the possibility of being raped by unruly artisans and bachelors, who will offer to buy bread and something else along with it, if the hawker is willing. This was Olajumoke Orisaguna’s reality until she ran into TY Bello and Tinie Tempah and her life changed. Today, she has been enrolled as a model. Her story has appeared in all newspapers, on CNN, Huffington Post, and virtually everywhere online.

Two companies: StanbicIBTC and PayPorte have made her their brand ambassador. The former even awarded her two daughters scholarships up to university level. Her face has appeared on the cover of magazines. She is now a student at Poise Finishing School, an intern with two beauty salons, and a motivational speaker, even if she reportedly can’t speak English. When she went to the office of the National Identity Management Commission to get an identity card, NIMC also cashed in on her new found fame to use her to promote the agency: “Olajumoke knows she needs to NIMC. She walked into a NIMC centre yesterday unsolicited. Olajumoke is smart. Be like her.” This must be the most saccharine endorsement of Olajumoke so far.

To crown it all, a construction company has given her a luxury apartment in Lagos. From hawking bread in Agege, she is now within weeks, the darling of corporate Nigeria, the poster girl for corporate social responsibility, a landlady, and a role model. She had probably never seen the inside of an aircraft, but a few days ago, she was on a flight to Abuja to give a speech!

Mrs Orisaguna is Nigeria’s Cinderella. Hers is a sudden, unplanned, unexpected, unprepared for grass to grace, rags to riches story, a kind of I–just-dey-waka-my-own-jeje-luck-come-jam-me-tale. It doesn’t happen everyday. It is the kind of accident that many Nigerians seek: accidental fame and fortune. It is perhaps the magical, miraculous, I-don’t believe-it-but-it-is-true quality of this story that has captured the public imagination.

Olajumoke was hawking her bread innocently in Sabo, when she stumbled upon a photo session by that gifted mother of twins, artist and photographer, TY Bello, working on a series of shots for the international hip hop star, Tinie Tempah. We have been told that Olajumoke Orisaguna “photobombed” herself into the activity. I guess she just happened to walk by trying to sell bread, and TY Bello who is a spirit in action when she is at work, had a brain wave and took her picture. Enormously creative, T Y Bello thinks on her feet. When she has that her big camera in her hands, she is an agile, inventive artist.

Her camera is a weapon for interpreting space and reality, and for discovering new meanings. It must have occurred to her that asking the international musician to pose with a bread seller would give the picture a much deeper meaning, inherent in the open contrasts and auto-suggestions. It is that split second decision that has turned Jumoke Orisaguna into a superstar. The shot was brilliant, the result was impressive with people asking: “Who is that girl? She will make a good model.” TY Bello took on the challenge, and became Olajumoke Orisaguna’s promoter, mentor, adviser, godmother, and supporter, taking her to new heights within three weeks. Nobody is talking about Tempah, the main subject of the photo shoot; the focus is on the wanderer who walked onto the set, the bread seller who has taken the bread of the show, the waka-pass who became the star. I understand Tempah is quite happy; don’t be surprised then if he composes a special song soon, titled “The Bread Seller!” or “Photobombed” or simply “Olajumoke.”

The Olajumoke Orisaguna story is a perfect demonstration of the witchcraft quality of photography and that single shot that has changed a life may well be one of TY Bello’s most remarkable efforts in her chosen genre. But I find around Olajumoke’s sudden transformation from person to brand, too much capitalist hypocrisy and opportunism. The brand is selling like hot cake, but the person needs protection. I feel for her. I fear for her. There is a sense in which she is a potential victim. The brand experts now taking her from place to place probably would not have even patronized her. They don’t eat the kind of bread that she sold.

Many of them don’t even know what part of Lagos is called Sabo. They don’t buy their bread from hawkers; they would rather go to supermarkets or confectionery stores. Before luck smiled on this young lady, many of those now posing for photos with her would never have noticed her presence. There are definitely many of her type, still hawking bread, or some other items, some even sitting in front of the bank, with a baby strapped to the back, but they may never be noticed or helped. The same companies that are using Olajumoke to talk about corporate social responsibility, are actually joking, they know that this is not CSR; it is brand exploitation!

And it may not last. There is nothing in Olajumoke’s background or exposure that has prepared her for the life of glitz being imposed on her. The skills she has acquired as a bread seller and hair stylist may not carry her far in the cruel world of modeling. When this blitz is over, she will need to compete for jobs and attention, if she must remain a model. She will have to learn sooner or later, to survive on her own. She will have to maintain the luxury apartment that she has been given. She has been taught fancy dressing, including the magic of make up and those magical colours that change a dull face into a phallus-teasing one do not come cheap.

She is at best an art work that other people have created: she has been made up into a siren, her hitherto dull skin now glows, in one photo, her hair had a queenly allure, they have given her new clothes, jazzing her up, to look feminine and sensual, and they have taught her how to smile in a tempting manner. Wow. That smile! The sorry part of it all is that her narrative is quite innocent and hauntingly brief, as is the case with all overnight sensations. The capitalist hypocrites will soon find something else to excite them, just as the media will find a new story. It probably would have been much better to help Olajumoke Orisaguna set up a small-scale business, to take her off the street-life of hawking, rather than this world of sharks into which she has been thrown. Perhaps the best that has been done for her is sending her on internship at beauty salons. She could at least set up a beauty salon of her own and live happily thereafter.

In a normal society, no young woman should be on the streets hawking bread in order to survive. In a normal society, Olajumoke Orisaguna would have been given the opportunity to go to school, and have a proper career. She is being given, all within three weeks, the kind of empowerment that society has denied her and many like her, but how about all the other Olajumokes who may never “photobomb” their way to luck? Her new life is a reminder of what she could have been but which she could not become because of the kind of society in which she has found herself. She should never have had to hawk bread to support her husband and children.

Her husband! Yes, Mr. Sunday Orisaguna. I have seen him in the photographs, either carrying their baby, or just putting up appearance. He looks lost, confused, overwhelmed, harassed and uncertain. He must be wondering what has happened or is happening to the woman he married. There is a clear difference between Olajumoke, the wife and bread seller, and Olajumoke, the model and celebrity. While Olajumoke is beginning to wear designer clothes, her humble husband is still managing his one-day-me-too-go-jam-luck attires. His wife has been sent to finishing school. By the time she finishes, I hope her new persona will not finish her marriage.

Olajumoke is now learning to speak English, but her husband is a humble, sliding door installer who probably speaks only Yoruba. In our kind of society, given the social level and cultural background of the parties involved, it won’t be long before the demons will begin to crawl out of the woods, from in-laws who may begin to psycho-analyse Olajumoke, to family members who will scrutinize her every gesture, and friends with whom she hawked bread and has now left behind.

Lack of clarity over role interpretation and the new persona could also confuse the young mother. She needs a different set of skills to manage new relationships, especially the new friends coming her way, including those lecherous uncles who may show up and seek to exploit her innocence. The people turning her into a sex symbol should also tarry a while, and remember that she is a married mother of two. She needs counseling. And her sliding door installer husband, who has featured in her fairytale so far as a hanger-on, no matter what happens, should not be made to slide away. Sunday Orisaguna should also be counseled, given new clothes, taught English and sent to finishing school. He should not be left behind.

Jeb Bush drops out of Republican presidential race

Jeb Bush withdrew from the Republican presidential race after his loss in South Carolina, abandoning a campaign that struggled frequently in the glare of anti-establishment politics.

"The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken," Bush said Saturday, "and so tonight I am suspending my campaign." Bush failed to win or even place third in any of the first three GOP contests.

The son and brother of previous presidents, Bush entered the race with high name recognition and big money. But those assets turned into liabilities as Donald Trump rose in the polls and voters rebelled against traditional Republican politics.

Few candidates symbolized the establishment more than the former governor of Florida, and voters from Iowa to South Carolina said they could not support the idea of a "third Bush" in the White House in 30 years.

"A lot of my friends felt like they didn't want another Bush," said Kathy Randall, an attorney from Summerville, S.C, who attended a Trump event in nearby Walterboro.

Bush also fell into the cross hairs of Trump. The New York billionaire slammed Bush as the "low-energy candidate," a label that stuck.

GOP leaders long questioned the strategy of the Bush camp, especially Right to Rise, a super PAC that raised a whopping $118 million last year.

Bush’s super PAC reported spending more than $86 million through late this week, according to a tally by the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute. But virtually none of that money targeted Trump, who emerged as the national front-runner in the GOP race not long after the real-estate mogul announced his candidacy last June.

Instead, the group trained more of its firepower on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, with whom Bush competed for establishment support.

New campaign-finance reports filed Saturday night as South Carolina results were coming in showed the super PAC’s fundraising had slowed to a trickle. Right to Rise collected just $378,821 in January, much of it provided by a single donor — NBA’s Orlando Magic owner Dick DeVos, Sr., who gave $250,000.

The super PAC issued a statement Saturday saying, "We could not be more proud of Jeb Bush, the campaign he ran, and the hopeful and optimistic message of conservative reform that he communicated throughout this primary. Our team is grateful to the more than 11,000 Jeb Bush supporters who helped us in our efforts." The PAC announced it is ceasing its activities on behalf of Bush; it was not immediately clear what would happen with any funds left over in its accounts.

The former two-term governor, out of office since 2007, also struggled at times on the campaign trail and often had trouble connecting with voters.

In one incident, Bush said "people need to work longer hours," a comment that rivals in both parties pounced on. Bush later said he was referring to part-time, underemployed Americans who wanted full-time positions.

While Bush at times seemed to shun the family name — his campaign signs said simply "Jeb!" — he brought in high-profile members of his family to stump for him at the end.

His mother, Barbara Bush, campaigned for him in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The South Carolina primary also featured the reappearance of George W. Bush.

To some voters, however, the former president's speech simply underscored how much a better campaigner he was than Jeb Bush.

"He's not his brother," said Carolyn Jackson, 70, a retiree from Lexington, S.C., who attended a Cruz event in Columbia. "He's a good, honorable man — and he is not presidential material ... He just doesn't have the proper strength."

The former president issued a statement following his brother's announcement to end his campaign. "Tonight I talked to my brother and congratulated him on his campaign for the presidency," George W. Bush said. "I told Jeb how proud I am of him and his staff for running a campaign that looked to the future, presented serious policy proposals, and elevated the tone of the race.

Campaign volunteers at Bush's party traded hugs and goodbyes after the former Florida governor's announced he was dropping out.

Solomon Schoonover, a 26-year-old law student, said he had volunteered with the Bush campaign since he announced his candidacy in June.

"It's disappointing because I know that he's the man for the job," he said. "People got distracted by the flashy object and news headlines," he said, alluding to businessman Trump.

Sean Kilbane, a 32-year-old veteran who supported Bush, said he's disappointed in voters.

"It's a huge letdown," he said. "Americans have shown how susceptible they are to one-liners, to rhetoric, and just ignore issues and policy. It's an example of how easily Americans can be manipulated just by getting them emotional."

USA Today

Why We Can’t Recover Funds Looted By Alison-Madueke, Others – Presidency

Lack of funds is stalling Nigeria’s effort to trace and recover its stolen monies, and prosecute former government officials responsible for the heist, the presidency has said.

A letter by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption (PACC) to a United Kingdom-based anti-corruption organization, Global Witness, soliciting assistance in raising funds, revealed that due to the fall in crude oil prices and the general economic downturn, the government lacked the needed funds to pursue recovery of loots.

The letter, dated February 15, 2016, was signed by the Executive Secretary of PACC, Bolaji Owasanoye, and directed to the Director of Global Witness, Simon Taylor.

It stated that the commitment of the government to tackle Boko Haram insurgency, fight corruption and improve the livelihood of Nigerians through job creation, was being hampered by dwindling oil revenue and mounting debts.

Mr. Owasanoye, a professor, argued that the economy could not be revived simply by improving revenue generation, without wiping out corruption and recovering money stolen former officials.

He said ongoing investigations into the diversion of arms funds by the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, and ex-military chiefs, show that significant amount of the money needed by the government to alleviate poverty were still in “the pockets and bank accounts of looters of public funds”.

He said intelligence reports and court rulings elsewhere have shown that there were more funds to be recovered from the immediate past Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, the fraudulent sale of OPL 245 by Malabu Oil and Gas, a company owned by “a well-known money launderer”, Dan Etete, assets traced to former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, and former military ruler, Sani Abacha.

He however explained that due to the multi-jurisdiction of the cases, and the exorbitant charges of professionals such as lawyers, forensic financial investigators, and the ability of the suspected officials to use part of the alleged stolen fund to challenge the recovery of the fund, the government needed huge flow of resources.

“However, this poses a major problem. An empty treasury means that the money is not currently available for the government to engage these professionals due to the high fee that they charge.

“Even in cases where service will be given on contingency basis the initial seed fund required to start the process is not affordable. As a result, the action the government urgently seeks to take is being stymied,” Mr. Owasanoye wrote.

He argued that the government’s capacity to pursue all potential cases would be greatly boosted by the creation of an Assets Tracing, Recovery and Litigation Fund from which lawyers, investigators and forensic auditors will be paid.

He added that the government was also working on an arrangement where professionals engaged would be paid only on successes recorded.

“Once engaged, government can negotiate with the professionals to earn only success fees. Each professional engaged will secure its own litigation funders to support their briefs,” he stated.

Mr. Owasanoye further revealed that government would not have got as much traction as it does in its drive to prosecute ex-officials, and in the recovery of funds, if it had not received a combined financial lifeline of $5 million from international organizations such as the Ford foundation, MacArthur Foundation and the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

“This fund is supporting the mandate of the Presidency Advisory Committee on Corruption which is co-ordinating the anti-corruption effort of the government and promoting improved criminal justice administration.

“In light of the very dire economic situation of the moment this support and the proposed Assets Tracing, Recovery and Litigation Fund, is crucial to government ability to get recovery assets to support social welfare projects for the impoverished majority of Nigerians.

“Furthermore, funding support will enable government to use money that would have otherwise gone to professionals for assets recovery for other social protection projects,” he wrote.

Arms Deal: EFCC Recovers N381m From Ex Chief of Air Staff’s Wife

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered N381m from Mrs. Omolara Amosu, the wife of the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu.

Sources within the EFCC said on Saturday that the money was recovered in three tranches: N180m, N101m and N100m.

The money, according to a detective, was traced from the account of the Nigeria Air Force to the bank accounts of a company in which Amosu’s wife is a director.

He added that Amosu’s wife is a signatory to the accounts.

He said, “We recovered N381m from Amosu’s wife, Omolara. Initially, we recovered N180m from her account before another N101m and then N100m. These were monies transferred from Air Force accounts.”

Explaining how the money was diverted, the detective added, “They (Air Force officers) sent the money to an account where their wives have interests or are signatories without doing anything.”

A second source within the EFCC said that more properties belonging to the immediate past Chief of Accounts and Budgeting of NAF, Air Vice Marshal J.B. Adigun, had been seized.

The detective said a property, which is a quarry located in Ogun State, had equipment worth about $600,000.

He, however, did not state the value of the property.

Two weeks ago, houses worth over N2bn in Ikoyi and Victoria Island allegedly belonging to Adigun were seized.

The source said, “Adigun is still here with us. We recovered a quarry which he owns. In the quarry there were pieces of equipment worth about $600,000. They have all been impounded and investigations are ongoing.”

Amosu, Adigun and over nine air force officers are currently under investigation by the anti-graft agency for the procurement of equipment which was said not to be transparent.

Since his detention, Amosu had been quizzed over the procurement of two second-hand Mi-24V Helicopters instead of the recommended Mi-35M series at a cost of $136.9m.

The helicopters were alleged not to be operationally airworthy at the time of delivery while a brand new unit of such helicopters costs about $30m.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that Amosu and some other officers would be charged to court as soon as the holding charge which the EFCC obtained in court to hold the officers for 30 days from January 28 lapses.

A detective said, “Amosu will be charged to court anytime from now. Recall that we obtained a holding charge from a court to hold him for a maximum of 30 days. We are rounding off our investigations and anytime from now, he will be charged to court.”

Take Boko Haram Stories Off Your Frontpages and Headlines – Lai Mohammed To Media Houses

Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed is calling on media houses to take stories of boko haram attacks off their front pages.

Speaking during a Press conference in Abuja, the minister said, ”As our military continues its relentless efforts to keep us safe, let our media, which has played a major role in keeping the people informed about the war on terror, deny Boko Haram the oxygen it needs to cling on to life – which is publicity. Let us get the news of the terrorists’ cowardly attacks against defenceless citizens off the front pages and away from the headlines”.

Read full speech below:

Recent cowardly attacks on vulnerable targets, including communities and the Internally Displaced Persons camps, have got many wondering whether Boko Haram is making a resurgence, following its decimation by our gallant military. In the wake of the attacks, some commentators have even gone as far as saying the terrorists are still in control of a chunk of our territories, a comment that can only achieve the purpose of providing succour to the demoralized and dispersed terrorists.
In truth, there is neither a resurgence of Boko Haram nor the reoccupation of the same territories from which the terrorists have been flushed out. Thankfully, no less a personality than the President himself, supported by the Governor of Borno, has debunked the claim that Boko Haram is still holding on to territories.

Despite the best efforts of the government to keep the citizens safe, the recent attacks did not come totally as a surprise. When we launched our National Security Awareness Campaign last December, in part to rally the support of Nigerians for the war and to sensitize them to be more vigilant, we did warn that the terrorists would resort to attacking soft targets, which are highly vulnerable places like motor parks, entertainment and worship centres, markets, etc. We then stepped up our public enlightenment campaign as part of efforts to ensure the safety of our citizens as well as their property.

Unfortunately, the rump of the terror group has managed to detonate some suicide bombs and unleash their terror on some vulnerable communities and IDP camps, leading to loss of lives and destruction of property. We strongly condemn these mindless attacks on innocent citizens and commisserate with the families of those who have been killed or injured in the attacks.

Irrespective of the frequency and viciousness of these attacks, which are bound to taper off with time, I can confidently say they do not represent a resurgence of Boko Haram, and I will explain that in the course of this article. But first, let me appeal to all concerned not to say or do anything that will demoralize our gallant men and women in uniform, who are daily fighting – and sometimes paying the supreme price – so that we can all be safe. Having travelled to the theatre of operations myself, I have seen the huge sacrifices of our military. They deserve nothing but our undiluted support. This is the best form of appreciation we can show them at this time. Anything else is counter-productive. Commendation, not condemnation. Support, not second guessing. That’s what we owe the gallant troops.

As I said earlier, the current attacks by the degraded Boko Haram will not surprise anyone who is conversant with the ebb and flow of insurgency. During the immediate period after an insurgency has been degraded, the fact that terrorists are dispersed into the community is often followed by an upsurge of terror attacks in the form of suicide bombing and sabotage of critical facilities. Activities during these period are often carried out within population and against soft targets or vulnerable groups. There is often apprehension in the community that terrorism is getting worse, even though, in reality, insurgency has been weakened as a cohesive terror force. This is the current phase of insurgency in the country.

This Administration is not unaware of this development and is taking appropriate measures, in line with global best practices, to ensure an effective response. These include the strengthening of intelligence and security, especially in the affected communities and the IDP camps, and the stepping up of the reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement efforts. While these efforts are going on, the government enjoins members of the public to be vigilant, security conscious, and to cooperate with security agencies by providing information on suspicious and strange objects, activities and persons in their communities. By doing these, we will be denying terrorists a safe haven and the opportunity to carry out their atrocities.

It is important that we explain further to our compatriots that the recent spike in suicide bombings and attacks on vulnerable communities are not unusual at the phase of insurgency in which we are now, which is the phase in which the insurgency is defeated or degraded by the military. As we have said many times, insurgency is not a classic warfare, and the guns will not fall silent overnight.

For better understanding, one must recogize the different types of the termination of insurgency. One involves a situation in which the insurgents succeed, in which case the group subdues the government and society, imposes its will and re-organizes the economic and socio-political structures of society accordingly. The insurgency in Iran that brought the current regime in the country to power is an example. When this happens, the insurgency is often christened as a revolution by the victorious insurgents. There is also the negotiated settlement, including amnesty for insurgents. Examples abound in some South American countries like Guatemala, and to an extent Eastern and Southern Africa where previously recalcitrant colonial or apartheid regimes had to negotiate with anti-colonial and anti-apartheid movements. And then there is the phase in which the insurgent group is defeated or degraded by the government, which is the current experience of Nigeria.

Each of the three types has long-term consequences. However, none of them provides immediate cessation to terror attacks, as evident in cases like Northern Ireland, Pakistan, Iraq, Lebanon and other countries that previously recorded insurgency. Terror attacks and activities in the form of suicide bombing, sabotage of infrastructure and propaganda often continue for years after the cessation of mass insurgency.

In the past nine months since the advent of this Administration, Boko Haram insurgents have been considerably decimated as a result of coordinated and unrelenting efforts by the military. The Administration has also succeeded in galvanizing our neighbouring countries and the global community, including major powers, towards the defeat of insurgency and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the communities and population most affected by terrorism. Boko Haram has been dislodged from its occupied territories; thousands of its captives have been set free; its capacity to operate as a troop moving in convoy of vehicles and motor cycles to launch attacks on communities and military formations has been neutralized. In essence, the insurgents have been effectively denied territory or sanctuary and are now in disarray.

Scattered, demoralized and hungry, they have resorted to terror tactics available to a degraded and defeated insurgent group. The fact that they occasionally operate in a few local governments does not equate to holding and controlling territories. We must make that distinction.

As our military continues its relentless efforts to keep us safe, let our media, which has played a major role in keeping the people informed about the war on terror, deny Boko Haram the oxygen it needs to cling on to life – which is publicity. Let us get the news of the terrorists’ cowardly attacks against defenceless citizens off the front pages and away from the headlines. Let all of us, Nigerians, give our total support to our gallant troops and be vigilant, while also taking ownership of the war so that, together, we can clear our communities of the remnants of the terrorists.

Lai Muhammed
Minister of Information And Culture
16th February, 2016

NCC Moves to Crash Price of Internet Data Subscription in Nigeria

The Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, has made affordable broadband the focus of its 8-point agenda on ICT development, Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Umar Danbatta, has revealed.

“Broadband still remains the next frontier in the ICT industry which will help in the speedy transformation of the Nigerian economy, and this formed the basis for our 8-point agenda” he declared.

He said that the role of NCC in the plan is to drive broadband infrastructure, first, in major cities across Nigeria and subsequently in areas that have not been served with communications services.

Danbatta noted that there was also an ongoing plan by the commission to license five more Infrastructure Companies (InfaCos) to deploy broadband infrastructure to the rest of the country

“Time will come, when the price for internet will not only be affordable but will be free. But this cannot be realizable now because the infrastructure is not adequate.

“We are trying to encourage the operators that want to provide more infrastructure to join the market by providing them with incentives for entrance into the infrastructure market.

“If our experience in data services is anything to go by, the scenario that is gradually unfolding is data services, which is set to dominate the market in the foreseeable future.

Senate directs NERC to suspend increase in electricity tariff

The Senate on Tuesday, February 16, asked the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the ministry of power and electricity distribution companies to immediately suspend the increase in electricity tariff by 40 percent

The directive was given upon resumption of plenary after a two weeks break to consider budget proposals of ministries departments and agencies.

Recall that there have been protests across the country against the increase in electricity tariff which prompted citizens to march to the National Assembly.

The reduction kicked off on Monday, February 1.

In a motion, Suleiman Nafiz, a senator who represents Bauchi north senatorial district, urged the Senate to probe how funds given to electricity companies had been spent.

He also urged the Senate to intervene and look into factors hindering the optimal functioning of the power sector.

”The Disctribution Companies (DISCOS) have continued to exploit Nigerians by estimated billing system and deliberately refusing to make pre-paid meters available.

”This increase will pave way for additional heavy burden on Nigerians and coupled with the challenges of the economy, it will affect the purchasing power of Nigerian workers,” he said.

Deputy president of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu who was in support of the motion said Nigerians are already going through harsh economic realities.

He supported the rejection of the new tariff stressing that as representatives of the masses, they must only support policies that are favourable.

“As a country on life-support we do not need to add to the suffering of the people, for me this tariff increase is ultra-wicked and unconscionable. We must reverse it immediately,” he said.

While making his own contribution, Dino Melaye, a senator from Kogi west asked for an immediate reversal of the 40 percent increase in electricity tariff. He referred to the increase as arbitrary.

Meanwhile, the Senate adjourned again to February 23 to give its sub committees on appropriation time to tidy up the 2016 budget.

BREAKING: Ex-Borno Gov. Sheriff, accused of Boko Haram ties, emerges PDP chairman

A former governor of Borno State, Ali Sheriff, has been named the new chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The PDP is Nigeria’s biggest opposition party, and was defeated only in May 2015 after holding power for 16 years.

Mr. Sherrif, who is replacing Ahmadu Mu’azu, the former chairman who resigned shortly after the polls, has been a controversial figure amid allegations he funded and sponsored the extremist sect, Boko Haram. He denies the allegation.

The spokesperson for PDP, Olisa Metuh, who addressed journalists at the Abuja’s Wadata plaza secretariat of the party, on Tuesday, said all organs of the party, including, the national caucus, PDP governors’ forum and the national assembly caucuses agreed on the choice of Mr. Sherffi, who is also a former senator.

Mr. Metuh said the decision would be communicated to the Board of Trustees and subsequently, the National Executive Committee, NEC, for ratification before a formal announcement would be made.

Premium Times

FG Terminates $1.3bn Oil Contracts Signed By Diezani Alison-Madueke

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the termination of $1.3 billion contracts and restructuring of the controversial strategic alliance agreements held with Atlantic Energy.

The deals were signed by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lamido Sanusi, had alleged that the Atlantic’s deals issued by Alison-Madueke were one route through which tens of billions of dollars in oil revenues were diverted from state finances.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who revealed this in an interview with Reuters, said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was expected to conclude a deal within two months for a new partner to pay up to $1.3 billion to take over the Atlantic agreements.

This is to raise funds for oil blocks sold by Royal Dutch Shell. “I’m saying to Atlantic, sorry, you’re out because there’s been a breach,” he said.

“Whoever comes in has to give a sign-in fee almost equivalent to what I’ve lost… we’ll have a massive increase in volume out of those fields, we’re going to have 150,000 to 200,000 bpd from the current 40,000 to 50,000 bpd.”

Kachikwu, who doubles as Group Managing Director of the NNPC, said the corporation would concession the four refineries, the pipelines and depots across the country.

The corporation, according to Kachikwu, was in talks with oil majors such as Italy’s Eni and oil traders, Vitol and Gunvor, seeking partnerships to revamp these assets after decades of neglect.

Cash-strapped for years, the assets reported a loss of N267.14 billion ($1.3 billion) for 2015. “My ideal would be to bring in third party capital, do a joint investment and management of the refineries and work out a pay-out process over five to six years, basically on lifting of some portions of the finished products,” Kachikwu said.




He added that government would also advertise concessions for pipelines and depots next month. Government, according to Kachikwu, is also in talks with oil majors and banks to raise capital for new drilling and to repay up to $4 billion in debt that the state oil firm has accumulated over years of mismanagement.

The minister said that he wanted to increase output to up to 2.5 million barrels per day by the end of 2016. Currently, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) member pumps 2.3 million bpd. Buhari has made reforming the oil sector a priority as a slump in oil prices hammers the economy.

The president has fired the NNPC board and appointed Kachikwu to overhaul a company whose opaque structures have allowed corruption and oil theft to flourish.

Kachikwu said debt, as of November, stood at $3.5- $4 billion, which NNPC wanted to cut through deals such as a $1.2 billion multi-year drilling financing signed with Chevron in September.

“The target is that over 2017, we’ll begin to look at zero,” he said in an interview, referring to debt and the goal of ending the need for JVs to depend on NNPC cash.

Buhari Appoints Abike Dabiri-Erewa As Senior Special Assistant

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Abike Dabiri-Erewa as his Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspo

Dabiri-Erewa was a former Chair of the House Committee on Diaspora Affairs and Chair of the House Committee on Media and Publicity.

The former broadcaster, who was born in Jos, Plateau State, was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Ikorodu Constituency in Lagos State in 2003.

She was re-elected in 2007 and 2011.

I don’t want your appointment, Najatu Muhammad tells Buhari

Najatu Muhammad, a staunch supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, has rejected her appointment as the chairperson of the governing council of the Federal University, Dutse (FUD).

The Northern activist, who is also an associate of the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, in a quarter-page newspaper advert published by a National Newspaper, rejected the appointment, stressing that she was not consulted. She claimed her appointment was made through newspaper and was constrained to make the rejection via the same medium. However, she pledged her continue support for Buhari and his administration.

The advert reads:
"I, Najatu Muhammad, wishes to thank you so much for considering me worthy of being appointed the chairperson of Dutse Federal University. It’s however, unfortunate that I was not consulted before the announcement in the media. I also regret that I have to use the same medium to announce that I can’t accept the appointment for some personal reasons.
I will however remain an ardent supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari in his effort in charting a new course for this country. A course that we pray will put this country back on the path of progress.

I will also continue to support the presidents fight against corruption and other ills of this country. My unflinching support for the President will remain for Allah’s sake and country.
I pray that Allah will continue to guide and protect our President.

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria,”

Vanguard

Buhari sacks directors-general of NTA, NOA, NBC

The federal government has disengaged the heads of the six information-related parastatals under the ministry of information and culture.

According to Segun Adeyemi, special adviser to Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, the minister announced the disengagement during a meeting he held with the chief executives of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Monday.

“The minister directed the disengaged chief executives to hand over to the most senior officials in their various establishments,” Adeyemi said.

“He thanked them for their service to the nation and wished them the best of luck in their future endeavours.

“The affected chief executives are the director-generals of NTA, Mr. Sola Omole; FRCN, Mr. Ladan Salihu; VON, Mr Sam Worlu; NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri; NBC, Mr. Emeka Mba and the managing director of NAN, Mr. Ima Niboro).”

The Cable

Seriake Dickson Sworn-in As Two Term Bayelsa Governor

Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa was on Sunday sworn-in for the second term in office, with the promise to move the state forward.

Speaking at the event in Yenagoa, the governor dedicated his victory at the poll to the people and assured that he would not play politics with the security of the state.

“My victory as governor is victory for the people; this administration will continue to sustain the existing security in the state.

“We must stand for good governance and light must always triumph over darkness in Bayelsa; “.

Dickson also promised to complete the ongoing airport project and empower youths in the state.

He disclosed that the airport project was 80 per cent adding that diversification of the state economy will also be his priority.

“In the past four years, the state has witnessed transformation and we are ready to do more.

“We will consolidate and expand security in the next four years; this victory is ours and I want us to build a strong synergy to accelerate development of Bayelsa.

“I must say that my government is ready to work with the federal government in ensuring that the issue of kidnap and oil pipeline vandalism is properly checkmated.

“My advice to our people is to steer clear of encouraging or covering-up criminal acts in the state and Niger-Delta region,’’ he said.

Mr Charles Sambo, a Youth Leader, commended Dickson, assuring that the youths will help to promote peace and security in the state.

Sambo called on youths in the state to support the federal government efforts in fighting crimes, especially oil pipeline vandalism.

According to him, development of the Niger-Delta will not be possible in an atmosphere of insecurity.
“Let us say no to criminality, especially to pipeline vandalism and kidnap,” Sambo said.

The ceremony was attended by Governors Ayodele Fasose of Ekiti, Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, among others.

Nigeria striker Martins joins China's Shanghai Shenhua

Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins has joined Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua in a multi-million dollar deal, BBC Sport can reveal.

The 31-year-old makes the switch from Seattle Sounders, where he scored 43 goals in 84 appearances for the MLS club he joined in March 2013.

Martins was linked with a move back to the Premier League in the January window, but British agent Tony Harris along with the player's attorney Soroosh Abdi brokered the deal taking the Super Eagle to China instead.

Martins, who joins Senegalese striker Demba Ba at the Shanghai club, becomes the latest high-profile player to make the switch to the cash-rich Super League.

Colombia striker Jackson Martinez, former Chelsea midfielder Ramires, Cameroon captain Stephane Mbia and ex-Serie A duo Gervinho and Fredy Guarin are among the other big Chinese signings in 2016.

Martins burst into the international limelight at Italian side Inter Milan before switching to Newcastle in August 2006. He scored 35 goals in his three seasons with the Magpies.

The striker, who has also had spells in Germany, Russia and Spain, will be remembered for scoring Birmingham City's winner in their 2-1 Carling Cup final victory over Arsenal in 2011 - the club's first silverware since 1963.

He has scored 18 goals in 41 international appearances for three-time African champions Nigeria and was voted Africa's most promising talent in 2003 and 2004.

BBC

When Love Isn’t Enough – Reuben Abati

It is that time of the year again in the month of February, when there is so much talk and excitement about romance and love, all in preparation for that special day dedicated to love, romance and dalliance, this very day, Valentine’s Day. The romantic propaganda can be really oppressive. In the past few days for example, GSM service providers have insisted that the only ring tone that fits this season is the one that forces you to think of romance, just in case you may have forgotten. I didn’t solicit for the ringtone, but I got it all the same and I have had to listen to it, on other people’s lines, and I guess it doesn’t come free.

The GSM companies are making money selling Valentine messages. And that is the point: the frenzy over Valentine’s Day is commercial, capitalistic, and it is of course, global. In the United States, even the White House is not left out, with the First Lady composing a poem for President Barack Obama on this special occasion. It is all mushy, lovey-dovey stuff. The eventual beneficiaries are the business outfits that produce printing cards, shirts, chocolates, cakes, the restaurants that will probably remain open till Feb. 15, not to talk of the companies that will benefit from the many phone calls, e-mails and text messages.

Sometimes, I find Valentine’s Day a bit suffocating, feminist, and discriminatory. This year’s celebration falls on a Sunday, otherwise it would also have been observed in schools including nursery and kindergarten schools. On a school day, all the pupils would have been instructed to dress up in red colour and to bring gifts for their friends. The children are innocent but their teachers, especially in the private schools, initiate them into this annual ritual. Last year, there was so much red colour blinding the eyes on the streets. I also saw old men and women, even widows, joining the celebration, refusing to be left out of their share of the love in the air. And later in the day of course, the restaurants usually take over and the ultimate show of chivalry is for a man to be seen taking his Valentine for candle-lit dinner, or to go on his knees and pop the question, or to exchange wedding vows on this special day.

It is as if this is the only day meant for love, and the flow of affection is generally understood around here to be from man to woman. The emphasis is not even on pure, unadulterated love; but physical romance. In everything there is a suggestion among the younger generation that a Valentine’s Day expression of love is the truest form of affection, which it is not. The overwhelming focus on purchasing power as a measure of love and affection makes it worse.

This has resulted in some commentators lamenting that given the economic austerity in the land, Valentine’s Day this year may not be as exciting, because as the common saying goes, “there can be no romance without finance!”. In the past, a poem or a letter or a bouquet of flowers would do, but I hear, not anymore. Our new age Nigerian ladies no longer read love letters, nor are they interested in poetry- those forced rhymes and sweet nothings meant to make the heart flutter don’t seem to work anymore.

These days, I have heard such comments as: “we have not received salary, how man go take do Valentine?” and I have seen a cartoon in which a husband tells his wife that they will be better off spending the whole day in church! It is perhaps more advisable to celebrate Agape, church love than to dig a hole in the pocket and tell stories that touch the heart later.
I am not against anyone celebrating love, but the desperation, the heartache and the sheer anxiety that now attends Valentine’s Day is a bit over the top. People should not have to borrow or rob a bank to prove that they love a woman. And this whole thing about romantic love is curious. In any relationship at all, physical love is not enough. It takes a lot more to build relationships.

It should be possible to spend Valentine’s Day with family members, friends, and other members of the community. And you shouldn’t have to wear red as if you are going to a Sango shrine, or appear like a masquerade, before anyone knows that you want to celebrate love. How about a visit to the motherless babies’ home, or the prisons, hospitals, or a visit to the cemetery to remember your departed loved ones. Or quality time spent at home with the children or phone calls to old time friends to wish them well. Love should not be measured in loud decibels of a one-day excitement; it should be a value, extended in all kinds of relationships.

This is one lesson the excitable young crowd, that is going to troop out to the clubs and restaurants today, must learn, and which they will learn. They should ask the older generation. I doubt if there are many married men and women out there who are still having butterflies in their stomachs as they did many years ago, over a certain unknown St. Valentine. Real life teaches hard lessons. The older generation would have learnt that love grows, and it fades, and it is better as a life-long experience, while romantic love is just one of many other kinds of love, including self-love, and this thing called love is not necessarily in real life, exactly as the Holy Book says it should be.

It is only in the Bible that love exists in such fantasy form as described in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

But where there are prophecies, they will cease, where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” In real life, love is proud, boastful, easily angered, expensive, self-seeking, vengeful…imagine the kind of atrocities that have been committed in the name of love!

As we mark this year’s Valentine’s Day, I think of the quality of love in our community, and it is sad that there is a damning scarcity of it. Those who will observe the Valentine ritual, and may forget the subject of love by tomorrow morning, are in the majority: they claim to be good men and women, but they are not their brother’s keepers.

They include young girls who will never be allowed to marry young men from other ethnic groups because of the deep-seated suspicions that have divided Nigerian communities into primordial camps of hate. We have parents, teachers, leaders and priests, who promote division rather than unity. We are a community of broken dreams and shattered hopes. Hypocrisy has become a virtue. Some of the young people change their partners every Valentine season, collecting Valentine gifts like they are striving to build a museum of romantic encounters. Many of those who will profess love today do not even know what it means.

And yet we are a religious society and all the religions teach love as an important virtue and value. But I doubt if anyone listens. Even the religious leaders are guilty. One so-called 50-year old Pastor Amakiri has just been accused of raping a 12-year old child. He saw a vision that he needed a “holy massage” to be administered by a young girl between the ages of 12-15, on his “badly aching waist.”

He has children at home between the ages of 6 and 14, and he could have sought medical help. Only God knows how many other lives this particular Pastor has damaged with false visions and cruel opportunism. Our schools should teach love, but was it not in a Nigerian school that a student once slaughtered a teacher in broad daylight?

And was it not from a school that innocent young girls were carted away and abducted? Parents should help teach love too, but many parents are too busy monitoring that bank alert that will make them breathe easier. Marriage should nurture love, but was it not in Ibadan the other day that a young, married lady, drove a knife into her husband’s neck wounding him mortally because he had a child outside wedlock. And elsewhere in this same country, another married woman reportedly butchered her husband’s manhood, into two, because he was caught with another woman.

Yes, it is Valentine’s Day but it is the Devil that rules the heart of many. Pastor Amakiri has been quoted saying “Don’t blame the Devil, I did it.” Of course, you did it, and are we supposed to clap for you? The Devil has never been convicted in any court of law for committing a crime.

Think also of the usual stories about the shenanigans of governance and the oddities of public life. The list is endless, providing a sobering backdrop to all the ebb and flow of Valentine spirit. People are taught the idea of love by the ritual of Valentine’s Day, but that is never enough for building relationships and a strong community of citizens. We need a society built on much deeper friendships and values.

This is perhaps partly why there have been anti-Valentine’s Day protests in India and Pakistan, where its celebration is said to be “against religious and cultural norms.” I don’t think a day will ever come when the Nigerian authorities will ban anyone from having a day of fun, even licentious fun, for those who are so predisposed. But if you must indulge in ribaldry, remember it is nonetheless a day for loving not dying, and that promoting love, friendship, good citizenship, and unity as shared communal values is important. And if you are pro-Valentine and nobody remembers to send you a cake, a message, or a card, since there is this general expectation that everyone should celebrate Valentine, don’t despair, it is better to be loved everyday, than once. As for me, I’ll spend the day with family and friends.

Why 9 Vice Chancellors of Universities Established by Jonathan Were "Sacked"

The Secretary-General, Committee of Vice-Chancellors, Michael Faborode, has revealed that the tenure of some of his colleagues that were recently sacked- was due to expire on Monday, February 15.

It was reported on Saturday, February 13, that thirteen Vice-Chancellors of federal universities established by former president, Goodluck Jonathan, had been sacked by the federal government.

The universities are: Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State and Federal University, Wakari, Taraba State.

Others are Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Federal University, Ndufe-Alike, Ebonyi State and Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Federal University Gashua, Yobe State, Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara State and Federal University, Kebbi.

To clarify the collective termination, Faborode, while speaking on Saturday in Abuja, said it would be harsh to affirm that nine of the 12 vice-chancellors were sacked.

He said: “The tenure of the vice-chancellors of nine of these universities expires on Feb. 15. It will be unfair to say that they were sacked; they have exhausted their tenure; when your tenure is not renewed; it does not mean you are sacked.”

“I do not know the reasons why the vice-chancellors of the other three universities were affected,” Faborode added.

Pres. Buhari Mourns 95-year Old Woman Who Donated Her Life Savings to His Campaign

Press Statement...

President Muhammadu Buhari has extolled the virtues of Hajiya Fati Koko, popularly called Maitalla Tara, who passed away at age 95.

Mourning Hajiya Koko, who had waited nine hours in Kebbi early last year to donate the sum of N1 million (One million Naira) to him as the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Buhari described her as “a woman with a good heart, who stood by her convictions, and gave sacrificially.”

Hajiya Koko had offered virtually her life’s savings to candidate Buhari then, saying she admired his honesty, discipline, and stand for truth.

Receiving the news of her passage, President Buhari commended Hayiya Koko’s conviction and sacrificial giving, urging Nigerians to learn vital lessons from her life.

“She gave practically all she had towards our campaign. Though well advanced in age, she still believed a new Nigeria was possible, and followed her conviction with action. What generosity of spirit and what tenacious faith in her motherland. Nigerians, old and young, have a lot to learn from her,” the President said.

President Buhari condoled with the family and relations of the departed, urging them to take solace in the fact that their matriarch lived to a ripe old age, “and she saw the beginning of the change she had long yearned for.

“The onus is now on all of us to ensure that the change gets entrenched and solidified for even generations yet unborn to benefit from,” Mr. Buhari said.


The president also sympathized with the governor and people of Kebbi State, whom he said would also miss the sterling qualities of Hajiya Koko, but added that the life of the departed “will serve as a standard to emulate in the service of God, humanity and country.”

“May Allah grant her soul repose in Al-jannah,” the President prayed.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)

Wike Climbed Into The Governorship Seat Over Dead Bodies - Prof. Itse Sagay

The Head of Presidential Anti-corruption Committee, Prof Itse Sagay, has again voiced his concern over some recent rulings of the Supreme Court on election petitions, particularly those held in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

Sagay, who spoke with newsmen at the Olu Palace, Warri on Saturday, warned that the rulings, which allow people who were declared winners without elections in spite of copious evidences of irregularities and heavy human and material casualties, set a dangerous precedent in the history of elections.

“The judgements are very perverse, particularly relating to Akwa Ibom and Rivers. Everybody knows that there were no elections in those two states.
“Everybody knows that people like Wike climbed into the governorship seat over dead bodies and over bloods of human beings. There were no elections, they wrote the results; the evidence is there,” he said.
According to Sagay, what the Supreme Court has done is to set the clock of electoral excellence and fairness and credibility back by, ” I do not want to say a thousand years, but certainly it is taking us back to where we were before Jega came in and sanitize the system.”

“We are going to have primitive and barbaric electoral culture; ‘kill as much as you can, destroy as much as you can, create as much catastrophe, but if you can find yourself on that seat, you are confirmed, regardless of the means by which you got there’.
“That is a very major setback to democracy and the rule of law,” he said.

Similarly, the erudite constitutional lawyer also flayed the present crop of Supreme Court judges, insisting that they have degraded the court from decades ago when the Nigerian Supreme Court was ranked among the best in the world.

“I remember 15, 20 years ago, we had a Supreme Court that is the best in the world – better than the one you have in the US. That was when you had Justices (Kayode) Eso, (Andrew) Obaseki, Anyagolou, (Adolphous) Karibe-Whyte, Bello and so on. Those people brought a culture to the Supreme Court and most of us thought when they left the culture would remain but it hasn’t.

“New people have come, much younger people, and they have different approach to life because I don’t understand why you would have law, which is in conflict with justice and you prefer to apply that law – technical law, which is in conflict with justice. As we have seen in the case of Akwa Ibom and Rivers and a few other cases.

“So I think their orientations are different. I think the older ones who are gone believed that justice was number one. In such a case, you ask where does the justice lies? They now interpreted the law in line with justice.

“But now what we have is a group of people in the Supreme Court, who do not care where their legal interpretation is leading them. Once you have a divorce between law and justice, the whole legal system will break down and that is what has happened,” he added.

Prof Sagay has also called for disciplinary actions against Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and other senior lawyers who are seen to be encouraging corrupt politicians and looters of the nation’s treasury.

He said, “There are a group of senior lawyers who have totally departed from anything that the calling of the law profession requires; they have thrown in their lots with the looters and have become, I won’t call them fellow looters, but definitely, they have started enjoying and sharing in the proceeds of crimes of these looters and because of that they are absolutely now against the anti-corruption law.

“There is need to have these Senior Advocates thoroughly disciplined and if they would not accept discipline, they need to be removed from the profession before they bring more disgrace to the profession and at the same time drag this country down economically.”

The Nation