Stop America’s Insults

NIGERIAN leaders owe their citizens a duty to protect the country’s sovereignty, the soul of its national pride. No serious country treats issues that bother on its national security with levity.
Ours cannot be an exception. Certain actions of the United States of America impinge on the sovereignty of Nigeria.

As if Nigeria is one of its states, the US authorities dumped an American criminal, Grayson Ernest Eugene, serving jail sentence in one of the prisons in Reebok, Brooklyn, New York, on the tarmac of the Lagos airport. He arrived manacled with their keys to his entanglements dropped by his side.Eugene’s complaints at the US Embassy landed him in police custody. He was subsequently arraigned at a Chief Magistrate Court in Ebute Metta, Lagos, charged for breach of peace. It has been the beat of Nigerian security agencies to keep harassing him. The man insists he is an American. Why is it Nigeria’s role to prove he is not? The action of the US Embassy in Lagos is suspicious because the US does not toy with welfare of its citizens. Suppose Eugene is a spy on mission for his beloved country? The government of this country must not take this issue lightly.

Another slight is the litigation instituted in a US court by some Nigerians against General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Head of State between 1998-1999, for torts committed by the State before and during his tenure. The alleged torts were not committed in Abubakar’s personal capacity, regimes before his committed them. Under Nigerian laws, General Abubakar has immunity for his actions in office.


In contempt of the sovereign status of Nigeria, a US court expects our former Head of State to stand in its dock and answer questions bothering on our national security. This is not a United Nations court and the alleged offences were not against the US government or its citizens. The Nigerian government has obtained an injunction to stop the trial.


Recently, the Americans pompously expressed their interest in establishing a military base in Nigeria to protect its interests, especially stable crude oil supply. Its efforts at total control of Nigeria’s security could not have been better put.


These actions demonstrate US government’s contempt for Nigeria. The US will not condone the dumping of a criminal citizen from another country in its territory or litigation against any former US president in a foreign land. America hardly allows its citizens to be tried abroad.


We are not advocating a diplomatic war with the US. However, the line has to be firmly drawn in this relationship. Eugene must return to his prison in America. His visit to Nigeria must be probed.
The Federal Government must tell America to stop insulting Nigeria by its overbearing attitude in our relationship. There are several ways to do this, but maybe it is not yet time to apply the full rights of our sovereignty in determining who are truly our friends.

Niger-Delta revisited

Niger-Delta problem as a recurring decimal in the nation deserves urgent attention. Two issues constantly come up when the region is mentioned - insecurity and underdevelopment.

Attempt at resolving these problems have led to the creation of agencies like former Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC and now Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, saddled with the responsibility of bringing about development in those areas.

Inspite of efforts of these agencies, underdevelopment and insecurity loom large in the region.
President Umaru Yar’Adua disclosed before the National Assembly that N444.6 billion had been earmarked for security in Niger-Delta in next year’s budget. The outcry that followed led to official clarifications that the money was meant for development and not security.

The situation up till now is not clear as the most authentic information remains what the President read out before the joint sitting of the national assembly. The desire of government to better equip the military to face challenges posed by insecurity in the Niger-Delta is a good initiative. The involvement of the military in the high scale insecurity in that region helped in bringing brigandage and violence to a manageable level. Sustaining this commendable tempo must have informed government’s decision to jack-up budget meant for security in the region next year.

The improvement of the military is sine qua non to restoration of peace but this should not be done at the expense of real development which Niger-Delta region as a whole greatly needs as a result of decades of official neglect. The budget of N444.6 billion for security alone is out- rageous and unacceptable to us.

Absence of infrastructure, environmental degradation, squalor and abject poverty are negative indices that inhabilitants of Niger-Delta live with everyday. These are enough indicators to breed insurgence among the aggrieved people of this region which can only be discouraged with the adoption of the right panacea.

The government should focus attention on upgrading the living standard of people of this region. In outgoing year 2007, the budget of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, was N24 billion.N69.9 billion is being allocated to it in 2008 but compared to the N444.6 billion for security, it pales into insignificance.

We call on the government to give priority attention to development in the Niger-Delta region without underestimating security of the region. Serious efforts must be made not to militarise the region so that prospective investors will not be scared off.

Actual development of Niger-Delta should not be compromised on the altar of security attention. Governors of states in the region have a role to play as they must dutifully and diligently utilise monies allocated to them for developmental projects that would impact on lives of the people and not on frivolities. With more than one third of entire distributive revenue of one trillion naira disbursed in the country given to the region between 1999-2005, the development on ground is quite disdainful-a far cry from the reality of value of the alloted sum.

There should be a change of attitude through genuine spending of budgets of the region on purposeful projects that would change lives of the people for good.

Nigeria and global clinical research

The recent revelation by medical experts that Nigeria is among African countries that shy away from participating in global clinical research is worrisome. As a result of this negligence, the country does not benefit from the over $60 billion spent worldwide yearly on clinical trials.

According to the Chairman of Association for Good Clinical Practice in Nigeria (AGCPN), Dr. Ifeoma Okoye, the field is dominated by India, China, Latin America and until recently South Africa.
It is a fact that clinical trials “outsourcing” is now a major business in India predicted to worth between $1.5 and $2 billion by 2010. Part of this amount will be missed by Nigeria in view of our non-participation in global clinical trials.

There is no doubt that clinical trials is the in-thing now as many countries require that it must be conducted within their own population before approval can be granted for marketing a drug in their countries.

This is borne out of the fact that drugs imported from foreign countries might not be suitable for local population considering variation and difference in human genome, among races. This is the main reason Nigeria should participate in future drug trials. The unethical drug trials episode in Kano some years ago should not discourage us from profiting from immense health benefits that a global clinical trial offers.

The concentration of most pharmaceutical companies in developed countries has thrown up the challenge of competing for same population for drug trials. Under the scenario, it has become more arduous to gather together enough subjects from this population suitable to achieve a meaningful trial. For instance, the lack of access to enough subjects is perhaps one of the most common reasons behind trial delays in the United States.

It is the need to augment this shortfall that has made the offshore outsourcing of clinical trials a necessity for many pharmaceutical companies.

It is therefore not in doubt that such off-shore outsourcing which India and China have long been tapping would likely offer huge benefits as well as challenges to a developing country like Nigeria with myriads of health problems.

We think that our government should, through the Federal Ministry of Health, make Nigeria embrace fully the initiative of global clinical research in view of its obvious medical advantages and not necessarily the anticipated monetary gains. We say this considering the fact that Nigeria is home to most world’s endemic diseases that decimate our population on a daily basis. Moreso, our population is highly prone to cardiovascular and endocrine diseases that could only be managed because of their terminal nature.

The Health Ministry should rise to this challenge and launch Nigeria into the best medical and pharmaceutical practices such trials would expectedly engender. It is regrettable that the authorities have closed their eyes to researches in preference for mundane things.

There is no way we can compete with other countries in this wise due to our long neglect of research in the medical field.

If we really want to move ahead as a country in a 21st century world, there is the need for us to take medical research and allied researches very seriously. The present lethargy on medical research should be broken in order to launch the country in the global web and orbit of advanced medical research. There is no sitting on the fence on the matter. Let the health authorities take the decisive step.

The turmoil in Kenya

Kenya, one of Africa’s most stable democracies and strongest economies, is reeling on its knees. The country has been struck by the blight of election malpractices and irregularities, which most democracies in Africa have suffered and are still facing.

Kenyans had gone to the polls on December 27, 2007, to elect a president. After a three-day counting process, president Mwai Kibaki who was seeking reelection was declared winner. But his challenger, Raila Odinga, said he was robbed of victory by fraud.

European Union observer mission, which monitored the elections said “they were marred by a lack of transparency in the processing and tallying of presidential results which raises concern about the accuracy of the final results”.

This damning verdict spurned agitations of different hues. Observers called for the setting up of an independent inquiry to resolve the dispute and urged the Kenyan Electoral Commission to cooperate fully in this regard. The observers also said that an audit of all the voting returns was vital and called for results from every polling station to be published in newspapers and on the Internet.

Even though the government denied complicity in all of this, Odinga, backed by the Luo community, rejected the results. But the issue went beyond the rejection of the outcome of the elections. Tribal rivalries have been ignited by the development. Violence and all manner of brigandage have ensued.

The people are now pitched against one another and this has taken a huge toll on life and property. The Red Cross said no fewer than 70,000 people have been displaced in the Rift Valley region of the country. Death toll is said to have risen above 300. By last week, the matter almost got out of hand with allegations of genocide and ethnic cleansing making the rounds. Last week as well, over 30 people were burnt to death in a church. They were said to be of the Kikuyi ethnic group, Kenya’s largest and richest tribe. President Kibaki is of this group.

The Kikuyis were initially believed to be the target of the killings. However, the violence escalated when they (the Kikuyis) rose in revenge against their assailants. The situation has put Kenya in a state of meltdown.
The situation in Kenya is unfortunate. It is another manifestation of the evils of election malpractices which most countries in Africa are known for. In a continent where incumbent presidents are scared stiff of defeat, untoward steps are usually taken by them to stamp their authority and impose their will on the people. This is usually the case in many countries of Africa.

However, Kenya’s case is particularly regrettable considering the fact that the country has enjoyed political stability since its independence from Britain in 1963. Even though the country has a history of guerilla warfare, the people have managed to live together in peace and harmony, and have withstood the turbulence that usually goes with political transition.

The situation in the country at moment is therefore an unfortunate reversal of the gains the country had made in the area of democratic growth and maturation. The breakdown of law and order may have resulted from an act of bad faith which should be redressed immediately.
But the way to go is not by taking the laws into one’s hands. Those who have taken up arms should sheathe their sword and give peace a chance. Violence and the deaths that come with it are disagreeable manifestations which do not make for progress.

The way out of the crisis is for the government and the electoral commission to listen to the wise counsel of concerned groups and observers who have called for a probe into the allegations of electoral malpractices. It is, indeed, salutary to note that the government of Kibaki has declared its willingness to allow an independent investigation into vote results that led to Kibaki’s disputed victory.

The investigation should be allowed to go on unhindered. While we hope that the probe will assuage the nerves of one and all, we urge other African democracies to learn a lesson from the Kenyan experience. In a world that has become a global village, peoples and institutions should always strive to conform to internationally accepted standards in whatever they do. African leaders must shun the easy route to power.

Poor Rating Continues

The2007/08 United Nations Development Programme, UNDP’s, Human Development Index, HDI, ratings of 177 countries of the world had been released. Expectedly, the country notched the ladder by a negligible step at number 158 compared to last year’s 159th position.


The nation struggled at the bottom of the list with countries like Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Sierra Leone. The best placed African country, Mauritius, occupies the 65th position. Of these countries, none has vast resources of Nigeria, yet mismanagement and poor leadership focus has placed Nigeria in the same class with countries that command less than the resources available to some of our 774 local government areas.

The HDI report has been condemned because it was done by a foreign body but were the statistics used foreign? Parameters like poverty level, unemployment rate, school enrolment, women and children health and mortality ratio based for the studies as they obtained in the various countries.
Nigeria should present contrary statistics to disprove the way HDI rating portrayed it. We do not think there is any. If the government is sincere, it would not need the HDI to know how badly Nigerians live. Rather, the rating sufficiently captures the reality.

Instead of apportioning blames, the government should come out genuinely to address the exposed inadequacies in our general well being.


No excuse is tenable for the nation’s consistent poor showings on the HDI scale. In the last eight years of touted reform agenda cutting across all sectors of national life, little has been done at bringing to fruition the Millennium Development Goals target of 2015.


The country is in infrastructure far behind less endowed countries in the African continent. It will take a miracle to stop the country from sliding on the HDI table because nothing serious is being done to address problems plaguing the identified areas.


President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration has promised to make the nation among the 20 most developed economies by 2020. Meeting this official target will largely be determined by how far the country has gone by 2015 in realising the MDGs target.


Due attention must be placed on infrastructure that are near obsolete or poorly maintained. The deepening energy crisis has to be handled as no country can make meaningful progress without stable electricity.


The time to redress the identified problems in the HDI report and catapault the nation to top spot of respected countries of the world is now. This is a reminder of the enormous work that is ahead. Excuses no matter what they are cannot solve these problems.

The turmoil in Kenya

Kenya, one of Africa’s most stable democracies and strongest economies, is reeling on its knees. The country has been struck by the blight of election malpractices and irregularities, which most democracies in Africa have suffered and are still facing.

Kenyans had gone to the polls on December 27, 2007, to elect a president. After a three-day counting process, president Mwai Kibaki who was seeking reelection was declared winner. But his challenger, Raila Odinga, said he was robbed of victory by fraud.

European Union observer mission, which monitored the elections said “they were marred by a lack of transparency in the processing and tallying of presidential results which raises concern about the accuracy of the final results”.

This damning verdict spurned agitations of different hues. Observers called for the setting up of an independent inquiry to resolve the dispute and urged the Kenyan Electoral Commission to cooperate fully in this regard. The observers also said that an audit of all the voting returns was vital and called for results from every polling station to be published in newspapers and on the Internet.

Even though the government denied complicity in all of this, Odinga, backed by the Luo community, rejected the results. But the issue went beyond the rejection of the outcome of the elections. Tribal rivalries have been ignited by the development. Violence and all manner of brigandage have ensued.

The people are now pitched against one another and this has taken a huge toll on life and property. The Red Cross said no fewer than 70,000 people have been displaced in the Rift Valley region of the country. Death toll is said to have risen above 300. By last week, the matter almost got out of hand with allegations of genocide and ethnic cleansing making the rounds. Last week as well, over 30 people were burnt to death in a church. They were said to be of the Kikuyi ethnic group, Kenya’s largest and richest tribe. President Kibaki is of this group.

The Kikuyis were initially believed to be the target of the killings. However, the violence escalated when they (the Kikuyis) rose in revenge against their assailants. The situation has put Kenya in a state of meltdown.
The situation in Kenya is unfortunate. It is another manifestation of the evils of election malpractices which most countries in Africa are known for. In a continent where incumbent presidents are scared stiff of defeat, untoward steps are usually taken by them to stamp their authority and impose their will on the people. This is usually the case in many countries of Africa.

However, Kenya’s case is particularly regrettable considering the fact that the country has enjoyed political stability since its independence from Britain in 1963. Even though the country has a history of guerilla warfare, the people have managed to live together in peace and harmony, and have withstood the turbulence that usually goes with political transition.

The situation in the country at moment is therefore an unfortunate reversal of the gains the country had made in the area of democratic growth and maturation. The breakdown of law and order may have resulted from an act of bad faith which should be redressed immediately.
But the way to go is not by taking the laws into one’s hands. Those who have taken up arms should sheathe their sword and give peace a chance. Violence and the deaths that come with it are disagreeable manifestations which do not make for progress.

The way out of the crisis is for the government and the electoral commission to listen to the wise counsel of concerned groups and observers who have called for a probe into the allegations of electoral malpractices. It is, indeed, salutary to note that the government of Kibaki has declared its willingness to allow an independent investigation into vote results that led to Kibaki’s disputed victory.

The investigation should be allowed to go on unhindered. While we hope that the probe will assuage the nerves of one and all, we urge other African democracies to learn a lesson from the Kenyan experience. In a world that has become a global village, peoples and institutions should always strive to conform to internationally accepted standards in whatever they do. African leaders must shun the easy route to power.

The great petrol scam

I HAVE often wondered in amazement about the Nigerian's ability to accommodate pain and suffering without complaint or protest. We really must be very tolerant people, or maybe we are just plain docile or dumb? Millions of Nigerians and transporters alike are being cheated daily at the petrol pumps, and apparently no one is aware of this or even cares.

I have been a motoring enthusiast for four decades, and I take issues concerning motoring safety, running costs, maintenance and motoring regulation seriously. I am therefore alarmed that the fraud perpetuated at the petrol pumps daily has not ignited the anger or concern it deserves.

My personal research over the years has shown unequivocally that virtually all petrol stations in Lagos and most probably all over the country for that matter, deliberately short-sell petrol to customers regularly without fear or risk of sanction.

The following scenario illustrates this ubiquitous fraud. I drive into a petrol filling station with my car that has a dry tank capacity of 80 litres, the fuel gauge reads three-quarter empty, (i.e. quarter tank or 20 litres left) and ask to be filled up. At the end of the fill-up, I got a bill on the meter that my car has received 90 litres of petrol when even the reserve warning light had not come on and the car was driven to the station, not pushed! How do you explain filling an 80-litre tank with 90 litres of petrol when the tank still contains about 20 litres of fuel! This same scenario has unfolded to me with several different cars over the years with unchanging regularity! I have even kept receipts of some of these bogus sales.

When I raise hell after some of these sales, and the attendants realising they are now in an indefensible situation with a knowledgeable customer, often quickly apologise for a "bad meter" and a promise to have it fixed as soon as possible, but I doubt if they ever fix anything. On one particular occasion I made so much fuss that I got some refund back!

The last episode which finally prompted me to write this article occurred just before last Christmas when I was sold 65 litres of petrol into a small car with a dry tank capacity of 50 litres when the fuel gauge was still above quarter tank, Haba! Even if my fuel gauge was faulty there must have been some fuel still in the tank!

The explanation of this obvious capacity mismatch is that filling stations have mastered the devious art of adjusting their meters to dispense less than one litre of petrol for every one litre sold to customers! Who benefits from this "error"? The filling stations of course! The margin of error in favour of the filling stations is usually in the order of 20 to 25 per cent from my experience and calculation over the years.

The dry fuel tank capacity of every vehicle is stated in the owner's manual, and it is of course an accurate measurement dictated and monitored by law in the country of vehicle manufacture, so this cannot be an error. A litre is a universal unit of volume which does not vary from country to country like for example the Imperial gallon compared to the U.S. gallon. So why is the Nigerian litre less than the universal standard? I know of 'African time', maybe even 'Nigerian time', but there is no 'Nigerian litre', except we agree to introduce the 'Nigerian factor' which unfortunately often translates to fraud.

If you want to be charitable, you may wish to suggest that these are just random calibration errors which can occur in any measuring system. Fine, but why doesn't the error ever favour the car owner? Why doesn't a filling station ever oversell to customers? I am yet to find a filling station that is calibrated to deliver more petrol than you paid for. The law of averages dictates that random errors will occur evenly over time and cancel each other out. In any case, any measuring system meant for trade must not have a margin of error in excess of five per cent. By law, all our filling stations as of today should be shut down with immediate effect.

The unearned profit from this illegal and wicked practice runs into millions of naira annually for these petrol stations and their owners. No wonder petrol stations are springing up everywhere and the owners are smiling all the way to the bank! I have calculated that for every tanker load of petrol containing 33,000 litres delivered to a filling station, the average unearned (illegal) profit is about four hundred thousand naira.

Each vehicle that buys over 40 litres of petrol loses about six hundred naira to seven hundred naira! Nigerians are actually now paying about one hundred naira per litre for petrol without knowing it! I am then amused when we protest anytime PPRA adds five naira per litre to the price of petrol, when we ignore the thirty naira per litre 'hidden' premium we are paying regularly to these petrol thieves over and above the statutory profit margin which had already been factored into the official pump price.

Why has this ugly situation persisted for so long? Because most Nigerian vehicle owners are often careless and apathetic towards their own well-being. Most 'educated' Nigerians who own cars cannot tell you the fuel capacity of their cars, so how can they even know when they are being cheated at the pumps? It is this generalised and pervasive apathy towards detailing and observation that characterises most Nigerian motorists, and this often spills over to safety issues like tyre pressures, tyre sizes and tyre speed rating. For example most Nigerian motorists don't even know that tyres have expiry dates, after which you drive with them at your own peril. Most accidents on Nigerian roads are still due to bad tyre choices and wrong pressures.

Is it because fuel is actually too cheap (as has been suggested by some people) in this country that we do not care much about vehicle fuel capacity and fuel consumption of our vehicles? In most advanced countries, everybody can tell you off-the-cuff the fuel capacity and consumption of their cars and trucks. But try to ask the average Yuppie Nigerian or 'Big Man' with their cool 'Jeeps' and other exotic cars, and what do you get? Total shameful ignorance! How then do we even begin to sensitise Nigerians to environmental issues concerning fossil fuel burning, the ozone layer and global warming!

Most Nigerians (even if they do not care or worry about global warming and this ozone stuff), are unfortunately not wealthy enough to be indifferent to petrol price or vehicle fuel consumption and yet they deal with these issues in such a cavalier manner.

The perpetuation of this petrol fraud is of course not the fault of the motorist alone. There is actually a government regulatory body charged with the responsibility of monitoring petrol filling stations to ensure they practice within the law. This is the DPR, (Department of Petroleum Resources), with offices at Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. I am however yet to be convinced the DPR is doing anything to police these erring filling stations, because while they have the power to shut down any errant station, none is being shut in spite of the flagrant robbery going on daily. DPR staff are expected to randomly visit petrol stations armed with fixed measured litre containers with which to measure dispensed fuel, the volume of which must not be outside the agreed margin of error.

Is the DPR not aware of its functions? Has it abandoned these functions? Does it lack the personnel or equipment to do the job? Or are the staff of DPR colluding with the petrol stations and marketers to defraud Nigerians? These are questions that need urgent answers, and I hope someone in the DPR or NNPC or higher in Government can rise to this challenge.

But until the DPR does its job properly, I will advise you my fellow Nigerians to dust your vehicle owner's manual (if you can still find it!) and check its fuel tank capacity. When next you fill your tank with petrol or diesel (yes, diesel pumps are also 'fixed') you will be totally amazed as to how much 'fake' fuel you are paying for. If many more of us raise hell with these filling stations, and threaten to report them to the authorities, maybe they will be frightened enough to change their ways. But, I somehow doubt it. We could certainly use a Ribadu in the DPR. Happy motoring.

NUC’s PhD Rule

The National Universities Commission, NUC’s 2009 deadline for doctorate degree as minimum qualification for teaching in our universities remains contentious. Any lecturer who could not earn his/her doctorate degree at that time will be shown the way out of the system. And the NUC sounds serious about enforcing this order. Some members of the university community see the directive as a welcome development.

At the same time, there are other people within and outside the university system who see it as a desirable step that would not easily be attainable. The directive may be impracticable.

There is no doubt that NUC as regulatory agency of government is expected to set minimum standards in staffing, programmes content and facilities. All these constitute requirements for accreditation.
However, a good idea or recommendation may be impossible to attain due to prevailing realities. For example, does the existing university law say that doctorate degree is the minimum teaching qualification? If yes, why the delay in implementation before now?


By 2009 would we have produced enough doctorate degree holders to service 25 federal universities, 27 state universities, 22 private universities, four inter-university centres and 26 research institutes?
Doctorate degree holders in the university system right now are only about 28,000. By 2009, all those institutions mentioned above would require about 100,000 doctorate degree holders. Can we produce that number of doctorate degree holders between now and 2009?


We should consider the fact that the university system has experienced profound brain drain over the past ten years or more. Where are the professors that would train this high number of doctorate degree holders?


Would it not be better to look at the existing programmes, staff strength and facilities and adopt a gradual approach to the implementation of the directive?


As lawyers say a law that can not be enforced is as good as dead. A directive that is impracticable would become inactive. What may eventually happen is that universities will still have master’s degree holders on their staff list, as lecturers, even after 2009.


It is not a PhD that makes a good lecturer. It is convenient to forget that some of our best professors do not have PhDs. Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe are great examples. Have their mates with PhDs produced better students?


The rationale for this directive is not clear. There is no indication that a doctorate degree holder would make a better lecturer than one without that qualification. If what the NUC is looking for is improvement in the quality of university teachers, academic qualifications would not be enough. The teaching conditions are inadequate to produce the number of quality teachers to man the positions in the universities. Poor conditions of service have robbed the universities of the first shot at keeping their best students.


A country that does not take the welfare of its teachers serious cannot turn around to impose qualifications for those teachers, who are barely available, and in great demand elsewhere.

Tears For Our Roads

MINISTER of Transport Deziani Allison-Madueke must have realised by now that her tears would not be enough to get Nigerian roads to a useable state. All the defences about the rains being the reason for non-repair of the roads have collapsed. The rains are gone, the roads are still bad.
Bad roads hugely account for the carnage on our roads. The Federal Road Safety Corps in its latest figures has annual estimates of 48,000 deaths from accidents. The figures only represent deaths at scenes of accidents. The statistics do not capture those who die in hospitals, or outside the vicinity of the accidents. In real terms, the figures are bound to be much higher.

Only few of our roads are exceptions to the general decay that appears to be the national standard. What is very clear is that the contractors and their supervisors have done a poor job of repairing the roads. It may also be true that a profound approach has not been found for the funding of the country’s road network. The billions of Naira spent on the roads in the past eight years bore little fruit. Worse still, little effort has been made to find out what went wrong, an important aspect in the search for a new direction.

Stretches of abandoned road projects litter the country. We think that the Minister can do something about the situation. The bad roads were inherited from the previous administration, but the present government has to fix those roads. No excuses are acceptable for the state of the roads.

A first step for the Minister could be to ascertain what happened with the hundreds of road contracts that were announced after every Federal Executive Council meeting. There is hardly any major road in the country that was not awarded for repair in the last eight years. Almost all of them were poorly done, or are still under repairs without gladdening results.

The best example is the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway that has been under repairs since 2000. Prominent patches of pot holes follow every little part of the road that is tarred. The Minister must get all the details on these roads. The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Lagos-Ore-Benin Expressway, easily the busiest roads in the country, are famous for the number of accidents on their undulating surfaces, which also harbour many failed portions.

Who are the contractors? What were the details of the contracts? Did the contractors meet the terms of the awards? Did the government meet its financial obligations to the contractors?
The way things are, she may have no alternative than to call in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The issues at stake are high economic crimes that should be investigated and punished.


It is important that the Minister wades through these details quickly in order to commence the repair of the roads. Some of the contracts may need to be revoked, others may have to be funded, while new contracts have to be awarded. She has to start immediately.

The untidy handling of Ribadu's posting

THAT the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is going on a one-year study leave at the elite National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru should, ordinarily not attract the public interest, or suspicion, or condemnation that it has ever since the posting was announced recently by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro. After all, AIG Ribadu is a career officer who, by the rules explained by his professional boss, qualifies to proceed to Kuru. But that is on the face of it.

Mallam Ribadu is, in his present duty post, not just another senior cop; and, in the peculiar circumstances of our corruption-ridden country, he is not just another public officer heading just another government agency. No. Nuhu Ribadu, as the government's anti-financial and economic crimes point man is, by public perception, Nigeria's No. 1 warrior against corruption in our country. Furthermore, he heads the nation's most challenged, and, we dare say, most active, anti-corruption agency for the simple reason that the financial and economic dimension - and damage - of corruption in this land supersedes by far other effects of this evil.

Against this background, it should be clear to the authorities why the sending of the EFCC Chairman on study leave at this time arouses so much suspicion. The work of the EFCC as a body and Ribadu as a person, have assumed great symbolism in the eyes of Nigerians. The widespread interest in the removal of the pioneering EFCC boss from 'active duty' clearly shows that Nigerians desire a persistent, effective war against corruption. Second, it appears that, backed by political will, an agency of government can deliver on its mandate. The EFCC under Ribadu has proved that this can be done.

Third, corruption in all its manifestations and the nature and methods to confront it, entail great personal risks. Mallam Ribadu and his courageous team have, in truth gored the oxen of many men of power, means and influence. Did they make some mistakes? Certainly, yes. Were they overzealous? Sometimes. But the bottom line: Ribadu and his team achieved results unprecedented in the history of the fight against corruption in this country.

Put differently, Nuhu Ribadu was, by and large, on course. But it is understandable that affected persons would marshal their immense but dubious means against their tormentor. And now, he is out, at least for the time being, and the impression hangs heavy in the air that anti-EFCC/Ribadu forces may be winning. Nigerians, high and low, are worried by this as well as by statements and acts of officials in the recent past that seem to convey the impression that the Yar'Adua government may be slowing down on the war against corruption. Indeed, the way and manner in which the EFCC Chairman Ribadu was re-assigned is untidy and only lends credence to suspicions of a hidden agenda.

Some questions: one, the chairman of the EFCC is appointed and removed by the president in line with Sections 2(3) and 3(2) of the EFCC Act 2004. Regardless of the fact that he remains a career policeman, a statement re-posting this officer who is on a special national assignment should, by this law, and by commonsense, emanate from the Presidency. The news of his first appointment and re-appointment did not come from the police, so why did this information come from the Inspector General of Police and at a press conference? Two, Ribadu was not aware (so he claimed) that he was to proceed on a study leave even as his boss was announcing it to the world. Why so? Three, how come a successor to understudy Ribadu was not named along with the news of his new posting?

Many people, including the Presidency, acknowledge the good job that EFCC under Ribadu is doing. Now, if excesses and/ or mistakes have been committed, or measures wrongly taken, if there are properly channeled complaints against the anti-graft body and/or its chairman, surely there are administrative and more matured ways of handling these.

Besides its poorly contrived procedure, the posting out of Ribadu from the EFCC is ill-timed. We agree, as many have argued, that no one is indispensable and that there may be even some who can lead the EFCC better than Ribadu. But this line of thought remains in the realm of conjecture. It is all well to seek to build de-personalised institutions that can function well regardless of the personalities involved. But institutions, like nations, assume the 'personality', for good or ill, of their leader(s). We certainly have in Ribadu a man that has proven to be uncommonly courageous in the performance of his duties. Under a less courageous, even if competent head, the EFCC may not be as successful.

Indeed, anti-graft laws have been in our statute books and the Police have had departments to enforce them long before now. How many highly placed thieves were tried at all in the pre-EFCC years? The point then is that we need to build our institutions around men of ideas, conviction and courage. Sadly, there are not too many around.

However, the anti-graft war must not abate in the least because of this change of guards at the EFCC. Any one who replaces Ribadu, in an acting capacity, at the commission can only strive to surpass him. This is in that successor's interest, as well as in the interest of Nigeria. And since the President has not sacked the EFCC Chairman, it is to be assumed that immediately after his study leave at NIPSS, he will return to his duty post to complete his tenure of office.

The head of the EFCC must enjoy the confidence of the president to be effective. Even as Mallam Ribadu goes on study leave, Nigeria must stay the course of confronting corruption with maximum political will, and with all the means at its disposal. This is the current sentiment of the Nigerian people, and of our friends around the globe. And it is the right path to tread under the circumstances.

Not Just Local Matters

SOMEONE has to nudge President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua into more immediate actions over the violence the local government elections produced in various parts of the country. He just acknowledged the problem, but woefully failed to attend to it decisively, a trait he must acquire if he is to do this job with acceptable distinction.

From Kano State, where many people lost their lives over the polls weeks earlier, to last weekend’s incidents in Edo, Enugu, Oyo, Ogun, it was clear the violence in Kano left no lessons.
After the violence in Kano, which took the military to quell, we had thought the security agencies would have known the trouble spots and prepared to counter any moves that would have encouraged violence. If they did, the efforts were ineffectual. More need to be done.

Politicians were at their best seeking advantage in the do or die manner that has become their common creed. Opposition parties boycotted the elections, a regular feature of elections at that level since 1999. One thing is certain - if cases at the tribunals go the way of some of the litigants, new state electoral bodies would be constituted and the newly elected officials sacked. Oyo State is an example in this direction. The constitutional rigmarole over control of the local government councils is steeped in permanent disputation.

The violence is of immediate concern to us. What happened to the security organisations? Why could so much violence and loss of lives be perpetrated over elections and the President is doing absolutely nothing?

He has summoned the governors and political leaders to a meeting. The meeting would be at an undecided date in January. The action is perfunctory. Why the delay if this is important?
Why is he going through the officious routine of summoning governors who barely have any control of the security situation in their states? The governors would come to the meeting and tell Yar’Adua what he knew in his eight years as governor: security instructions, the ones that are to be obeyed, issue from the central command in Abuja. The President is in charge!

The delay in holding the meeting underscores its unimportance, and a certain under-rating of the extent of the violence and the implications.

Government thinking must be that there are holidays, so the convenience of those who should be at the meeting must not be compromised. Their pleasure is too important to be disturbed.
Leaders of a country under security cloud do not go on holidays. The meetings should be held immediately, not in January, especially at an uncertain date.

Localised violence has deeper implications and spreads faster. Contenders for local government polls usually live within close distances of each other. Revenge for losses at the polls would also draw some fuel from outstanding communal feuds, which are never in short supply.

Nigerians deserve peace. Government should tackle the violence now.

ANC: Democracy at work

The African National Congress, ANC, South Africa’s ruling party sets a precedent of transparent political maturity that political parties in African countries must emulate. The majesty of democracy came to the fore in its last convention as baton of leadership changed from President Thabo Mbeki to Jacob Zuma. This is achieved not through force as is the case in other countries but by popular votes.

Zuma is not favoured by the establishment but triumphed because democracy is a game of numbers through which people express their preference. The vilified Zuma scored 60 per cent of the total votes.
In other climes within the continent, winning an election against an incumbent is a rare feat. All means except fairness would be adopted to frustrate opposing candidates.Except the impossible happens, Zuma by this victory would take over after the 2009 elections as successor to President Thabo Mbeki.

The orderliness and transparency of that convention should be emulated in countries across Africa. For not interfering with the outcome, like most of his peers in Africa, Mbeki deserves commendation. This is an uncommon occurrence for an incumbent to accept defeat with equanimity.

The defeat might be painful to the incumbent and his supporters, his acceptance of the result shows him as a man of honour - a statesman who is not ready to tinker with ideals that could stagnate democracy in South Africa.

Whatever character flaws Zuma might have, they should not be ground to dump the wishes of majority of ANC members who voted for him. His flippant, immodest sex life and poor public finances records all contributed to his forced resignation as Deputy President.

His alleged involvement in a 1999 four billion dollars arms deal in which his financial adviser is currently serving 15 years jail term remains a permanent scar. Zuma is also slated by South African National Prosecuting Authority to face prosecution on further charges of corruption which his supporters described as a witch-hunting exercise.

Democracy is at work in South Africa. The leadership of that country should blame itself for encouraging a system that throws up someone like Zuma whose academic record, intellectual depth and economic viewpoint remain a far cry of what is necessary to steer a bourgeoning country like South Africa.

His emergence showed that Mbeki’s popularity among his party men has waned and he should blame himself for not grooming a successor who could be seen as a better alternative.

Other countries in Africa, especially Nigeria, should borrow a leaf from the ANC election in South Africa. It is a shame that Nigeria’s People’s Democratic Party, PDP, that prides itself as the biggest party in Africa and which has ruled the country for over eight years has had its plans for convention mired with controversies. The time for correction of all political anomalies is now.

Year 2008 begins

The first page of another 365 days journey opens today. At midnight, 2008 expected to usher in new tidings begins. As usual with every New Year, high hopes and expectations of people fill the air. This has become an annual ritual through which people do a wholesome appraisal of their lives - account for past failures and plan for future success. Today affords people the opportunity of having New Year dreams.


Whether the dreams would come to fruition depend on individual focus and more importantly an enabling environment engendered by realistic and people-friendly government policies. In the past eight years, New Year hopes and aspirations have been impeded by lack of official sincerity in the delivery of democratic dividends.

Government’s action through its reform in the last one year showed little considerations for the well-being of the people. The hope of having free and fair elections was dashed by the massive rigging, irregularities and fraud that marred last April’s general elections. Local government elections conducted by States last December were worse examples of what a democracy should be.

Political distortions and violence are a recurring decimal that are slowing down real development. We do hope that disregard for rules and condonation of violence elevated, especially, among the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in its subdue of oppositions will stop in the new year. Hostage taking in Niger-Delta region was a national issue in 2007. The intervention of Joint Task Force has reduced violence but genuine developmental efforts by government will quell to a significant level the nefarious activities of militants in that region.

There are several petitions pending before Tribunals and Appeal Courts in the country. Among them are the petitions challenging the election of President Umaru Yar’ Adua. There is need to expedite action on these petitions so that the end of justice will not be delayed and probably be defeated. 2007 witnessed lots of landmark judgement by the judiciary.

The upturn of Rashidi Ladoja’s impeachment as Oyo State governor, return of Governor Peter Obi of Anambra and judicial declaration of Rotimi Amaechi as governor of Rivers State were judgements that raised people’s belief in our democracy in 2007. More of these epochal judgements are expected in 2008 from the judiciary.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, under Professor Maurice Iwu disappointed Nigerians in its shoddy conduct of elections. An over-haul of the place is inevitable in 2008.
Nigeria’s growth and development will be determined largely by government’s pursuit of right policies and programmes implemented in an atmosphere of transparency and accountability. The government must ensure that an enabling environment to allow for progress of Nigerians and the nation are put in place and allowed to thrive.

Klieg light on corruption

THE mind bugling corruption oozing out of public office is reducing the prestige of such positions. Corruption has created few wealthy Nigerians while majority live in misery — paying the price of greed and avarice of those who see public positions as avenue for personal enrichment at the expense of public good and development.


The situation is getting worse as the till is getting depleted due to corrupt conducts by public officers. The Fifth Schedule Part 1 of 1999 Constitution contains a gamut of provisions serving as Code of Conducts to public officials. They are observed more in breach than compliance except on very few occasions such as the sentencing of Tafa Balogun, former Inspector-General of Police, when a case of corruption could be said to have been conclusively pursued.

We can do better to help our society, promote institutions and instill discipline in the minds of holders of public positions. The situation on ground is not cheering. Tepid attention is given the monster called corruption except in official sloganeering.

The Senate Committee on Narcotics, Drugs and Finance Crimes gave fillip to this view by restating in its recommendation to the Senate the constitutional 10-year ban on corrupt public official rather than propose new and additional measures that could abate spread of corruption gene in Nigeria’s public life.

The restatement diminishes the inspiring role a Senate albeit the National Assembly should be playing in the important crusade of reducing corruption in our polity. The current attitude could not discourage public looting which the United Nation says stands at 500 billion dollars as at 1999.

The task of elimination or reduction of corruption should involve diligent monitoring of our institutions and the making of amendment where necessary. The Code of Conduct Bureau created in Third Schedule Part 1 of 1999 Constitution is the custodian of assets declaration documents made by public officers. Its operation has been hampered by the environment in the effective discharge of its duties especially as specified in Section (3)(C) that empowers it to “retain custody of such declarations and make them available for inspection by any citizen of Nigeria on such terms and conditions as the National Assembly might prescribe”.

The reality is that declarations made by public officials to Code of Conduct Bureau even on request are not easily accessible to Nigerians. We expect the National Assembly to look critically into why this is so and make recommendations that would make lives of public officers more transparent and open for justifiable people’s scrutiny.

The Code of Conduct Tribunal has the power to impose punishment of a ban not exceeding ten years on any public official convicted of corruption as stated in section 18(2)(b).It has not really been availed of opportunity to do so. The tribunal is also to act on “ such other punishment as may be prescribed by the National Assembly.”

The Senate should attune to reality by making propositions that would bring about laws that could reduce or eliminate graft in the nation. The battle can be won through creative and realistic efforts and not repetitions of already known laws that have not been really put to test.

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 will be released early next year.
That’s right…I said it, another major server OS will
be released with undoubtedly more to learn! However,
with this release, Microsoft is also rolling out major
changes to its certification program. All of us old
MCSEs are in for some big changes.

For example, the MCSE we’re all familiar with is going
away. Yep, you heard it, completely going away!
Instead, new certification titles, like MCTS, or
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Active
Directory Configuration or Application Platform
Configuration, will be the certification de jour.

Here’s an overview of the new Windows Server 2008
certification program. Specifically, it will address:
New changes in the Windows Server 2008 certification
program
What you need to do to transition your Windows Server
2003 MCSE skills to 2008
What you need to do to go from Windows 2000 MCSE to
2008
Learn practical tips on what you can do now to start
planning

The world’s most popular certification is going
through a major remodel-are you ready?

[Note: The MCP and MCSA have been excluded from this
article with the focus being only on the MCSE.]
First look: What’s changed?

After years of complaints about the MCSE being far too
ordinary and too generic, Microsoft is taking a new
approach to its certifications. Instead of offering a
more generically themed program (like the traditional
MCSE), Microsoft is creating certifications that are
more tightly focused on specific roles and skill sets.
These changes are part of a larger effort to revamp
the entire certification program (which includes more
than Windows Server 2008). However, for traditional
MCSEs, Windows Server 2008 is where we’ll see the most
changes.

These new tracks are referred to as the Technology
Series and the Professional Series.

Technology Series–Microsoft wants to provide a means
for cert holders to demonstrate proficiency in a
specific technology area, like configuring the Active
Directory or Vista. These certifications are known as
Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) and
are very technologically focused.

Professional Series-Here, there are two focus areas:
IT Professional and Professional Developer. I’ve
excluded the Developer series from this article, as
most traditional MCSEs will likely not be on the
Developer track. Professional certifications allow a
person to demonstrate they can perform a job like
Server Administrator. A person who earns a
Professional certification will be known as a
Microsoft Certified IT Professional, or MCITP.

They also require earning the equivalent technology
certification (MCTS) in the corresponding Microsoft
product. Each focus area has generally one to three
exams. For most MCSEs, there are two Professional
Certifications that will likely be right in your
wheelhouse. I list them below, and include the
necessary exams. The “TS” next to each exam number
denotes an MCTS exam, while the “Pro” denotes an MCITP
exam.
Server Administrator
70-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure
Configuring
70-640: TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory,
Configuring
70-646: Pro: Windows Server 2008 Administrator
Enterprise Administrator
70-620: TS: Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client
or 70-624: TS: Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista
Client and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktops
70-643: TS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Platform,
Configuring
70-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure
Configuring
70-640: TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory,
Configuring
70-647: Pro: Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
Administrator

The theory with these new programs is that they allow
for more specificity by creating very tightly focused
certifications and emphasizing actual real world job
roles, thus making it easier for prospective employers
to judge abilities and talents. I’m already having
nightmares about the alphabet soup that the already
lengthy signature blocks will become. We may be seeing
something like this:

John Smith, Network Engineer, MCSE (NT 4.0), MCSE+I
(Windows Server 2000 and Windows Server 2003), MCSA
(Windows Server 2000 and Windows Server 2003), MCTS:
Windows Server 2008 - Active Directory Configuration,
MCTS: Windows Server 2008 - Network Infrastructure
Configuration, MCTS: Windows Server 2008 - Application
Platform Configuration, MCITP: Enterprise
Administrator… and so on…

Good Grief!

And finally, in a move that not only keeps
technologists current, but, coincidentally, also
generates consistent revenue for Microsoft, the new
MCTS certifications expire. In fact, they expire when
the specific technology expires. The MCITP also
requires re-certification- every three years! However,
in most cases, MCITP re-up will be a single exam, and
it will probably be the latest MCTS exam.
Transition your Windows Server 2003 MCSE to 2008

If you’re a Windows Server 2003 MCSE (W2k3MCSE), the
path to achieve certification depends on what your
goals are. Because the MCSE doesn’t exist in Windows
Server 2008 you have to “transfer” your certification
skills, as a Microsoft calls it, to the new MCTS track
(and then if you’d like, tack on the applicable MCITP
certification) .

Microsoft has created a new exam entitled “70-649: TS:
Upgrading your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 to MCTS on
Windows Server 2008.” When you pass it, you will earn
three MCTS qualifications in one swoop:
MCTS: Windows Server 2008 - Active Directory
Configuration
MCTS: Windows Server 2008 - Network Infrastructure
Configuration
MCTS: Windows Server 2008 - Application Platform
Configuration

A W2k3MCSE who isn’t interested in such a large exam
could take individual MCTS exams in each of the
aforementioned technology areas. However, if you’re
looking for a less circuitous route and you don’t mind
taking the daunting single exam, the 70-649 is
probably the better approach.

It’s important to note that Microsoft is transitioning
folks to the TS level, but there’s no transition plan
to move people directly to the Professional level. You
can still get there, but you have to transition to the
TS level first, and then take the remaining exams at
whatever professional level you are seeking, just like
any other MCITP seeker.

For example, if you’re a W2k3MCSE and you want to be a
MCITP Enterprise Administrator you’d have to:
Take 70-649 to transition your skills to the new MCTS
Select a desktop MCTS (70-620 or 70-624)
Take the 70-647 Enterprise Administrator Professional
Exam

If you only wanted to obtain the MCITP Server
Administrator, you’d have to:
Take 70-649 to transition your skills to the new MCTS
certifications
Take the 70-646 Server Administrator Professional Exam

As I mentioned before, I’ve left the MCSA out of the
discussion here, but you will find a similar, if
slightly less difficult, path to upgrade a Windows
Server 2003 MCSA to Windows Server 2008. Check out the
following link for more information on MCSAs:
http://www.microsof t.com/learning/ mcp/mcsa/ windowsserver200 8/default. mspx.
Going from Windows 2000 MCSE to 2008?

If you’re a Windows 2000 MCSE or, for that matter, any
non-W2k3MCSE (NT 4.0), you’re out of luck. There’s no
transition path from Windows 2000 (or anything
earlier) to Windows Server 2008. Instead, depending on
how far along you are with your Windows Server 2003
MCSE, you have two choices:
Complete your upgrade to Windows Server 2003 (thus
making your transition to Windows Server 2008 a bit
shorter), or
Start fresh with Windows Server 2008

It actually may be easier to upgrade to Windows Server
2003 MCSE in order to make for an easier transition to
Windows Server 2008.

Critical vulnerability affecting Microsoft Word 2000, 2002 discovered

A new remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft
Word has been found. It can be triggered simply by
opening a malicious Word file. A successful exploit
would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in
the context of the logged-in user.

Affected products are Microsoft Word 2000 SP3
(Microsoft Office 2000), Microsoft Word 2002 SP3
(Microsoft Office XP), as well as Microsoft Word 2004
for Mac. Microsoft Office 2003 SP2 and above, as well
as Microsoft Office 2007, appear to be unaffected.

You can read more about this issue in Microsoft
Security Bulletin MS07-060. Microsoft recommends that
customers apply the update immediately.

Download the patch for Word 2000 or Word 2002.

According to SecurityFocus, there are already reports
that this vulnerability is being exploited in the wild

विरुस

Once every couple months or so, I find myself
explaining to someone that the flood of viruses
everyone has come to expect is not an unavoidable side
effect of an increasingly networked world. Usually
this comes up in response to the all-too-common
security through obscurity argument that Linux systems
would suffer the same frequency of virus problems as
Microsoft Windows if they were as popular as Windows
is now. Such a comment ignores several factors that
make up the vulnerability profile of Windows with
regard to viruses.

The most obvious, for those who recognized the term
“security through obscurity” that I used above, is
that Linux-based systems and other open source OSes
(such as FreeBSD and OpenSolaris) actually benefit
greatly from the security through visibility approach
taken by popular open source software projects.
There’s another factor that’s much more important to
virus vulnerability in particular, however, that even
most open source software advocates don’t consider.
It’s really quite simple.

Microsoft doesn’t fix virus vulnerabilities.

A virus is malicious code carried from one computer to
another by some kind of medium — often an “infected”
file. Once on a computer, it’s executed when that file
is “opened” in some meaningful way by software on that
system. When it executes, it does something unwanted.
This often involves, among other things, causing
software on the host system to send more copies of
infected files to other computers over the network,
infecting more files, and so on. In other words, a
virus typically maximizes its likelihood of being
passed on, making itself contagious.

All of this relies on security vulnerabilities that
exist in software running on the host system. For
example, some of the most common viruses of the last
decade or so have taken advantage of security
vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office macro
capabilities. Infected files that were opened in a
text editor such as Notepad would not then execute
their virus payload, but when opened in Office with
its macro execution capabilities would tend to infect
other files and perhaps even send copies of themselves
to other computers via Outlook. Something as simple as
opening a macro virus infected file in Wordpad instead
of Microsoft Word or translating .doc format files
into .rtf files so that macros are disabled was a
common protective measure in many offices for a while.

Macro viruses are just the tip of the iceberg,
however, and are no longer among the most common virus
types. Many viruses take advantage of Trident, the
rendering engine behind Internet Explorer and Windows
Explorer that’s also used by almost every piece of
Microsoft software available to one degree or another,
for instance. Windows viruses often take advantage of
image-rendering libraries, SQL Server’s underlying
database engine, and other components of a complete
Windows operating system environment as well.

Viruses in the Windows world are typically addressed
by antivirus software vendors. These vendors produce
virus definitions used by their antivirus software to
recognize viruses on the system. Once a specific virus
is identified, the software attempts to quarantine or
remove the virus — or at least inform the user of the
infection so that some kind of response may be made to
protect the system from the virus.

This method of protection relies on knowledge of the
existence of a virus, however, which means that most
of the time a virus against which you are protected
has, by definition, already infected someone else’s
computer and done its damage. The question you should
be asking yourself at this point is how long it will
be until you are the lucky soul who gets to be the
discoverer of a new virus by way of getting infected
by it.

It’s worse than that, though. Each virus exploits a
vulnerability — but they don’t all have to exploit
different vulnerabilities. In fact, it’s common for
hundreds or even thousands of viruses to be
circulating “in the wild” that, between them, only
exploit a handful of vulnerabilities. This is because
the vulnerabilities exist in the software and are not
addressed by virus definitions produced by antivirus
software vendors.

These antivirus software vendors’ definitions match
the signature of a given virus — and if they’re really
well-designed might even match similar, but slightly
altered, variations on the virus design. Sufficiently
modified viruses that exploit the same vulnerability
are safe from recognition through the use of virus
definitions, however. You can have a photo of a known
bank robber on the cork bulletin board at the bank so
your tellers will be able to recognize him if he comes
in — but that won’t change the fact that if his modus
operandi is effective, others can use the same tactics
to steal a lot of money.

By the same principle, another virus can exploit the
same vulnerability without being recognized by a virus
definition, as long as the vulnerability itself isn’t
addressed by the vendor of the vulnerable software.
This is a key difference between open source operating
system projects and Microsoft Windows: Microsoft
leaves dealing with viruses to the antivirus software
vendors, but open source operating system projects
generally fix such vulnerabilities immediately when
they’re discovered.

Thus, the main reason you don’t tend to need antivirus
software on an open source system, unless running a
mail server or other software that relays potentially
virus-laden files between other systems, isn’t that
nobody’s targeting your open source OS; it’s that any
time someone targets it, chances are good that the
vulnerability the virus attempts to exploit has been
closed up — even if it’s a brand-new virus that nobody
has ever seen before. Any half-baked script-kiddie has
the potential to produce a new virus that will slip
past antivirus software vendor virus definitions, but
in the open source software world one tends to need to
discover a whole new vulnerability to exploit before
the “good guys” discover and patch it.

Viruses need not simply be a “fact of life” for anyone
using a computer. Antivirus software is basically just
a dirty hack used to fill a gap in your system’s
defenses left by the negligence of software vendors
who are unwilling to invest the resources to correct
certain classes of security vulnerabilities.

The truth about viruses is simple, but it’s not
pleasant. The truth is that you’re being taken to the
cleaners — and until enough software users realize
this, and do something about it, the software vendors
will continue to leave you in this vulnerable state
where additional money must be paid regularly to
achieve what protection you can get from a dirty hack
that simply isn’t as effective as solving the problem
at the source would be

KNOWLEDGE Technology

KNOWLEDGE Technology is here! Beyond ICT? How did we
get there? From Babbage to before Bill Gates, to DP to
IS to DPMS to MIS to IT and is there anything beyond
ICT? In order words, what next, after ICT.?

This, question becomes very important to IT
stakeholders, informed by currently emerging studies
and new technology development directions. Indeed,
this may not be viewed as a question as such, but
translated as possible future outlook and confirmation
that ICT is after all, only a temporary technology bus
stop - within the corridor and developmental process
of human knowledge resources, technology history and
learning curves.

Available research and ICT white papers suggest that
the world is already moving-on to adopt the concept
and operational dynamics of 'IKT' (Information
Knowledge Technology) or "KT" (e-Knowledge Technology)
as a new platform, model and strategic imperatives for
globalised knowledge-everywher e for human development.
In this regard, we might as well now begin to rethink
on how beneficial, durable and sustainable is the need
for formulating an ICT policy framework for Nigeria at
the tail end or end-of-life momentum of existing
'global communication' fundamentals?

The emergence of Quantum computing, Megatronics and
Nanotechnology are critical signpost to future
revelations for the knowledge society. All these have
now led to the emergence of "National Knowledge
Commission" as strategic response framework. Suffice
to state that the world is rapidly moving from
"Digital Divide" to the more complex and fearsome
"Knowledge Divide"!

Today, many of us tend to perceive IT and ICT as the
"constant" and adopted as the ultimate end of the
digital revolution/evolutio n - this may sooner than
later reveal itself as a professional fallacy!
Suddenly, every body has become an IT guru and ICT
messiah! At home, the core of all these activities
lead to 'user-perception' rather than
'creator/innovator' vision. Meanwhile, we are reminded
that the only thing that is constant is change. As the
world transits into the information knowledge age, new
conditions are being created for future economic
(industrial) and national development success. Can
existing structures - within the context of current
enabling environment and institutional framework of
government - sustain our 21st century rapid
development competitiveness? How do we achieve the
2020 mission without creative skills? Can our current
national reforms succeed without accelerated IT
deployment?

This is perhaps the ultimate question, whose strategic
response will determine how nations will be positioned
in the meandering 'knowledge divide' equation.

In particular, how will/can Nigeria position herself
at the end of the tunnel of this digital (knowledge)
evolution? Will the scenario of the industrial
(divide) revolution repeat itself? Will it lead to
digital slavery - nay, knowledge slavery?

Responding effectively to those conditions, demands
and challenges, definitely require - a high level of
conscious strategy for knowledge re-structuring and
re-engineering the processes and machinery of
government. This will require abundant political will
and private sector commitment towards education and
youth empowerment.

For President Yar'Adua's government to function
effectively - there is need to completely re-define,
overhaul the national knowledge-base and information
system as well as constructively apply e-government
tools to reactivate the operational defects of major
ministerial deliverables, functions and human resource
base, remain a fundamental assignment and Herculean
task. Indeed, because e-commerce and e-government are
inter-linked to e-citizens deliverables, it would
amount to a great economic misnomer that while the
organised private sector is busy restructuring and
re-engineering its operations - through the infusion
of information and communications technologies (ICTs)
- the operating structures of government remains
unchanged!

In one of my earlier write-ups, I have argued that
Nigeria must now rapidly move from the laboratory and
ICT workshop excitements to constructive and practical
knowledge-base "prove of concept implementation"
process. We must fashion out a proactive actionable
plan and quality approach, capable of cleaning-up our
self-made accumulated socio-economic and political (?)
mess at both micro and macro levels of our (under-)
development! Major implications for governance. First
existing ministerial structures and functions must be
re-defined and re-structured. They must change to be
competitive!

To pretend otherwise will amount to wishful thinking
and national deceit. Furthermore, market forces alone
are incapable in inducing the required change, due to
the enormity of complexities and the rapidity of
change in the Information Age Evolution chain and
Revolution process. It is generally accepted that
knowledge has evolved at a speed that academic centres
are not prepared for it, university diplomas no longer
give a guarantee for the future, communications media
are taking the role of knowledge sharing, production
of knowledge is global and that globalisation,
however, separates the world.

Therefore, can future government and commerce entities
cope and survive the new age without for example, a
'Ministry of Infrastructure' within the context of
LII, NII and GII? What purpose will the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry serve without the sophistication
and competence to manage digital technology trade and
commerce? How will education be improved and
positioned without the intensive application,
diffusion and use of informatics and communications
technologies? How will government respond to the high
velocity of trade and commerce - with respect to
balance of trade issues - in the information age?
Indeed, who should be in government and govern in the
information age? What skill would/should such people
require to perform? A 'change dynamics' response to
these emerging needs and challenges will definitely
'revamp' the structures, functions, operations and
strategies of government in the very near future. Some
of the recommended models will include, but not
limited to:

Ministry of Infrastructure - Incorporating: Department
for Environmental Architecture Planning, Design and
Development, Department for Residential and Industrial
Planning and Design, Department for Road Network and
Highway Design, Department for Energy Infrastructure
and Utility Design, Department for Water Resources and
Drainage Planning and Design, Department for Erosion
Controls Design, Centre for national infrastructure
Research, Design and Development.

Ministry of Information Technology - incorporating:
Knowledge Electronic Governance Division, National
Informatics Centre, National Centre for Software
Technology, Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing, Centre for Materials for Electronics
Technology, Centre for Electronics Design and
Technology, Electronics and Computer Software Export
Promotion Council, Centre for Quantum Computing and
Nanotechnology Research, Working Group on Citizen
Information Technology Needs,

Ministry of Information, Communication and
Broadcasting - Incorporating: Department of
Information Engineering, Department of
Telecommunications, Telecommunication Engineering
Centre, Centre for Development of Telemetics, National
Telecom Regulatory Authority, Department of Test
Messaging and Posts, Directorate of Film Festivals,
Directorate of Entertainment Publicity, Press
Information Bureau, Films Division, Books and
Publications Division, Research, Reference and
Training Division, Art, Song and Drama Division,
Newspapers Registrar of the Federation, Broadcasting
Corporation of Nigeria, All Nigeria Radio Channels,
and Press Council of Nigeria.

Ministry of Human Resource Development -
Incorporating: Department of Education and related
Councils for various knowledge incubation, enhancement
and development - with particular reverence to
science, technology, philosophy, sociology, economics,
research, design and development (RD&D), Council for
Women, Youth and Child Development.

If human capital is recognised as the core critical
mass and topmost priority for nation building and
development, then it is mandatory to redefine our
education institution and repackage it with a
formidable Ministry of Human Resources - not just to
build certificate graduates, but creative and quality
minds in search of and attainment of excellence

Virus Alert

Keystroke loggers are a particularly dangerous
security threat because users typically don’t realize
they’re even there. Learn about the different versions
of keystroke loggers, and get tips for protecting your
organization and your users from this threat.

More and more people have made the switch to using the
Internet for personal tasks — online bill paying and
shopping are just two examples. But while companies
tout the convenience of using the Web for such
purposes, the security threats continue to mount.

That’s why user education is so important. Teaching
users best practices for being safe on the Web can
help mitigate some of these threats. But it’s also
important that users understand the full extent of the
risks.

For example, using an encrypted link (i.e., HTTPS
rather than HTTP) to access bank or e-mail online is a
good way to encrypt the transmission of private
information as it flows across the Internet. However,
it’s vital to remember that the encryption process
doesn’t take place until the information leaves the
machine. This creates a vulnerability that some people
may not be aware of — keystroke logging.

Keystroke loggers are a dangerous security threat,
particularly because — like other forms of spyware —
the user can’t detect their presence. Let’s look at
the different versions of keystroke loggers and
discuss what you can do to protect your organization
and your users from this threat.

Keystroke loggers are available in either software or
hardware versions. They can store everything a user
types without the user ever knowing they’re even
there.

Lesson

3-Minute Management Course

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her
shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel
and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before
she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel." After
thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front
of Bob.

After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets
to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"

"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.

"Great!" the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"


Moral of the story : If you share critical information pertaining to credit
and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent
avoidable exposure


Lesson 2:

A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her
gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling
the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.

The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand.

But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once
again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"

The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak." Arriving at the
convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It
said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss
a great opportunity


Lesson 3:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch
when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The
Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."

"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas ,
driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."

Puff! She's gone.

"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on
the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and
the love of my life."

Puff! He's gone.


"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I want
those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say

Lesson 4

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw
the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"

The eagle answered: "Sure, why not."

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a
sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting
very, very high up

Lesson 5

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the
top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy."

"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.
They're packed with nutrients."

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough
strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating
some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night,
the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story: BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you
there

Lesson 6

A little bird was flying south for the winter .. It was so cold the bird froze
and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow
came by and dropped some dung on him.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize
how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all
warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the
sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly
dug him out and ate him.

Moral of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!


This ends the 3-minute management course.