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Wilberforce Net.Com Consultant Limited, No. 28, Olonade Street, FHA, Phase2, Lugbe (2026)

13/06/2018

SECURITY
Why cryptomining is the new ransomware, and businesses must prepare for it
A new security risk is cryptomining, as criminals hijack compute power to steal cryptocurrency from unsuspecting victims.
For years, ransomware has been the bane of the enterprise, with cyber criminals literally holding data hostage unless a ransom is paid.
Some verticals in the enterprise can breathe a sigh of relief, however, because now there is less ransomware in play, but individuals and small businesses are the newest target as cryptomining becomes the hottest trend in cyber attacks.
Craig Williams, director of outreach for Cisco Talos, addressed the trend at Cisco Live 2018, noting that "people are backing off from ransomware. It's a super high risk. A lot of people aren't
Cryptomining is rising up to take the place of ransomware, and if cyber crime could be considered trendy, crypto mining is Cardi B, Drake and Taylor Swift rolled into one.
Cryptomining is not considered as heinous [as ransomware] by the FBI. They don't pursue it as aggressively. And let's be honest, it's significantly less damaging," Williams said. "And as long as the cryptocurrency markets remain high, cryptocurrencies like Monero are very, very attractive targets for malicious software office. You can make about 25 cents a day off of infecting a home machine with a Monero miner. You multiply that times tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of machines, and figure you're going to have it compromised for the majority of a year. Maybe two years if you're lucky."
The allure of cryptomining, Williams said, is that it is profitable and the payout can't be traced. Also, the attackers know what behaviors can help decrease their risk.
Cryptomining was discovered as a risk in late 2017, according to a Cisco blog. That's when threat researchers discovered spam campaigns delivering crypto payloads using email attachments. According to the blog, "In some cases, a Word document downloads the crypto payload via a malicious macro. Attackers also continue hiding malware in email attachments. It's safe to assume that the trend of using attachments in attacks isn't going away.
However, for some industries, ransomware will remain a problem.
As WIlliams pointed out: "Unfortunately, if you are government or medical, you're still going to get hit with ransomware because you keep paying. So until medical and government stops paying the ransom, they're going to continue to be targeted. They've got to basically increase their defenses, become a non-attractive target and then hopefully the bad guys will eventually lose interest. But as long as people keep paying, it's going to keep happening."
Eventually cryptomining will become less attractive as more criminals opt for it and the payout is reduced. "But I think in the short term, people are going to keep doing it. Especially as people just keep inventing new currencies that seem to be taking off," Williams said.
"Monero's relatively new, it will be around for years to come and if there happens to be a new one that also focuses on security and privacy and making transactions opaque, it will catch on as well, potentially. And if it does, that will be another few years of mining cryptocurrency," Williams said.

01/03/2016

Transition between IT projects like a triathlete
Take a lesson from triathletes: Improving your organization's ability to transition between initiatives and changing business conditions can be a major asset. Here's how to get started.
I've been preparing for several triathlon events this summer. As the name suggests, triathlons consist of three legs: swimming, biking, and running, all performed sequentially. Each activity gets plenty of attention, but the part you won't see in the dramatic pictures from the competition is perhaps one of the most important elements of the triathlon— the transition between events.
The transition is the precious pocket of time where athletes change clothing and equipment between swimming and biking, or biking and running. It might not be the most exciting part of a triathlon, but the clock is still running. An extra minute or two spent in transition ultimately impacts your time for the entire event.
More about CXO
• Tech, privacy and security: A debate we need to have
• When good enough is better than perfect
• CXO spotlight: The risks and rewards of fast IT
For someone like me, who is at a rather lackluster level of fitness, transition can also present an opportunity to shave seconds off the clock that could not otherwise be achieved by swimming, biking, or running faster.
Organizations also require transition times between different events. There may be a transition from developing the business case for a strategic initiative to performing its implementation, or a transition from implementation to ongoing support and improvement. If your organization lacks the resources to acquire extra fitness in core capabilities, refining transition can provide a subset of those benefits without the high cost.
Plan and organize
Walk through the transition area (a defined part of the triathlon course where transitions are performed) and you'll see each athlete has neatly organized his or her gear for each sport. Bikes will be racked with cycling shoes already attached to the pedals, and towels will be laid out to clean feet that might pick up blister-inducing dirt after a swim. Most athletes will set up their transition to avoid forgetting a critical item; for example, by placing sunglasses in a shoe — you're not likely to forget your shoe, so you'll find your sunglasses by necessity. Occasionally you'll see a poorly-organized transition, and if you watch closely, an athlete who looks utterly frazzled as he or she tries to find a piece of gear or change shoes.
IT leaders can use these same techniques as they plan transitions between various stages of an initiative. Instead of waiting until an event is finished to sort out transition, start planning your transitions before even launching the initiative. What resources will you need to facilitate a transition? What people or infrastructure needs to be staged to speed transition times? How can you ensure critical items are not forgotten or overlooked?
Practice transition
Most triathletes practice their transitions to some extent. At a basic level, one might do a brick workout that combines two events, and set up and time their transition as if it were a real race. Some will even spend entire sessions practicing nothing but transition, from high-speed bicycle mounting techniques, to changing out of a wet wetsuit over and over until seconds are shaved from transition times.
Similarly, there's an obvious benefit to testing your own transitions. In many large technology rollouts, a cutover test helps ensure the process for switching to a new system works well. While this is a nice idea, most cutover tests are saved until the last moment, and often focus too much on the technology rather than including the people, processes, and logistics that will support the cutover. Early in your initiative, identify key components of your transition and start refining and practicing. Like a triathlon, you can practice many elements of the transition on day one of your training, and you will often identify early optimizations to the transition process that will further inform and improve your transition abilities.
Practice also reduces stress, both in triathlon and technology initiatives. If you automatically don your visor and know exactly where your running socks are, you can focus on the run ahead—just as if your vendors automatically launch a well-rehearsed support process, and your technology staff prepare their backups to ensure a worry-free launch of a new technology.
While transition may not have the glory of crossing the finish line, if done well it can improve the capabilities of a triathlete or IT organization dramatically.

27/01/2016

MANDELA TO NIGERIA...

“YOU know I am not very happy with Nigeria. I have made that very clear on many occasions. Yes, Nigeria stood by us more than any nation, but you let yourselves down, and Africa and the black race very badly. Your leaders have no respect for their people. They believe that their personal interests are the interests of the people. They take people’s resources and turn it into personal wealth. There is a level of poverty in Nigeria that should be unacceptable. I cannot understand why Nigerians are not more angry than they are.

“What do young Nigerians think about your leaders and their country and Africa? Do you teach them history? Do you have lessons on how your past leaders stood by us and gave us large amounts of money? You know I hear from Angolans and Mozambicans and Zimbabweans how your people opened their hearts and their homes to them. I was in prison then, but we know how your leaders punished western companies who supported Apartheid.

“What about the corruption and the crimes? Your elections are like wars. Now we hear that you cannot be president in Nigeria unless you are Muslim or Christian. Some people tell me your country may break up. Please don’t let it happen.
“Let me tell you what I think you need to do. You should encourage leaders to emerge who will not confuse public office with sources of making personal wealth. Corrupt people do not make good leaders. Then you have to spend a lot of your resources for education.

“Educate children of the poor, so that they can get out of poverty. Poverty does not breed confidence. Only confident people can bring changes. Poor, uneducated people can also bring change, but it will be hijacked by the educated and the wealthy...give young Nigerians good education. Teach them the value of hard work and sacrifice, and discourage them from crimes which are destroying your image as a good people.”

(Excerpts taken from a 2007 interview with Mandela conducted by Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed)

22/01/2016

10 Signs You Have a Great Husband email

Marriage is both wonderful and challenging at the same time. We all know that good husbands don’t grow on trees. But if your spouse does these 10 things, you should consider yourself pretty lucky to have such a wonderful man in your life

1. He communicates with you.
He never takes the importance of communication lightly. He talks to you, listens to what you have to say and really tries to understand where you are coming from. He knows when to talk and when to not to. He can talk to you about anything and everything.

2. He loves spending time with you.
He loves being around you. It doesn’t matter what you do together, as long as he gets to spend the time with you. He just genuinely enjoys having you as a company.

3. He makes you smile and laugh.
He surely knows how to be silly and funny at the right times. He would crack a lame joke or do the funniest facial expression that makes you laugh so hard that you had a stomach pain. Seeing you smile makes him the happiest man alive.

4. He is supportive.
He stands by you through all your ups and downs. He’s always there to back you up no matter the situations. He supports you in every pursue you attempt, and believes in your abilities more than anyone ever did.

5. He is willing to teach you what he knows.
He doesn’t believe that man should always be the smartest or wisest in a relationship. He is willing to share you the knowledge that he has accumulated throughout his life.

6. He is loyal.
A great husband is one who knows that no matter how many good looking women are around, there is only one woman who owns his heart. The woman he owns will always be the most beautiful to him, inside and out, in his heart.

7. He acknowledges his mistakes.
He understands that he is only human, and he is prone to make mistakes. He doesn’t deny when he makes mistakes, instead he admits to his faults and is willing to mend them as best he can.

8. He protects and cares for you.
He always makes sure of your safety. He would call to check on you to make sure you get to your destination safely. He does his best to protect you from any harm.

9. He understands you.
He understands you like no one ever could. He knows what upsets you, and what makes you happy. He understands your values, and he knows your purpose in life.

10. He doesn’t see you any less than himself.
He acknowledges your strengths and talents. He doesn’t think that he is better than you in everything. He believes that you possess great qualities that are unique to your own. He knows that you can achieve great things in life and makes sure you know that too. He is proud to call you HIS WOMAN.

09/10/2015

Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book race ahead of iPad Pro and Pixel C at the high end

Microsoft's love affair with hardware just got more intense. If there were any doubts about the software juggernaut staying in the devices game, they were erased on Tuesday with one of the biggest and broadest hardware announcements in the company's history.

Microsoft showed off a fleet of new and freshly updated Windows 10-powered devices in New York. The stars of the show were the Surface Pro 4 and the new Surface Book laptop, which were a potent answers to Apple's recently unveiled iPad Pro and Google's newly announed Pixel C.

According to Microsoft Devices lead engineer Panos Panay there are nearly 110 million devices running Windows 10. Most of the products Microsoft unveiled at Tuesday's press event were intended to show how important mobile hardware and software integration with Windows 10 is to the company.

The event's biggest surprise, the Surface Book, and the new Surface Pro 4 are powerful machines, and both aim to connect with both enterprise users and creative professionals. They succeed big time in the specs department. In terms of usability and adoption, we'll know more after both are released on October 26.

The Surface Book is Microsoft's first laptop, and it's a fiery, ambitious device. The specs are decked, particularly given that the price is comparable to a Macbook Pro. The Surface Book starts at $1499, and comes with a full Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, 1TB of storage, 16GB RAM, and a GPU designed for gaming and multimedia editing by the Xbox team. Additionally, the 13.5-inch screen (3000 x 2000 resolution) can detach to become a stand-alone tablet.

The Surface Pro 4 tablet runs Windows 10 and, like its predecessors, can serve as a full-fledged laptop replacement. The Surface Pro 4 is, as expected, somewhat thinner and 30 percent faster than the previous model. It has 16GB of RAM, and comes with up to a terabyte of storage, and a 12.3-inch screen (2736 x 1824 resolution). Microsoft cloud and productivity apps Cortana, Windows Hello, Microsoft Office, and OneDrive are deeply integrated. The Surface Pro 4 starts at $899.

When the Surface debuted in 2012 running Windows 8, the tablet seemed like an awkward, out-of-place device. Today, the Surface Pro has been owning and innovating in the high-end tablet space. It's become a favorite of design professionals, IT administrators, and others who want a productivity tablet.

Arguably, the success of the Surface Pro helped pull Apple and Google into the high-end professional tablet market. Google's comparable new Pixel C is similarly powerful, features a keyboard cover, and is deeply tied to the Google cloud ecosystem. Yet, Google's device does not feel as durable as the Surface Pro 4, and Office is still often an essential tool for business users looking for a full laptop replacement.

Apple's iPad Pro is a powerful professional and creative tool. Apple's high-end tablet is larger and slightly more expensive than the Surface Pro 4. Microsoft is banking that the integration of Windows 10 and universal apps will help the Surface stand on par with the iPad Pro.

Microsoft's attention to detail with peripheral devices like the Type Pro cover and the Surface Pen stylus may lend them a slight edge in the professional tablet market. The new Surface Pro Type Cover, notable for its "precision glass trackpad" is a significant refinement over the previous generation. The cover still costs 130 dollars, but is lighter, more responsive, and features more space between the keys than the previous version.

Microsoft has worked hard to make the stylus seem useful and cool. The new Surface Pen is intended to feel like writing on paper. The stylus features a tip with 1,024 points of pressure sensitivity, an eraser (yes, an eraser!), year-long battery life, and comes in five colors. When not in use the pen is held snugly to the top of the tablet by magnets. Microsoft took great care to display the tablet tilted in portrait mode like a clipboard, with a pen resting on top. The company emphasized the tablet itself "just fades into the background" when used by office workers, doctors, architects, and musicians.

As with the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, the new Lumia 950 and 950 XL phones are powered by Windows 10, with special consideration to mobile productivity. The devices measure at 5.2 and 5.7 inches respectively, and feature an upgraded camera with a dedicated shutter release button.

The most unique and innovative announcement from Microsoft may have been the Display Doc. Intended to maximize workplace flexibility, and uncouple the enterprise user from the constraints of a laptop, the Microsoft Display Doc was initially announced at last spring's Build conference as the Continuum docking station. The Display Doc is a small, square device that connects to any compatible Windows 10 mobile device like the Lumia 950 using three USB Type-3 ports, a DisplayPort and HDMI. When connected to a monitor using Display Doc, the phone will present a traditional Windows home screen, complete with the familiar Start button and icon tray. Though not as robust as a true desktop PC, the experience resembles desktop Windows and is able to manage productivity tasks like mail and messaging, document creation and sharing, and web browsing.

Windows 10 is at the core of the new Microsoft device environment. The company also announced updates to the Windows 10 universal app ecosystem [LINK], and a launch partnership with Facebook to expand the core Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram applications.

30/07/2015

Why promises about cloud security make me uneasy

The debate around cloud rages on multiple fronts in terms of use, cost and security. The reality however is that more and more technology products are moving to the cloud and companies will likely only offer cloud options in the future.

The reason is simple: it is easier to deploy and sell and the recurring revenue from subscription versus software purchase offerings is far too attractive from a profitability perspective for suppliers to ignore.

Cloud is a gigantic concept that serves many applications and functions. It includes SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, storage and back up as well a distributed application architecture. It is difficult to compare Dropbox to Salesforce or AWS to iCloud, they are all cloud but with very different users and functions.

Security in the cloud is an ongoing concern, and depending on which briefing I attend the cloud offers more or less security than traditional system architecture. There appears to be no consensus and much debate on this. We have all heard about breaches of iCloud and how easy it appears to be to break into personal cloud spaces.

Cloud companies will tell you that their products and services are secure and you can use security products to ensure that your data and applications are secure. I am a bit skeptical.

I can maintain and monitor use and access to my user base and interrogate logs of application use however I lack key visibility when in comes to the cloud - into the backend architecture and I do not know the capabilities of the cloud provider and their teams to view or see data within my cloud offering.

This disturbs me because unfortunately what I don't know can hurt me. Fundamentally, I am left with a prevailing perception that cloud has as much or more vulnerability than my internally managed applications and infrastructure providing I have invested in the proper security platforms and monitoring.

I can unplug my network in a worst case scenario and in the cloud world this is much more difficult to achieve if a major breach of data is realized.

I recall the fear mongering words I hear in every security conference from RSA to Blackhat that continue to repeat the catch phrase "it isn't a matter of if but when your network or application gets breached."

If this is true then regardless of what providers say it is still only a matter of time before my cloud application gets breached.

How comfortable am I in being able to manage a cloud breach? Not very, in fact I am less comfortable with a breach in the cloud than I am in my own network.

I lack control of the cloud and am dependent on a third party vendor for disclosure and transparency which I feel in the case of a systemic breach would not be easily available if at all. In addition, the ability to get useful log information from shared devices that isn't dedicated to my business from past experience is impossible.

So regardless of the debate being had I feel very uneasy with security in the cloud no matter how many vendors seek to dispel these fears.

My challenge is I do not yet have a plan to tackle it and I have no power to stop the cloud growing and being adopted without impacting progress within my business.

08/07/2015

Windows Server 2003 is dead, so let it go

Microsoft Windows Server 2003 will reach its official end of life on July 14, 2015. In practical terms, that means Microsoft will longer support the software, and any security or compatibility issues that arise after that date will not be addressed. If your enterprise is still using Windows Server 2003 after July 14, then you are taking a potentially very expensive, and unnecessary, risk.

IT survey

According to a survey of over 1,300 IT professionals conducted by Spiceworks in March 2015, some 63% have either already migrated or partially migrated off of Windows Server 2003, and another 28% were in the planning stages. Most of those surveyed said they are migrating to Windows Server 2012 R2. That's the good news.

The bad news revealed by the survey is that 22% of the IT professionals surveyed said they do not plan to migrate all of their servers off Windows Server 2003, citing compatibility and cost worries. That means there could potentially be thousands, even millions, of unsupported servers running enterprise operations around the world after the July deadline.

Security and compatibility

Every time Microsoft declares end of life for one of their software products, there's a natural tendency for enterprises to resist the migration to alternative, supported, software. For example, there are still a large number of Windows XPPCs operating in enterprise environments.

Enterprises naturally do not want to spend the money and time buying, testing, and deploying new servers when the servers they're using are working just fine. But this is a very risky and potentially very expensive "non-strategy" to take in the current business environment.

Just in the past year or so, we've seen confirmed breaches of servers perpetuated by the governments of North Korea and China. We've also seen network security fail to stop Russian organized crime from stealing identification data from retailers. Just about every other week, there's another widely reported IT security incident.

As an IT professional, these security breaches should make you very wary of your own enterprise security protocols. Can you really afford to have unsupported and potentially vulnerable servers in your network?

Liabilities

Target estimates that the data breach it suffered in 2014 will cost the company close to $150 million. Identity thieves, like those in Russian organized crime, fraudulently steal $6 billion from tax refunds annually. In other words, stealing identification data is big business, and business is good.

Enterprises, especially ones that collect private identification data from their customers and clients, are expected to take every possible precaution to protect that data. In a lawsuit over a security breach, one of the first things any lawyer worth their salt is going to do is check whether the enterprise's infrastructure is up to date. Running an unsupported operating system like Windows Server 2003 isn't going to go well for you.

Microsoft will support each server running Windows Server 2003 for $600 per month after the July 14, 2015, cutoff. That can buy you some time to complete the migration to an up-to-date operating system or a cloud solution, but it's certainly only a temporary fix.

While the timing may be bad for your current situation, the fact remains that Microsoft Windows Server 2003 has reached its end of life. The potential liabilities of running that operating system as an integral part of the enterprise infrastructure far outweigh the benefits of not spending a relatively small amount time and money migrating to something more modern and secure.

Your thoughts

Are you still running Windows Server 2003 in your enterprise? Are you planning to migrate off of that OS? If you're not, why aren't you concerned about the potentially liability risks? Let us know your thoughts in the discussion thread below.

Also see

Latest poll results: What percentage of your enterprise is running Windows XP?
Clock ticking on Windows Server 2003 extended support timeline
Why SMBs Should Use Windows Server 2003 Migration as a Launchpad to IT Transformation (Whitepaper)
Laggards face looming Windows Server 2003 retirement (Computerworld)

08/07/2015

Al-Mustapha Allegedly Narrates How Abacha Died

media is ascribed to Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Chief Security Officer (CSO) of General Sani Abacha, who was Nigeria’s military Head of State from November 1993 to June 1998.

According to the piece published in CKN Nigeria last year, Al-Mustapha in detail narrates the last moments of Abacha’s death and what proceeded it. He passed away mysteriously at his presidential villa in June 1998. Reports said that he was in the company of two Indian prostitutes who were sent to poison him. The officials however stated another reason, a heart attack.

Meanwhile Al-Mustapha allegedly disclosed what really happened to the former country leader. Read the piece in full below:

“When I got to the bedside of the Head of State, he was already gasping. Ordinarily, I could not just touch him. It was not allowed in our job. But under the situation on ground, I knelt close to him and shouted, “General Sani Abacha, Sir, please grant me permission to touch and carry you.

Contrary to insinuations, speculations and sad rumours initiated by some sections of the society, I maintain that the sudden collapse of the health system of the late Head of State started previous day (Sunday, 7th June, 1998) right from the Abuja International Airport immediately after one of the white security operatives or personnel who accompanied President Yasser Arafat of Palestine shook hands with him (General Abacha) I had noticed the change in the countenance of the late Commander-in-Chief and informed the Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Col. Abdallah, accordingly. He, however, advised that we keep a close watch on the Head of State.

Later in the evening of 8th June, 1998, around 6p.m; his doctor came around, administered an injection to stabilize him. He was advised to have a short rest. Happily, enough, by 9p.m; the Head of State was bouncing and receiving visitors until much later when General Jeremiah Timbut Useni, the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, came calling. He was fond of the Head of State. They were very good friends.

They stayed and chatted together till about 3.35a.m. A friend of the house was with me in my office and as he was bidding me farewell, he came back to inform me that the FCT Minister, General Useni was out of the Head of State’s Guest House within the Villa. I then decided to inform the ADC and other security boys that I would be on my way home to prepare for the early morning event at the International Conference Centre.

At about 5a.m; the security guards ran to my quarters to inform me that the Head of State was very unstable. At first, I thought it was a coup attempt. Immediately, I prepared myself fully for any eventuality.

As an intelligence officer and the Chief Security Officer to the Head of State for that matter, I devised a means of diverting the attention of the security boys from my escape route by asking my wife to continue chatting with them at the door – she was in the house while the boys were outside. From there, I got to the Guest House of the Head of State before them.

When I got to the bedside of the Head of State, he was already gasping. Ordinarily, I could not just touch him. It was not allowed in our job. But under the situation on ground, I knelt close to him and shouted, “General Sani Abacha, Sir, please grant me permission to touch and carry you.” I again knocked at the stool beside the bed and shouted in the same manner, yet he did not respond. I then realized there was a serious danger. I immediately called the Head of State’s personal physician, Dr. Wali, who arrived the place under eight minutes from his house.

He immediately gave Oga – General Abacha – two doses of injection, one at the heart and another close to his neck. This did not work apparently as the Head of State had turned very cold. He then told me that the Head of State was dead and nothing could be done after all.

I there and then asked the personal physician to remain with the dead body while I dashed home to be fully prepared for the problems that might arise from the incident. As soon as I informed my wife, she collapsed and burst into tears. I secured my house and then ran back.

At that point, the Aide-de-Camp had been contacted by me and we decided that great caution must be taken in handling the grave situation.

Again, I must reiterate that the issue of my Boss dying on top of women was a great lie just as the insinuation that General Sani Abacha ate and died of poisoned apples was equally a wicked lie. My question is: did Chief M.K.O Abiola die of poisoned apples or did he die on top of women? As I had stated at the Oputa Panel, their deaths were organized. Pure and simple!

It was at this point that I used our special communication gadgets to diplomatically invite the Service Chiefs, Military Governors and some few elements purportedly to a meeting with the Head of State by 9a.m. at the Council Chamber. That completed, I also decided to talk to some former leaders of the nation to inform them that General Sani Abacha would like to meet them by 9a.m.

Situation became charged however, when one of the Service Chiefs, Lieutenant General Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi, who pretended to be with us, suggested he be made the new Head of State after we had quietly informed him of the death of General Sani Abacha. He even suggested we should allow him access to Chief Abiola. We smelt a rat and other heads of security agencies, on hearing this, advised I move Chief Abiola to a safer destination. I managed to do this in spite of the fact that I had been terribly overwhelmed with the crisis at hand.

But then, when some junior officers over-heard the suggestion of one of the Service Chiefs earlier mentioned, it was suggested to me that we should finish all the members of the Provisional Ruling Council and give the general public an excuse that there was a meeting of the PRC during which a shoot-out occurred between some members of the Provisional Ruling Council and the Body Guards to the Head of State

When I sensed that we would be contending with far more delicate issues than the one on ground, I talked to Generals Buba Marwa and Ibrahim Sabo who both promptly advised us – the junior officers – against any bloodshed. They advised we contact General Ibrahim Babangida (former Military President) who equally advised against any bloodshed but that we should support the most senior officer in the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC) to be the new Head of State.

Since the words of our elders are words of wisdom, we agreed to support General Jeremiah Useni. Along the line, General Bamaiyi lampooned me saying, “Can’t you put two and two together to be four? Has it not occurred to you that General Useni who was the last man with the Head of State might have poisoned him, knowing full well that he was the most senior officer in the PRC?”

Naturally, I became furious with General Useni since General Abacha’s family had earlier on complained severally about the closeness of the two Generals; at that, a decision was taken to storm General Useni’s house with almost a battalion of soldiers to effect his arrest. Again, some heads of security units and agencies, including my wife, advised against the move.

The next most senior person and officer in government was General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was then the Chief of Defence Staff. We rejected the other Service Chief, who, we believed, was too ambitious and destructive. We settled for General Abubakar and about six of us called him inside a room in the Head of State’s residence to break the news of the death of General Abacha to him.

As a General with vast experience, Abdulsalami Abubakar, humbly requested to see and pray for the soul of General Abacha which we allowed. Do we consider this a mistake? Because right there, he – Abubakar – went and sat on the seat of the late Head of State. Again, I was very furious. Like I said at the Oputa Panel, if caution was not applied, I would have gunned him down.

The revolution the boys were yearning for would have started right there. The assumption that we could not have succeeded in the revolution was a blatant lie. We were in full control of the State House and the Brigade of Guards. We had loyal troops in Keffi and in some other areas surrounding the seat of government – Abuja. But I allowed peace to reign because we believed it would create further crises in the country.

We followed the advice of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and the wise counsel of some loyal senior officers and jointly agreed that General Abdulsalami Abubakar be installed Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces immediately after the burial of General Sani Abacha in Kano. It is an irony of history that the same Service Chief who wanted to be Head of State through bloodshed, later instigated the new members of the Provisional Ruling Council against us and branded us killers, termites and all sorts of hopeless names. They planned, arranged our arrest, intimidation and subsequent jungle trial in 1998 and 1999. These, of course, led to our terrible condition in several prisons and places of confinement.”

Wilberforce Net.Com Consultant Limited

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