NIGERIA’S MISSING PRESIDENT - Eric Stuart Joyce
NIGERIA’S MISSING PRESIDENT
May 26, 2017
Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, was last seen by people other than his own staff in early May. According to his staff, he handed over ‘co-ordinating power’ to his Vice President and headed to London for medical treatment. Shortly beforehand, he had returned from around two months in London, also apparently receiving medical treatment there. His staff now say that he will soon return to Nigeria, but he may then return shortly thereafter to London for more medical treatment.
For three weeks, the presidency has failed to prove any evidence that Mr Buhari is still with us. There has been no detail at all about Mr Buhari’s condition. Photographs, obviously historical ones, depicting Mr Buhari apparently in rude health have been provided to media outlets in Nigeria. Some Nigerian outlets have provided largely nonsensical quotes from ‘inside’ the London High Commission where they claim Mr Buhari is recuperating.
Nigeria is a vibrant, growing and increasingly powerful democracy; the transition of power between Mr Buhari and his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan was exemplary – indeed it was of historical importance for the whole of Africa. There is only one course of action for a democracy when a president becomes ill or dies; officials must brief the public on the medical condition of the president and if it does not seem that he is likely to be able to continue in the role then power must pass formally to the Vice President. The present state of play is having the effect of suggesting that nothing has changed in Nigeria and actually this is not correct. Things have changed and Nigerian democracy is all the better for it. There is a contested politics now – but that cuts both ways and the APC must not now resort to the ‘old ways’ that party was created to consign to the past.
There are only a small number of alternatives in respect of the present scenario. First, Mr Buhari is recuperating and will resume his role. If this is the case, then why is he not presenting himself on camera to his people? Second, Mr Buhari has passed on. However, no death certificate appears to have been issued. Third, Mr Buhari’s officials are allowing the impression to be created that he may have passed on in order to produce him frail but alive, as they did a month or so ago. This in turn may provide more time to manage the succession when and if he does pass on by making reports of his death then less credible. Finally, Mr Buhari may be so incapacitated as to be unable to resume his role. Actual death in these circumstances is – in respect of a president’s role – academic. Machines can give the appearance of a life preserved even though there is no real living – and certainly no governing – going on.
At present, a murky combination of the last two possibilities above seem most likely. In other words, officials and those in the know are working behind the scenes to organise a succession. This may seem to make sense from an administrative point of view, but it is profoundly undemocratic. The point of Nigeria’s complex system of electing a president and administration is to ensure that the Nigerian people openly choose a workable and representative government. This is the opposite from what appears to be going on at present. Of course, it is unfortunate that for the second time in succession a northern muslim seems certain to be replaced as president by his southern Christian deputy. But that is democracy.
Perhaps Nigerian democracy is not able to navigate this new crisis. It is certainly true that foreign countries are much more interested in the stability of the north and the continuation of Nigeria as a single polity than the existence of a Nigerian democracy of itself. In the end, though, it is for Nigerians to choose if they wish to remain a democracy. One clear criterion for the latter is that you have a right to know if your president is still alive; and if he is, that he is still able to govern.
From No to Yes: Eric Joyce MP, Author.
bit.ly/2T5nJQc
SNN ANALYSIS:
Note: Muhammadu Buhari died in London and his death certificate was hidden from the populace, and his death unannounced to Nigerians; to get a replacement or a double to continue as a President in his absence.
Four individuals from Sudan were recruited, trained to mimic the late Muhammadu Buhari, underwent facial lifting, and voice modifications, surgeries.
Dom Galeon in Artificial Intelligence has this to say: "Voice recordings are currently considered as strong pieces of evidence in our societies and in particular in jurisdictions of many countries. Our technology questions the validity of such evidence as it allows to easily manipulate audio recordings. This could potentially have dangerous consequences such as misleading diplomats, fraud, and more generally any other problem caused by stealing the identity of someone else. We hope that everyone will soon be aware that such technology exists and that copying the voice of someone else is possible. More generally, we want to raise attention about the lack of evidence that audio recordings may represent in the near future." In short, Lyrebird want people to know they can easily be duped by audio, and hopes this knowledge will actually prevent fraud: “By releasing our technology publicly and making it available to anyone, we want to ensure that there will be no such risks.”
bit.ly/2QyXBLJ
Facial and voice modification are possible!
Jubril Aminu is a double for Muhammadu Buhari.
Sparrow News Network:
Website : snnglobe.blogspot.com
Website : snnbiafra.wordpress.com
Email : snnbiafra@gmail.com
Twitter : @snnbiafra
Instagram: snnbiafra
Facebook Page : @snnbiafra
Facebook Group : Sparrow News Network.
May 26, 2017
Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, was last seen by people other than his own staff in early May. According to his staff, he handed over ‘co-ordinating power’ to his Vice President and headed to London for medical treatment. Shortly beforehand, he had returned from around two months in London, also apparently receiving medical treatment there. His staff now say that he will soon return to Nigeria, but he may then return shortly thereafter to London for more medical treatment.
For three weeks, the presidency has failed to prove any evidence that Mr Buhari is still with us. There has been no detail at all about Mr Buhari’s condition. Photographs, obviously historical ones, depicting Mr Buhari apparently in rude health have been provided to media outlets in Nigeria. Some Nigerian outlets have provided largely nonsensical quotes from ‘inside’ the London High Commission where they claim Mr Buhari is recuperating.
Nigeria is a vibrant, growing and increasingly powerful democracy; the transition of power between Mr Buhari and his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan was exemplary – indeed it was of historical importance for the whole of Africa. There is only one course of action for a democracy when a president becomes ill or dies; officials must brief the public on the medical condition of the president and if it does not seem that he is likely to be able to continue in the role then power must pass formally to the Vice President. The present state of play is having the effect of suggesting that nothing has changed in Nigeria and actually this is not correct. Things have changed and Nigerian democracy is all the better for it. There is a contested politics now – but that cuts both ways and the APC must not now resort to the ‘old ways’ that party was created to consign to the past.
There are only a small number of alternatives in respect of the present scenario. First, Mr Buhari is recuperating and will resume his role. If this is the case, then why is he not presenting himself on camera to his people? Second, Mr Buhari has passed on. However, no death certificate appears to have been issued. Third, Mr Buhari’s officials are allowing the impression to be created that he may have passed on in order to produce him frail but alive, as they did a month or so ago. This in turn may provide more time to manage the succession when and if he does pass on by making reports of his death then less credible. Finally, Mr Buhari may be so incapacitated as to be unable to resume his role. Actual death in these circumstances is – in respect of a president’s role – academic. Machines can give the appearance of a life preserved even though there is no real living – and certainly no governing – going on.
At present, a murky combination of the last two possibilities above seem most likely. In other words, officials and those in the know are working behind the scenes to organise a succession. This may seem to make sense from an administrative point of view, but it is profoundly undemocratic. The point of Nigeria’s complex system of electing a president and administration is to ensure that the Nigerian people openly choose a workable and representative government. This is the opposite from what appears to be going on at present. Of course, it is unfortunate that for the second time in succession a northern muslim seems certain to be replaced as president by his southern Christian deputy. But that is democracy.
Perhaps Nigerian democracy is not able to navigate this new crisis. It is certainly true that foreign countries are much more interested in the stability of the north and the continuation of Nigeria as a single polity than the existence of a Nigerian democracy of itself. In the end, though, it is for Nigerians to choose if they wish to remain a democracy. One clear criterion for the latter is that you have a right to know if your president is still alive; and if he is, that he is still able to govern.
From No to Yes: Eric Joyce MP, Author.
bit.ly/2T5nJQc
SNN ANALYSIS:
Note: Muhammadu Buhari died in London and his death certificate was hidden from the populace, and his death unannounced to Nigerians; to get a replacement or a double to continue as a President in his absence.
Four individuals from Sudan were recruited, trained to mimic the late Muhammadu Buhari, underwent facial lifting, and voice modifications, surgeries.
Dom Galeon in Artificial Intelligence has this to say: "Voice recordings are currently considered as strong pieces of evidence in our societies and in particular in jurisdictions of many countries. Our technology questions the validity of such evidence as it allows to easily manipulate audio recordings. This could potentially have dangerous consequences such as misleading diplomats, fraud, and more generally any other problem caused by stealing the identity of someone else. We hope that everyone will soon be aware that such technology exists and that copying the voice of someone else is possible. More generally, we want to raise attention about the lack of evidence that audio recordings may represent in the near future." In short, Lyrebird want people to know they can easily be duped by audio, and hopes this knowledge will actually prevent fraud: “By releasing our technology publicly and making it available to anyone, we want to ensure that there will be no such risks.”
bit.ly/2QyXBLJ
Facial and voice modification are possible!
Jubril Aminu is a double for Muhammadu Buhari.
Sparrow News Network:
Website : snnglobe.blogspot.com
Website : snnbiafra.wordpress.com
Email : snnbiafra@gmail.com
Twitter : @snnbiafra
Instagram: snnbiafra
Facebook Page : @snnbiafra
Facebook Group : Sparrow News Network.
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