Photos: Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, in Lagos

Lunch in London, anxiety in Nigeria By Reuben Abati

What’s gwan inna wa cwantry?”

“What language is that?”

“English of course.”

“Sounds like Creole to me. Why don’t you just talk straight?”

“Nobody talks straight in this country anymore.”

“I still talk straight.  I can’t start twisting my tongue because some people have lost it.”

“Okay, I was asking what is going on in our country?”

“Is that a direct question or a sly comment?”

“Just answer the question”

“What I know is that we are now truly, a country of hyenas, jackals, and small animals.  A big animal kingdom, but when the First Lady Aisha Buhari drew attention to this, recently, we all started screaming that she was rather condescending but right now, with what I am seeing and hearing, I believe she will be vindicated in the long run.”

“I see.”

“We, the people are obviously the small animals. In an animal kingdom, the bigger animals do what they like with the smaller ones, and they dare not complain.”

“But you still haven’t answered my question”

“My friend, why must I always be the one to tell you what is going on in this country? When you want to be mischievous, that is when you ask funny questions. Are we not in this country together? Don’t you listen to the news like everyone else? So, why should I become your newspaper and internet combined. Stop it. But for just this last time, I will use my church mind to tell you that the latest development is photography as a tool of governance. Some APC Governors and party leaders just visited President Muhammadu Buhari in London. They had lunch with him and took photographs.”

“I know about that. I actually saw the photos too. But the whole thing doesn’t look straight to me.”  

“It doesn’t look crooked to me either. People have been complaining that the President of Nigeria is missing in action and they need to know that he is still alive. So, they provide a photograph of him having lunch with his party members and loyalists. How is that a problem for you? We should be glad that the President is getting well.”

APC: The Obstinate Journey To Shame Via London By Pius Adesanmi

Those interested in the dustbin of Nigeria's history will one day find APC inside the rubble, among the putrefaction, just beside PDP, and bring out her carcass for examination.

Such students of the dustbin of history will likely conclude that APC's signature contribution to the Nigerian tragedy is not in the empirical failure to deliver on measurable electoral promises in virtually all areas of national life but in the deadening of the Nigerian mind.

A nation's mind is lost when the capacity for ironic sentience dies. And no group of Nigerians, at any moment in our chequered national history, has contributed more to the assassination of irony than the Confederacy of parochial interests in the leadership of APC.

If blindness to irony stopped within the ranks of APC's leadership, if it was limited to Governors, Senators, Reps, and other political figures within her ranks, I wouldn't be so worried. It would be their funeral. I am not in the habit of shedding tears for members of Nigeria's political elite over their intellectual impecuniosity.

My worry lies in how the leadership of APC has democratized blindness to irony, especially among their followers so effectively. If irony hits you like a Dangote truck and you are unable to recognize it as a citizen, you wear that condition of ignorance like a badge of honor and hit social media for celebration in this APC era.

Chief John Odigie Oyegun fired the first bullet to assassinate irony. APC had just won the election. She was still in that period of grace when the people could excuse anything. Euphoria was still in the air. One message of change that APC could send early and effectively in order to write her name in gold was in the retirement of campaign funds.

The notion of retiring campaign funds is a complete stranger in Nigeria. We have at least two adult generations who have never heard of it because it has simply never been practiced. No Nigerian has ever retired campaign funds. After elections, you privatize the leftover funds, campaign vehicles, and other resources. You keep everything for yourself and distribute some to your cronies. This, of course, is a crime routinely committed by every Nigerian who has ever run for public office: There is no separation between their bank accounts and campaign contributions.

More Clarity on Brexit - EU

European Union Chief Negotiator in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain Michel Barnier gestures as he addresses media representatives during a press conference with British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit Minister) David Davis at The European Union Commission Headquarters in Brussels on July 20, 2017. 

The EU’s Brexit negotiator urged Britain on Thursday to provide more clarity on key issues after the second round of talks wrapped up in Brussels with “fundamental” differences remaining. Michel Barnier said after talks with his counterpart David Davis that the two sides were still at odds over Britain’s divorce bill and over the rights of European citizens living in Britain.

“We require this clarification on the financial settlement, citizens rights and on Ireland,” Barnier, a former French foreign minister and European Commissioner, told a joint press conference with Davis.

“This week’s experience shows that we make better progress when our respective positions are clear,” adding that the next round of talks on August 28 “must be about clarification”.

Davis, a long-time eurosceptic picked by British Prime Minister Theresa May to lead the negotiations, said the talks were “robust but constructive” but that there was “a lot left to talk about.” “A solution will require flexibility from both sides,” he added.

The Brexit talks are the second round since negotiations formally began in June, a year after Britain’s historic referendum vote to leave the 28-member European Union, but the first to really go into detail.

‘Fundamental divergence’

The negotiations are dealing with issues around Britain’s divorce — Britain’s exit bill, the rights of EU citizens living in Britain, and the Northern Ireland border — with talks on a future trade deal only set to start if leaders decide in October there has been “sufficient progress”.

The EU wants an outline deal agreed by October 2018, so that the European and British parliaments can approve it in time for Brexit day, which is scheduled for the end of March 2019.

Barnier warned there was a “fundamental divergence” with Britain on whether the EU’s top court would keep jurisdiction over the rights of three million European citizens living in Britain after the UK leaves the bloc. He suggested however that there could be a solution in the way that a separate court overseeing non-EU Norway’s membership of a free trade arrangement with the EU “dovetails” with the European Court of Justice.

Barnier meanwhile urged Britain to set out its position on the amount it must pay before leaving to settle its obligations under the EU budget, which Brussels puts at around 100 billion euros.

“Clarification of the United Kingdom’s position is essential” on the bill, Barnier said.

Davis said he did not accept that Britain would necessarily have to pay anything, but added: “We both recognise the importance of sorting out the obligations we have to one another.”

Scallops and lamb

Davis later hosted Barnier at the British ambassador’s residence in Brussels to discuss the progress of the negotiations over a meal of Scottish scallops followed by lamb, a British official said.The lunch was the two negotiators’ first discussion on what is officially British soil after all their previous talks took place at the headquarters of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm. Davis himself has only been in Brussels on Monday and Thursday, with a team of 98 British negotiators looking after most of the talks in the interim on his behalf.

Despite the EU’s call for more clarity, sources close to the negotiations said Britain would not agree on any figure for the divorce bill until the very end of the talks.

The disagreement over the European Court of Justice promises to come up throughout the negotiations, the sources added. On the border between Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland, there has been “goodwill” over maintaining the Good Friday peace agreement and on keeping the common travel area on the island, sources said.

But agreement on how to prevent a “hard border” for the movement of goods and people in Ireland will have to wait until later, they said.

British officials meanwhile rejected “ludicrous” reports that it had come into the talks under-prepared, following a photograph of an empty-handed Davis on Monday across the table from Barnier, who had a stack of papers.

Called from The Guardian.

Ngilari Wrongly Convicted

Appeal court quashes conviction of former Adamawa governor

The Yola Division of the Court of Appeal on Thursday overturned the conviction of a former governor of Adamawa, Mr Bala Ngilari, and discharged and acquitted him of corruption charges.

The court, presided by Justice Olayomi Folashade, quashed all charges against Ngilari for lack of merit and sufficient proof of allegations against him.

On March 6, a Yola High Court sentenced Ngilari, to five years in prison without the option of fine on charges of financial fraud.

He was jailed for not following due process in the purchase of 25 vehicles at the cost of N169 million.

Ngilari was charged with two of his former aides, Secretary to the State Government and Commissioner of Finance.

The court, however, acquitted the two aides for lack of sufficient proof.

Called from The Guardian.

Evans Case Adjourned

Oladimeji Ramon

Hearing has been further adjourned till July 27, 2017 in the N300m fundamental rights enforcement suit filed against the Inspector-General of Police by suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a. Evans.

Justice Chuka Obiozor declined entertaining the case on Thursday on the basis that Evans’ lawyer, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje, had yet to pay the punitive cost of N20,000 awarded against him at the last adjourned date.

Justice Abdulaziz Anka, who awarded the punitive cost against Ogungbeje on July 13, had said the lawyer would not be given audience in court until he paid the N20,000 to the police.

On Thursday, counsel for the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Effiong Asuquo, noted that Ogungbeje gave him a post-dated cheque for N20,000 but he rejected it, saying that was not the order of court.

Justice Obiozor agreed with the police lawyer and directed Ogungbeje to comply with the cost order on the cost awarded against him.

The judge also directed Ogungbeje to ensure service of the application on the Inspector-General of Police in Abuja.

He, subsequently, adjourned the case till July 27.

Called from The Guardian.

Sanchez Stays- Wenger

Alexis Sanchez can lead Arsenal back into the Champions League and will not be sold by the club, says Arsene Wenger, Skysports reports.

Sanchez told Chilean media he wants to play in Europe’s top competition, which the Gunners failed to qualify for after their fifth-placed Premier League finish, and that a decision over his future rests with Arsenal.

Wenger remains adamant Sanchez will not be leaving the Emirates this summer, though, revealing the club’s stance is already clear.

“The decision has been made and we will stick to that,” Wenger said of Sanchez, who is still a target for Manchester City according to Sky sources.

“The decision is not to sell.”

Wenger, whose side are preparing for a pre-season game against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, played down Sanchez’s comments regarding Champions League football.

“I don’t give too much importance to things that are translated, you know,” he added. “The whole interview that I got didn’t really mean that.

“The main focus for us is to concentrate on the Premier League and the Premier League for me today is more important than the Champions League.”