After 30 years in politics, the Nigerian military reached a point of saturation, where some officers were unable to wear their uniforms to work or back home from work, for fear of being attacked by irate population incensed by the cancellation of the Jun 12, 1993 general election result in Nigeria.

The officers removed their uniform and changed to a mufti camouflage while passing through a hostile neighborhood on the way to the office. On arrival, they changed into their uniform and did the same tail - tucked, while going back home from office. It is instructive that these military officers usually arrived early to the office having laughed their way through 'danger zones' before those 'bloody civilians' got out of bed.

Contributory to the foregoing, was the booty of political appointments which became a cog in the wheel of progress, as some officers abandoned serious and time sensitive assignments, to go and lobby lokoko for something they deemed more important.

Most of the officers who returned to the barracks after a stint in political post were not amenable to military discipline and being in uniform for dedicated officers and men, became a nightmare. I had a burning desire for the reversal of this sad situation.

POLITICAL HISTORY AND SCIENCE

The emerging democracies from  military regimes or regimented rule as in South Africa or former USSR, usually have a peculiarity which were studied extensively by  authoritative and notable scholars  such as Richardson,  Huntington et al. and I found relief for Nigeria in what they wrote. Particularly on guided democracy.

PATRIOTISM

To influence a change in the Nigerian mind boggling condition, I wrote the said 1996 report and borrowed copiously from the Latin American, South African, European and Asian experiences on 'guided democracy' normative or principled democracy as you may wish to call it. I then sought their relevance to Nigeria but I was certainly not looking for a medal or awards. In patriotism, we don't think of rewards. The nation first.

So, my 1996 report raised the issues of a Nigerian president in a democratic setting with a military back ground, while the deputy should be a civilian without a military background. I made an addendum suggesting why there should be 2 Vice Presidents: One with a military background and the other without.

Of course, it goes without saying that the president could be a civilian without a military background, while one of the vice presidents could be of a retired military extraction and.....

Now, my thinking. If servicemen saw their post military life after a meritorious service as important, where they could seek political offices through popular mandates, they should face their job more seriously I opined. They (the coup mongers) would also avoid coup making I lamented. Those who have had political appointments should be eased out of service to avoid the contaminating effects such appointments were causing the military, I suggested.

My opinion, lament and suggestion drew the flak from certain quarters I can now deduce with hindsight. The solution I suggested eventually earned me a premature retirement in 1997 after a 27 year, untainted air force career. I was the Deputy Director of Training at the Defense HQ and adjudged as 'outstanding' for two years consecutively.

Later, I heard public pronouncements about 'home grown democracy.....' from senior government officials; and a few senior military officers, who were parroting the idea and goading Gen Abacha for a self succession.

It appeared they were privileged to have read my 1996 report/paper, got the sense in the great idea and were bent on eye service to feather their own nests. Without being economical with the truth, they were plagiarizing and parroting 'guided democracy' to mean home grown democracy.

Not long after and unfolding into 1999, retired Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo in an amnesty by the then Head of State [Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar rtd.], was released from jail to contest for presidency in the 1999 Nigerian general elections. He won the election and had a civilian, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku as Vice President. Did I hear you say like biblical Joseph from jail becoming the Minister of Food Security in Egypt?

It is evident from this experience that suggestions, ideas, strategies, business secrets, operational procedures, tactics....in writing or print, should be coded or encrypted before transmission. This kind of information should be available on a need to know basis to prevent it from slipping into the hands of the media, competition or enemy; particularly those who masquerade as friends. Clearly, there are good reasons for such thinking and many organizations take that advice to heart. They make it their business policy. In 27 years of military training and experience, I was expected to know that.

Well, with retired Gen Olusegun Obasanjo (One time Head of State and at another, President) now one of the ruling 'party leaders,'  the senate leader a former one star G, a few retired military officers now emerging as state governors in  party politics, it does appear that my 1996 paper is achieving the desired result in just 13 years. But this background story must not appear a self praise. I am referring specifically to the importance of codifying or encrypting an inspired idea during transmission as the same idea is yielding results over time. But the same idea was viewed negatively by somebody initially.

I must mention at this juncture, that normative  democracy as in Nigeria, is the duty of all interested parties and concerned citizens and not a preserve of the military alone. In this case, I am an interested party, I am concerned with a citizen's rights and obligations and I am an airman.

In retrospect 13 years on, if I had coded/encrypted my 1996 report, its circulation would have been restricted and its impact reduced but it may not have made any meaning in the wrong hands.

My report was meant for retired Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, who became the head of state after Gen Abacha's demise, and he was the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) at the time I was Deputy Director of Training, Defense Headquarters. I handed my 1996 paper personally, to his Military Assistant (MA), then Lt. Col. Akprezi who was a personal friend and whom I believed was authorized to handle the CDS's correspondence - classified or unclassified. The MA was expected to pass the document loyally to his boss. At the time of the report, I could not have known that Gen Abdulsalami was going to become the Head of State.

A TRAVESTY OF PATRIOTISM

Although, my confidence and trust was betrayed and curiously rewarded with early retirement - a parody/travesty of patriotism, dedication and excellence you may say, the event did not change my informed decision to give the paper to Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar; rather, it spurred me to an intensive and most exciting study of cryptography.

Now, necessity for me, truly became the mother of invention. I cannot now therefore 'cry over spilt milk' for the summative and divine outcome now far outweigh the drawbacks. I am now sufficiently proficient in cryptography to share my experience with you. That also is additional reason why I am qualified to advise my clients on how and when to encrypt important documents and correspondence. You then become the direct beneficiary of my expertise.

With this e-book cryptom, you can now learn how to encrypt your e-mails, project documents, protect your credit cards, generate passwords that could take 2,000,000,000 years to decode! But why create codes that would take 2 billion years to break when one million is more than enough? This is because the level of assurance in this solution is 102%. The 2% above a hundred is a re-assurance level I build into the utility function of the encryption process.

My clients should know also, that the more difficult it is to break a code, the more time consuming it would be and the more expensive the encryption tool. Even you as creator of the password cannot have access if you forgot your code!

From a philosophic angle, because my submission of 1996 was neither encrypted nor coded, it enjoyed an optimum circulation but it would appear it inevitably got into wrong hands. Didn't some 'seeds' fall among 'thorns?'

Although I did not know this in 1996, it gladdens my heart today, to have been used by providence in influencing or re-shaping the destiny of my country of birth. I would be excited to meet Lord Lugard and tell him that God has used me too. Me, an ordinary 'clay in the hands of the Master porter?' This is because 'Nature will never bend its own laws' and is 100% unlikely to make mistakes.

You see, in the zero sum game, strategies do have trade-offs, pay-offs.....Whoever is not part of the solution is knowingly or unknowingly part of the problem..... While I do not intend to re-create the wheel even if I could, oven fresh from the school of hard knocks, let me share my expertise with you on cryptography. I promise that you won't pay much. Just enough for me to buy a copy of my favorite newspaper down the corner.

Henceforth, only that person who should read your correspondence will do so. Your business, scientific, technological, e-commerce, economic, political or military secrets may be just a few clicks away from your competitor. Be proactive. Talk to Omnipratika. Better still, join the Omnipratika Network today. You can take a look here so you could make an informed judgment. Download any of my e-books here for visiting this website.