By Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe
I PERSONALLY have no sympathy for anyone who steals public funds once he or she is caught. Malami knows the offences he committed and the ones he did not commit. I once warned him about his son.
I told him that it was too early for the lifestyle the boy was living and the wealth he was displaying. The problem Malami is facing now is his supporters and followers. They are making his matter worse.
Malami was an Attorney-General under whom many people were denied their rights, even under the law. One of the reasons that brought misunderstanding and huge problems between Malami and Labaran Magu was the case involving Turaki, SAN, the current PDP Chairman, who at one time was Malami’s boss. Magu wanted to do his job on Turaki, but Malami did not want that, and the rest is history.
Abubakar Maina, of the pension fund saga, while a fugitive in Dubai, requested to meet Malami. Malami informed Daura, the former DSS DG, about the request by Maina to meet him. Daura gave him the go ahead, and at that time the National Security Adviser was also in Dubai. Malami invited him and they went to meet Maina.
How can an Attorney-General and Minister of Justice accept and go ahead to meet a fugitive declared wanted in another land? The National Assembly called for a public hearing on this monumental national scandal, and during the hearing Malami admitted meeting Maina, who he met him with, and the clearance he got to meet him.
As usual, till today the National Assembly has failed to tell Nigerians what happened to the report of the public hearing. Malami took some decisions and acted like a law school student while he was Attorney-General of the Federation.
The issue is not about EFCC witch-hunting him, it is about his conduct while in office. I am not bothered about whose turn it is to be invited by EFCC.
I am bothered about the offences one is accused of committing, be it a member of APC, PDP, LP, or ADC. EFCC cannot arrest everyone at the same time.
After I reported to Malami about a case of corruption and extortion one of his brothers was involved in, he stopped picking my calls. One day at the airport in Abuja, I saw him but ignored him.
He came close and pulled my dress. As I turned, I saw him in the company of His Excellency, the Governor of Kebbi State, Bagudu. I told him openly that he refused to pick my calls. He then apologised. I refused his apology.
Governor Bagudu intervened and I accepted his apology. Malami claimed that his phones were stolen at a wedding event in Kano. I then told him to stop saying that, that a Minister of Justice’s phone was stolen at a wedding event? We laughed over it.
Myself, him, and Bagudu went to the protocol lounge and sat. While waiting, I took my time to explain to him that his name was everywhere in the sports industry, that he was the one supporting corruption in NFA and NFF.
I gave him all the details of the cases with EFCC, including reading to him the memo Magu wrote to the President on the difficulties EFCC was facing because of Malami’s involvement in prosecuting sports and football officials.
He promised to give me an appointment to look into all the corruption cases in sports. It is now two years and seven months, and he again refused to pick my calls. So, the sympathisers of Malami are saying that because he is in ADC, that is why he is being tried.
So what? I have even seen someone that former President Jonathan sacked him as Minister of Sports over the three billion naira High Performance Centre for sports Project. He is in ADC making noise.
The moment he is arrested now, some people will start shouting witch-hunt. That is a story for another day. Everywhere in this country, once you can share loot, you are a hero.
Just hire some jobless miscreants on social media, give them data and a few naira to feed themselves, and they will come here and abuse everybody. Like I always say, the problem of Nigeria is not leadership alone, it is more about followership.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe ashuaibugara@yahoo.com Public Affairs Commentator.
