By Adamu Muhd Usman
Sule Lamido, the former Jigawa state governor has been attending his court case in Abuja Federal High Court after he was first arraigned in Kano. He arrives the court very early before anyone else and that is what he does and he never absconded for once since the beginning of his trial in June 2015, in which he appeared in the court for over fifty times. This shows or that, Sule Lamido is law abiding citizen, he respects the rule of law, he is a leader who leads by example, he is a nation political bridge-builder who struggled and wants a true democracy in place, this proves that he wants Nigeria to be efficient and great.
Lamido’s attitudes towards legal aspects, shows Sule Lamido instils and maintain rules and regulations and he is not guilty of the offence (Charges) against him up till now, until it is proven by the court of law.
It beats the imagination why Lamido is facing trial despite his laudable achievements in Jigawa from 2007-2015? Some or many people may think it was the coming of president Buhari as the president in 2015 that dusted Lamido’s case to showcase the anti corruption war on Sule Lamido being his bother (Muslim, Fulani and a northerner), but some see it as Lamido as a strong PDP pillar in the north, while others viewed Lamido as the most vocal or radical among the top PDP chieftains in the country. Some others examine him as the best presidential material in PDP, just mention it .But all these are on the contrary.
Sule Lamido and his case stated far back in 2013 during his PDP government and when he was the governor of Jigawa state. What brought about his case was Sule Lamido was seen as a good presidential material for 2015, but Lamido thinks otherwise. According to him, “Denying the then President, Goodluck Jonathan, a second term ticket was tantamount to passing a vote of no confidence in the president, insisting that no serious party does that. But those working for the government then were uncomfortable with Lamido. That is why, each time he is asked about his case, he tells you it was a fallout of the ‘civil war’ within the PDP in the build up to the 2015 election”.
But does Lamido deserve all these from whom he, Lamido suffered for? Lamido was called all sort of names (Reverend. Pastor, Anti-north, etc) because of President Jonathan and the PDP, his factory in Kano was burnt down etc, also from his party he laboured to build?
When Sule Lamido and Sen. lorchia Ayu, Prof. Jerry Gana, late Chief Alex. Ekwueme, late Mallam Adamu Ciroma, late Chief Solomon Lar, late Chief Bola Ige, late Sen. Ella, and late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, confronted late Gen.Sani Abacha of blessed memory on the need to vacate the stage and allow democracy to flourish, Lamido, may perhaps never know a day like this will come. Himself and Rimi were picked and locked up in DSS cells, in Ilorin and Maiduguri respectively. They were only released after the sudden demise of the late Head of State, Abacha.
For God’s sake, how can a person who made all these sacrifices be humiliated because of ambition? And his son be accused of laundering just 30, 000USD (about five million naira then if I may guess right) for the father? How can a governor’s son travelling with his wife and daughter for the daughter’s medical treatment be arrested for money laundering? I leave you to cross-examine that.
As if that is not enough, several investigations on contracts and finances of Jigawa were carried out with the sole aim of getting Lamido prosecuted, but they could not find any fault.
Disappointed, they went into forensic transactions of companies that were working for Jigawa state and found two or three that did some transactions with two or three companies whose Directors are Lamido’s sons. But they would not file criminal charges against him because he stood his ground of not contesting against President Goodluck in the PDP or jumping ship to contest under a different political party”.
“None of the charges alleged that Lamido and his sons took any money from Jigawa State coffers, none of the charges alleged Lamido gave his children contracts as government’s publicity against him showed, none of the charges alleged that Sule Lamido inflated the costs of any of the contracts awarded, particularly to the companies that gave contracts to the sons’ companies. Rather the essential elements of the charges alleged that Lamido as Governor influenced some two or three private companies to award contracts to two or three companies whose Directors are himself and his sons. But they are telling Nigerians that Lamido and sons milked Jigawa dry as being insinuated, will there have been money to build the gigantic infrastructure put in place in Jigawa by the Sule Lamido administration?”
In spite of the fact that he met huge debts, upon assumption of office in 2007, he did not borrow from any financial institution; yet, he was paying the debt and at the same time building a new Jigawa, with the meagre resources of between N2.3 billion and N2.4 billion, as monthly allocation, from the federation account.
Like the University, School of nursing and midwifery, school of gifted and talented Bamaina, many primary and secondary schools, over 2000 kilometers standard road, airport of international standard, state secretariat, Malam Aminu event centre, Yakubu Gowon NYSC orientation camp, Radio and Television house, Many housing estates, G9 quarters, construction of many clinic, comprehensive health centers, specialist and general hospitals, establishment and equipment skills acquisition and empowerment centres, provision of enough scholarship, streets light in all the 27 local government headquarters, fantastic workers welfare and good working environment, High court, the official residences of the Speaker, his deputy, the deputy governor, Chief Judge and Grand Khadi, in Dutse, are second to none in the entire country, residences of all the 5 emirs in the state capital, built by government. and good and organized pension scheme, just to mention but few.
So, Buhari shouldn’t be blamed for Lamido’s EFCC/ Court case. It is but a purely self centered hate enterprise incubated within the PDP government. The story of struggle, commitment. traumas, nightmares, disappointments, betrayals, consciences, sacrifices, tribulations, successes and the future of this case and what relates to it, is just left for God alone to judge. And in that regard, In-Sha-Allah (God willing) Lamido and his sons will emerge not guilty and free. As the whole case is beeing viewed and perceived for what it actually is; a badly scripted political witchunt!!. What Lamido needs to do, is to keep thanking Allah for everything and Lamido should as well take solace. Oh! Allah See Lamido through..
Lastly, I want use this medium to appreciate and eulogize Sule Lamido’s for fulfilling his promise, believing in Nigeria and respect for the rule of law. When Lamido seek permission in 2019 to travel to Germany for medical checkup because part of his bail conditions then, was that his international passport be seized and that he be banned from travelling abroad. Since then, Lamido has spent four years without even going to Niger Republic.
When Sule Lamido filed an application seeking for the release of his international passport in order to travel to Germany for his medical checkup which he has not done since 2015, there was an anxiety by the court to release his passport to travel and there were media commentaries and gossip around that, if Lamido was permitted to travel, he will abscond or refused to return back home, Nigeria. As others did. Incredible!
As God made it, the court was convinced and permitted him to travel and he made the trips to Germany, U.K, and Dubai and even proceeded to Saudi and performed his Hajj (pilgrimage). In short, Sule Lamido was back to home, Nigeria on Thursday, August 15, 2019. His returns has generated a lot of surprises and commentaries but earned him a lot of appraisal and conviction on him from the general public.
One thing they don’t know about the man, Sule Lamido is, his love and passion for his country, Nigeria also Lamido is patriotic and uncompromising when it comes to the infusing, maintaining and abiding by the law and order because he is a law inculcating and abiding citizen. Sule Lamido has never and will never betray the trust of his people and his country Nigeria whom they have honoured him.
Sule Lamido is not like other Nigerians or politicians who abscond simply because they have a case with Court, EFCC, mistrust conduct in the land or they exhibited any unpatriotic attitude. Lamido must be seen as a pacesetter, law abiding citizen, peace loving individual, nation political bridge-builder and a good and committed leader and a true and a reliable Nigerian politician.
Sule Lamido, is simply a pacesetter of positive things and should be a rally point and should be emulated especially by the young generation. Thank you Lamido for believing in Nigeria. Thank you Lamido for reciprocate the trust given to you by Nigerians and Nigeria. Thank you Lamido for being law abiding citizen.
Thank you Lamido for keeping history alive
Adamu writes from Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa state.
