Abubakar Malami And His Political Philosophy Of Service To The People (Part 2) -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

From Abubakar Malami’s conduct and actions while in public service, it is not difficult to know his political philosophy and ideological inclination; his thoughts about power sharing, justice, liberty, civil right. It is easy to decipher his ideas on how the state should be run, the expectations of the people and the obligations of those on the corridors of power. Abubakar Malami is patriotic and hence he is passionate about maintaining the doctrine of unity and indissolubility of the state but to him, the existence of the state is for the purpose of the welfare of the individuals within the state without which the existence of the state is meaningless. To Malami, the state is not about geographical boundary but about the people occupying the defined geographical delimited boundary.

No doubt his sound political philosophy is shaped by his orientation, socio-political association and training as a lawyer. As a lawyer, Malami understands the importance of Justice and the principles of the Rule of Law. He grew up in a corrupt Nigeria system where there is corruption and miscarriage of justice; something he ever loathed and something that made him stuck to Buhari, whom he thought disliked corruption, as a mentor.

The center point of Malami’s political philosophy and engagement is anchored on: service to the people. His focus is on people and has never left the people. He served his people creditably well with his resources while he was a minister. The force and the patriotic zeal with which he worked while he served as a minister under the Buhari regime, something that stood out as a performer is a clear reflection of his political philosophy and work ethics. And it is said that no political leader in the history of Kebbi State has touched the lives of the people more positively than the legal icon.

On a personal level, Malami is a man of integrity who believes in transparency and accountability. He believes that the leadership and the government should be accountable to the people. He believes in the rule of law and equality before the law. That was why when there was allegation against him when he was the attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, he offered to step aside, something no Nigeria public officer has ever done, to be probed.

To the Kebbi State born political gladiator, leadership and public office are not for personal gains. Leadership is about service. Leaders should serve the people rather be served. He is not a political mercenary or contractor who makes gain from political harlotry. Despite the obvious personal gain that would have accrued to him from hobnobbing with Tinubu, he left it because he believes that Tinubu’s policies and anti-people programs contravene his personal values and national ethos.

Malami believes in human rights and civil advocacy. While he was the Minister of Justice when Yemi Osinbajo, the then vice-president and others where making noise about hate speech and attempted to influence a law that would muzzle civil advocacy, Malami never gave his consent. Also, Malami is religious but not fanatical. He believes in the right to freedom of worship as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. While he was the Attorney General he never at any time considered the proposal for the introduction of the Sharia Law across the nation for he knew that would amount to imposition and violation of the principle of freedom of worship and association.

As regards the issue of power, Malami believes that power should be held in trust for the people by those in authority. The ultimate sovereignty is with the people who exercise the right to choose their leaders. He believes in the social contract doctrine and that all the organs of the government should work in concert to serve the people. He advocates strong institutions that would serve the interest of the people and not the political class. And that was the reason that he recommended the sacking of Ibrahim Magu from being the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when he found out that Magu has compromised his position.

The ADC gubernatorial candidate for Kebbi State in the forthcoming general election in 2027 believes and advocates that the people should be sensitized and encouraged to exercise their civic duties for political participation and good followership is needed to hold political leaders accountable. He believes that the people should not be subjugated but empowered to exercise their rights and assert their freedom. He believes that the true emancipation comes when the people become aware of their rights and obligations and exercise them accordingly. And those who wield power will be conscious of the fact that whatever power they exercise is for the people.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com
An actress, social activist, politician
London, UK