Abubakar Malami And His Political Philosophy Of Service To The People (Part 3) -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

In the first two part of this series, I have tried to describe Abubakar Malami’s thoughts about power sharing, justice, liberty, civil right and his ideas on how the state should be run including the expectations of the people and the obligations of those on the corridors of power. And I believe that his sound political philosophy is shaped by his orientation, socio-political association and training as a lawyer. And I observed that: “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 nation’s former two-time Attorney General and Minister of Justice like his political mentor is highly discipline and principled. He is always guided by principles and he operates accordingly to the rules of engagement without which, he believes there will be chaos.

As I stated earlier, he loathed the Nigeria system where public office holders wield power for their own selfish ends, for self-aggrandizement and primitive accumulation. To him public office holders are holding power in trust for the people and not to oppress the masses. Public officers should serve instead of using power for corrupt enrichment.

This brings us to the term, philosophy of service which is about the core beliefs about why and how we should serve the public. It is about serving the people with respect, integrity, dignity…for the purpose improving the life of the people and the growth of the nation. The Philosophy of service for public officers is defined by scholars as: “the moral, ethical, and constitutional duty to prioritize the collective good and public interest over private or commercial gain”. This is rooted in democratic theory and the social contract doctrine. It frames public office not as a position of privilege, but as that of a public trust.

Public office is a position of trust and thus, officers act as trustees of power, holding authority delegated by the citizens and remaining directly accountable to the public. Public officers should at all times pursue common goals by doing that which is generally acceptable and desirable; the decisions should be guided by equity, legality, and societal well-being rather than market popularity or individual appeasement. Their decisions and actions must be legally defensible by strictly following constitutional and legal mandates, treating all members of the community fairly without discrimination or favoritism. And since they use our common resources, they must act probity and integrity; the operations require openness to public scrutiny, honesty in discharging official duties, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest.

In Public Service, the employers are the citizens while the employees are public office holders. So, the public officers are answerable to the people. That means that their duties should be done with openness, transparency and accountability. It should be executed selflessly without conflict of interest.

Obviously, these are the principles and doctrines that Abubakar Malami, CON, believes and espouses as a person, a legal luminary, a politician and a public servant. Malami believes that without the people, there would not be public office and public office holders. And by extension, the performance or the value of any public officer is measured by the value he adds to those he has obligations to serve. As one serves the people, he is making his contributions to nation-building.

Without doubt, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) gubernatorial candidate for Kebbi State has lived out these values as afore stated. Those that worked with him can attest to that. His good people of Kebbi State can also confirm it. Malami’s friends and political associates can also testify about is views about service excellence. And as a public affairs commentator, I have taken time to do my research on him and my findings are quite positive and inspiring. The Nigerian erstwhile Attorney General and Minister of Justice (2015 – 2023), Abubakar Malami has the right philosophy of service for a multicultural society like Nigeria. His beliefs and principles about public service is in tandem with the Lord Nolan Principles.

As we await the release of his manifesto and service charter for 2027 gubernatorial election, the good people of Kebbi State can be rest assured that they will have quality service, good governance and accelerated progress when they elect Abubakar Malami, one of the nation’s brightest legal mind, an astute administrator and a grassroots man as their governor.

Nigeria, the time is now for you to elect the good people, with the right philosophy of service and reclaim your country from the anarchists and political pettifoggers. Power to the people!

To be continued.

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