Still On Abubakar Malami, His Battles And Landmark Achievements -By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

As I stated in my previous article, some of my colleagues have queried my interest in Abubakar Malami, SAN. And, I have maintained that as a social activist and advocate, I am interested in justice and those whose lives and activities have touched lives especially those of the poor and the vulnerable. I am interested in those who have served the public conscientiously and whose lives mirrors justice, rule of law and patriotism. I am interested in those who have used their positions to promote our values and national ethos. And that is why Malami our two-time Attorney-General and Minister of Justice is not the first public officer and achiever that I have written about. But, my interest on Abubakar Malami is based on his accomplishments while in office as the nation’s number law officer between 2015 and 2023, his act of philanthropy and his current travail in the hands of the nation’s security and anti-graft agencies, something many believed was politically motivated.

Malami served as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in a moribund regime that will go down as one of the worst in the political history of this country but Malami stood out as a lodestar among those assembled by Buhari to work with him. During the Buhari era, Malami appeared to be the most active minister in is team. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when other ministries and other government offices were in a state of inertia, Malami’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health appeared to be the only government ministries that was active. Malami served with patriotic zeal and uncommon dedication, exhibiting his administrative ingenuity to the admiration of the staff of the ministry and our judicial officers. His dedication to his assigned mandate led him to introduce reforms aimed at improving our judicial and legal system. He served with integrity and skills. His astuteness was brightly displayed when he helped negotiated and obtained landmark international settlements in favor of our country and the recovery and repatriation of the nation’s funds illegally stashed away in foreign banks by our unscrupulous public officers in the past.

When I browse through Malami’s published personal memoir entitled: “Traversing the Thorny Terrain of Nigeria’s Justice Sector: My travails and Triumphs”, I had a clearer understanding of his battles and his determination to make an impact despite institutional challenges, obstacles and oppositions. I see the courage in a man that has iron determination to succeed in whatever he feels is worth doing. And indeed, he recorded visible accomplishments. The evidence can be seen. You may not need to read his memoir to see it.

While in office as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Malami consulted widely in his effort to make appreciable impact by working with the established institutions and available legal platforms including the body of states’ Attorneys-General for “reforms in the justice sector, law reforms through legislations and judicial decisions which expounded our jurisprudence.”

In his decisions while in office, Malami was always guarded by the goal of national interest, unity and development. That is why in his valedictory address to the body of attorneys-general, he advised them thus: “We should not shy away from offering our knowledge and wealth of experience in office to promote development in all spheres of our national life.”

Also, Malami realizes the importance of the government as a living entity to maintain its legal obligations and hence he established an electronic National Depository of Treaties that will serve as the depository of all treaties entered into between the Government of the Federation and any other country of any Ministry, Agency or Department. This is in line with Section 4 of the Treaties (Making Procedure, Etc.) Act Cap. T20 Laws of the Federation (LFN) 2004, which domiciled the National Depository of Treaties in the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Again, Malami was interested in speedy resolution of conflict and pursuit of justice through arbitration. That was why he inaugurated members of the National Arbitration Policy Committee charging them to come out with a comprehensive policy that will, among other things, ensure that domestic transactions originating and terminating in Nigeria are arbitrated in the country.

Additionally, during his tenure in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abubakar Malami made tremendous effort to improve the welfare of serving and retired judicial officers. The aim is to motivate the staff of the ministry and judicial officers to ensure operational efficiency in the dispensation of justice without which the administration of law and the legal system will negative affected.

Clearly, there are many other programs and reforms introduced by Malami which would not be captured here for want of space but will be highlighted in the subsequent essays but suffice it to say that Malami’s era in the Federal Ministry of Justice was a huge success.

Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

hajiahadizamohammed@gmail.com

An actress, social activist, politician

London, UK