Abdulmumin Jibrin: The desperation of a Nigerian politician

BY ADNAN MUKTAR TUDUNWADA

I had wanted to write this article on Sunday, April 23 but I couldn’t due to some tight schedules of a reporter, student leader and politician. I came back home that day late and exhausted. However, I deemed it necessary to fulfil this promise because I have been receiving a barrage of messages from readers, friends and associates who kept reminding me about the pledge I made.

I titled this article “The desperation of a Nigerian politician” to describe my assessment and verdict on the political moves of suspended lawmaker representing Kiru/Bebeji federal constituency of Kano state, Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa, who is also known as “Maliya”.

I must admit that Jibrin is a master schemer and a con man who succeeded in hoodwinking and deceiving me, and indeed millions of Nigerians alike into believing him as a genuine anti-corruption crusader and a patriot who dared the status quo and rebelled against the establishment.

It is, however, now crystal clear not just to me but most, if not all Nigerians that Jibrin is everything but honourable. He is dishonest, erratic, irresponsible, and even childish in his behaviour and approach.

No one is in doubt that the suspended house of representatives member is such a narrow-minded, selfish, confused, immature and deceptive fellow whose stock in trade is blackmail and witch-hunt and specialises in mendacity.

In April last year, Jibrin was all over the media accusing the executive of padding the 2017 budget and even called people names while defending the powers of the national assembly over appropriations.

However, three months later, he changed his tone, made a sharp u-turn and transmuted from friend straight to a foe and declared war on speaker Yakubu Dogara following his removal from the lucrative, juicy and plum position of appropriations committee chairman.

He went on to level series of allegations against the speaker and the leadership and later on even expanded his campaign of calumny against not just his colleagues in the house but also the entire institution of the national assembly.

Jibrin launched media war against his former friends in both social and conventional media and in paid television appearances both in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom.

I recall that Jibrin admitted that he collected about N600 million since he was elected to the house in 2011 and even promised to return what he took to the treasury. What is pathetic now is that nothing is ever heard about that again. He mentions it again in his tweets even though he’s “The Prince of Twitter”.

One reason why I will not take Jibrin serious on this damning allegations was because of his selfish stand. He started exposing what he was part of after he was kicked aside as house committee chairman on appropriation.

It would be recalled that during the beginning of the new 8th assembly, Jibrin declared interest for speakership, after seeing defeat, he withdrew and declared support for Femi Gbajabiamila before he later switched to Yakubu Dogara, one of the eloquent and vibrant speakers in this fourth republic.

As a youth activist and good governance advocate, it is mandatory for me to praise Dogara because of his unrelenting commitment to the development of the Nigerian youth. In May 2016 speaker Dogara organised an interactive session for Nigerian universities students at the national assembly where the students had a one-on-one interaction with him, discussing on varying issues about their welfare by presenting their demands to the speaker for proper channelling to the executive. This is the first time I had the privilege of being interviewed by the BBC Hausa which was facilitated by the speaker through the programme he organised.

Dogara is at the forefront of pushing for the #NotTooYoungToRunBill, a bill that seeks to lower the age qualification requirement stipulated in the constitution for elective and appointive offices with the ultimate aim of achieving youth inclusion in politics and governance.

Thus, Dogara deserved accolades for being the first speaker to have shown interest in advancing and championing the cause of Nigerian youths.

Unfortunately and ironically, as a young lawmaker, Jibrin turned out to be a major disappointment. He squandered a golden opportunity God gave him through the speaker to leverage on and achieve even greater heights.

Tell me, who in this world will ever trust Jibrin with anything? Sane people will be scared of doing things with him for fear of being blackmailed in the future.

What Jibrin did to Dogara is nothing but betrayal, breach of trust and blackmail.

Throughout the unfolding drama of Jibrin, Dogara kept his calm and ignored him and he continued to rant and run from pillar to post all in a desperate effort to bring him down.

Nemesis is gradually catching up with Jibrin as he is being exposed and his true colour is coming out for all to see.

Since his suspension, he has at so many times called for Dogara’s arrest and resignation but he woefully failed. After exhausting all his available evidence on corruption in the house, he kept mute and started being heard on other controversial national issues and politics in his state.

He promised to return all the illegal allowances he claimed to have collected which he didn’t. Jibrin is that desperate Nigerian politician that cannot hold political pressures, he speaks from the both side of his mouth, he will be seen supporting Kwankwaso today and Ganduje tomorrow, you will hear him next tomorrow calling for Buhari’s resignation while denying it the next day. And just few days ago, Jibrin turned around to criticise Vice President Yemi Osinbajo after hailing him when the President was receiving medical attention in UK.

Nigerians and the people of his constituency should be aware that Jibrin only fights for his interest not that of the people.

To my utter shock and surprise, last week a video clip emerged of a rally Jibrin organised in his village of Kofa, Bebeji local government of Kano state where he declared support and loyalty to speaker Dogara.

He did not stop at that but even beckoned on the audience to do same. What a shame.

On December 26, 2016, Jibrin even took to his Twitter handle and wished speaker Dogara happy birthday.

My investigation revealed that he was doing that after asking some colleagues to lobby Dogara for reinstatement back to the House. How desperate can he be?

To show you his desperation again, Jibrin in March last year donated the sum of N20 million to Kwankwasiyya development foundation, his representative at that event declared Jibrin’s total support to the red cap movement. After a month of this, he was seen in his office with factional APC chairman that is loyal to Ganduje Abdullahi Abbas. He was accompanied by party bigwigs from Kiru and Bebejii like Abubakar Me Mai Kwanar Dangora.

This is the guy who said Muhammadu Buhari was too old to run for election as president but after the election, he turned around singing his praises.

Only recently, he was so inhumane and wicked that we thought he no longer had blood in his veins when he castigated the President for being ill and instead of praying for his quick recovery, he demanded that he resign his post. May Allah protect us from such wicked people.

Jibrin did a volte-face and apologised after it became obvious that the people were determined to recall him.

As 2019 approaches, only God knows the fate of Jibrin in politics as desperation takes one nowhere, a good politician should be at the forefront of protecting the interest of his people not his own alone, he should expose any form of misdeed at the right time not after he was kicked out of the system.

If you want to see the desperation of a Nigerian politician meet Abdulmumin Jibrin.

Adnan Tudunwada is a freelance journalist good governance advocate and youth inclusion in politics.