Conviction of Mamman: A Warning to Public Office holders Feeding fat on public Funds – Ejiofor 

By Uzo Ugwunze 

The recent conviction and sentencing of former Nigerian Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years imprisonment over the laundering and fraudulent diversion of ₦33.8 Billion of public funds, is not merely another criminal trial concluded but a warning to public office holders who are intoxicated with power, feeding fat on public resources with impunity. 

In a recent article titled ‘₦33.8 BILLION STOLEN, 75 YEARS IMPRISONMENT OF FORMER MINISTER OF POWER- SALEH MAMMAH: THE SHAMEFUL COLLAPSE OF PUBLIC MORALITY AND THE BLOOD-STAINED CULTURE OF STATE LOOTING IN NIGERIA, Human Right Lawyer and Social Critic,Sir Ifeanyichukwu Ejiofor Esq described the saga as shameful, a rape of morality which requires more punitive measures that would be applicable to both the rich and poor defaulters irrespective of religious, ethnic or political affiliation.

“The recent conviction and sentencing of former Nigerian Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years imprisonment over the laundering and fraudulent diversion of ₦33.8 Billion of public funds, is not merely another criminal trial concluded. It is a grim mirror reflecting the tragic moral collapse that has for decades ravaged the Nigerian public service.

“The disturbing question therefore remains , will this conviction genuinely deter the ravenous corruption festering within the corridors of power, or is it merely another sacrificial headline in a nation where corruption has become almost institutionalized?

“When many desperately jostle and scheme for appointments into the Federal Cabinet and other strategic public offices, it is often not propelled by patriotism, competence, vision, or service to humanity. Rather, for many, public office has become a guaranteed gateway to primitive accumulation of wealth, reckless opulence, and shameless demolition of our collective patrimony.

“Let us not deceive ourselves.

No individual suddenly acquires ₦33.8 Billion from legitimate earnings in public service. Such monumental theft is rarely the handiwork of one man. It is usually a carefully coordinated enterprise executed by networks of political buccaneers, bureaucratic conspirators, contractors, and institutional collaborators who have long auctioned their conscience upon the altar of greed.

“The tragedy of Nigeria is not merely corruption itself, but the audacity with which it is committed. Men who, before assuming office, could scarcely boast of modest means, suddenly begin to live like emperors-convoys swelling overnight, mansions erupting across continents, private jets materializing from thin air, while the ordinary Nigerian sinks deeper into poverty, darkness, insecurity, and despair.

“History painfully reminds us that this cycle is not new. From the infamous cement armada scandal of the 1970s, to the era of military looting, to pension frauds, fuel subsidy scandals, abandoned power projects, and mindless contract inflation, Nigeria has remained trapped in a vicious cycle where public office is too often mistaken for a criminal franchise.

“Yet the irony is both tragic and amusing.

Some of those loudly parading themselves today as saints of accountability occupying sensitive leadership positions at national level, were once publicly indicted, investigated, or pursued by anti-corruption agencies. Nigerians still remember when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission openly published shocking records of looted assets allegedly linked to certain public office holders, who are today leaders of strategic organs of Government. At the time, they were fugitives of public morality, until political convenience suddenly washed them cleaner than snow.

“But history is patient.

Files do not entirely disappear. Dossiers do not eternally vanish. Evidence sleeps; it rarely dies. Somewhere within dusty shelves and forgotten archives still lie records awaiting the appointed hour of resurrection.

“The   under the illusion that the day of reckoning will never come. It always comes.

“No empire of corruption survives forever. The painful contradiction remains that while millions of Nigerians can barely afford food, healthcare, education, or electricity, a single public official, acting in conspiracy with others , can siphon ₦33.8 Billion belonging to suffering taxpayers. One is then compelled to ask: what exactly is the destination of such obscene wealth? Can one man exhaust it in several lifetimes, or is corruption now a hereditary investment for unborn generations?

“Nations that made meaningful progress against corruption did not achieve it through rhetoric alone. Countries such as Singapore and China imposed ruthless accountability systems, severe sanctions, institutional discipline, and consequences powerful enough to instill fear into public officers.

Nigeria cannot continue to romanticize corruption while expecting development.

“A nation where treasury looters are celebrated with chieftaincy titles, applauded at social gatherings, and recycled into positions of authority can never genuinely prosper.

“Public office holders, including those presently serving in government, must understand an eternal truth history has consistently demonstrated: power is transient, but accountability is inevitable. Every stolen kobo leaves behind a footprint. Every abuse of office plants the seed of eventual disgrace.

“Until corruption becomes genuinely dangerous to corrupt people, rather than dangerous only to the poor masses, the struggle for national redemption shall remain painfully incomplete,” said Ejiofor.