Ahmed Yahaya – Joe
Friedrich Nietzsche warns, “If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
As the lead prosecutor and presiding judge of the House ad-hoc committee investigating Fuel Subsidy payments under Diezani, Farouk was too forward. That is why Nietzsche adds, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.”
By accusing Zenon Oil & Gas in public and and directly meeting with its chief executive in private, Farouk opened up his flanks for a sting operation that Femi Odetola caught on video.
It was a classic Danfo conductor taking over the steering wheel from Oga driver!
Prior to that as leader of the “Integrity Group” that wrestled House Speaker Patricia Olubunmi Foluke Etteh to the ground and succeeded in removing her from office, Farouk stepped on very powerful toes. He should have known that for the erstwhile hairdresser and beautician to ascend to the nation’s Number 4 position she must have had strong backing. Such people have long reach and unforgettable memory.
Farouk started his working career as a lecturer at Kano State Polytechnic. He steadily grew in rank and office shifting gears to the administrative cadre. Fondly called Malam even by his peers, something in him changed when he arrived at the Green Chamber. Lost in fame and fortune many phone calls to him started going unanswered and even old acquaintances soon became described to their face, “You look familiar”
While this is a common problem among the ruling classes they understandably come under tremendous pressure from friends, relatives, classmates, neighbours, in-laws, opportunists, scammers, …….
It is under such circumstances any leader can lose perspective and eventually get entrapped. That is why proxies are important.
Anyway, from my pedestrian understanding Farouk lost in court mainly because his co-accused Boniface Emenalo flipped.
Interestingly, Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High Court struck out the case against them. Justice Banjoko had back in 2013 explained that she had no interest in continuing with the case and would return it to the Chief Judge of the FCT for reassignment to another judge.
The issue was that Mike Ozekhome, had applied that the case be returned to the Chief Judge of the FCT for hearing and determination, since his client (Farouk) wasn’t satisfied with the attitude of the judge to his case.
Interestingly, another lady judge was assigned the case and rest is now history as the long but slow arm of the law has taken its course.
What lessons are there for the rest of us?
1. “Because the lion is defenceless against traps and the fox is defenceless against wolves, one must be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves.” – Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
2. “All men make mistakes. Reputation depends more on what is hidden than on what is seen. If you can’t be good, be careful.” – Baltasar Gracian (1601-1658)
