Saleh Mamman, Nwabuoku, and other money magicians, by Adekunle Adekoya

FOR the wrong reasons, Mamman Kwagyang Saleh dominated the headlines this week ending today, just the same way Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku dominated the headlines in March. Saleh made the headlines before, first in August 2019 when he was appointed and sworn-in as Minister of Power by late President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2019. Two years later, he made the headlines for the first wrong reason on September 2021 when, in a rare move by the former president, he was sacked and replaced by Minister of State, Works & Housing, Abubakar Aliyu. Saleh and Mohammed Shanono, then Minister of Agriculture were the only two appointees ever sacked by Buhari in his 8-year tenure.

Saleh, born 2 January 1958, from Taraba State, studied Electrical/Electronic Engineering at Kaduna Polytechnic, which he followed with an MBA from Bayero University, Kano. While in office as Power Minister, he had a running battle with Usman Gur Muhammed, who at the time was Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN. Saleh prevailed, perhaps because of ministerial privileges, but Usman Muhammed was fired as MD of TCN by Buhari. Muhammed simply returned to African Development Bank, AfDB, from where he was head-hunted to head TCN. 

This working week ending today saw Mamman Saleh dominating the headlines wrongly again when a  Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, sentenced him to 75 years in prison for stealing public funds totalling about N33.8 billion.  The court, in the judgment convicted and sentenced him on all 12 counts of fraud and money laundering charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).  The court found that he made a cash payment of $655,700 (equivalent to N200 million) for landed property in Abuja, without recourse to a financial institution. 

He was also found guilty of criminal breach of trust in relation to funds released by the Federal Government for the Mambilla and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant projects. The court noted that most of the funds were siphoned through Bureau de Change operators (BDCs), who converted the money into foreign currencies and handed it over to the defendant.

“The evidence of the prosecution is overwhelming as against the scanty and almost absent defence of the defendant. The defendant did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the prosecution’s case,” Justice Omotosho held.

Just as well that this one did not go scot free, loot and all. I keep wondering what procedures we have in place that makes it so easy for a public official, even if a minister to have access to public money the way ours do. I’m quite sure other countries have strict procedures governing access to, and release of public money. Is it not possible to copy them, since we don’t have to re-invent the wheel? Now, consider the sum involved. N33.8 billion.

Not million, not thousands, not hundreds. Just how do people lay their sticky fingers on our money so easily? I mean the existing protocols must present the kind of optics that a potential looter will assess and thereafter proceed to plan his/her heist. Just like a domestic thief walks into the kitchen of a home, and perceiving the aroma of what has been cooked, decides which pot/pots to raid for their contents. That is why in face-me-I slap-you houses, individual tenants learnt to keep their pots in cupboards secured with padlocks. What cupboards with padlocks exist against people like Saleh Mamman? 

Remember Chukwunyere Anamekwe Nwabuoku? That was a former acting Accountant-General of the Federation of Nigeria, convicted and sentenced to 72 years in prison on March 23, 2026, for laundering N868.46 million. He was also convicted by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on nine counts of fraud and money-laundering related to his time as Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence. The EFCC had approached the court with an application seeking confiscation of N1.9 billion worth of shares, N288 million cash assets, and a luxury five-bedroom duplex in Abuja traced to the convicted former AGF. On Wednesday, same Justice Omotosho ordered  forfeiture of the shares acquired by the convict in several security companies, valued at N1,941,805,342 as of March 29, 2026.

How do these felons do their magic with our money?

Now, Saleh, apart from his feeble defence in court which the trial judge referred to, is on the run, obviously confirming his guilt in the court of public opinion. Of course, the court ordered seizure of properties he was said to have acquired with the looted money.

I do not think the authorities should just stop there, for people like Saleh Mamman, whom the government of the day trusted to help solve a major national problem ended betraying that trust and worsening our woes. To a large extent, the misappropriation of money meant for the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects meant that increased generation capacity will remain a dream for a few more years, while the arab that stole our money helped enable the DISCOs to charge us for darkness.

If not for prosecution and conviction, Saleh might have become the frontline governorship aspirant in Taraba State now, and might even go ahead to become governor. Then Taraba State would be in the firm grips of an experienced looter. Ditto for Nwabuoku. He might also have been able to purchase the governorship of his state! Is this how we are? Is this the Nigeria we want? There must be a reset because our country certainly cannot continue into the future with the kind of ethos fronted by people like Saleh Mamman and Nwabuoku. Don’t you think so? TGIF.

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