The Trial of Jubril Aminu

By

Kabiru B. Saleh

Kabirus20002000@yahoo.com

 

The Trial of Christopher Okigbo or the book of ideas as it is often referred to, remains a living reality. We come across the reality of this satire in our daily interaction. 

The book chronicles the accomplishments and also the one blunder too many in the lives of some great personalities. These personalities can be described as geniuses in their various endeavors. Okigbo who died at the early age of 35years was an accomplished artist, a poet, and a legend that's larger than life. In 1975 Chinue Achebe described Okigbo in these words.

"He was not only the finest Nigerian poet of his generation but I believe that as his works becomes better and more widely known in the world he will also be recognized as one of the most remarkable anywhere in our time"

Such was the depth of Okigbo's intellectual prowess. He considers art as universal and a divine gift to humanity that should not be tainted by any parochial sentiment.

But what baffles Mazrui was the death of Okigbo in the Nigerian civil war when he fought on the side of Biafra. How comes such a great Artist placed other values before art? It remains unfathomable, as such, he must be tried for this blunder in the 'After Africa' creation, a sort of 'Afterworld' created by Mazrui, where all eschatological events pertaining Africa were supposed to occur.

The second great personality was Hamisi, a Kenya Muslim. He was to serve as counsel for salvation in the trial. He was an accomplished journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC. His role was to serve as a punitive measure. Hamisi's crime was his inability to control his sensual desire. He was involved in an extremely compromising relationship with Aisha, a Hausa lady from Kano State, Nigeria; the result was an unwanted pregnancy.

The counsel of damnation was the brilliant Kwame Apollo-Gyamfi a Ghanaian and one of the most brilliant Africans produced in the twentieth century. He died at a remarkably young age after writing his last paper at Oxford. His role was also a punitive one and his crime was impatience. After writing his last paper, Gyamfi was apprehensive that he would not make a distinction in the paper this resulted in undue anxiety and frustration. He indulged in alcoholism and rapidly deteriorated and later died drunk in an automobile accident.  At the time of the writing of Mazrui's novel, Gyamfi's record in oxford was still unbeaten.

The trial was exciting because it delves into African history and culture; great personalities were summoned, some from "Here before" and some from "After Africa". A stormy legal battle ensued between the two intellectual giants. Concepts, syllogisms, fallacies and historical events were x- rayed at times by contextualization or by going into etymology and poetry. Ideologies were dissected; from those that were political to those that were sapient; hence, the book of ideas in spite of it being fictional that was inspired from true life events.

The message I got from that book is the importance of reputation and integrity that requires being guarded at all cost because one blunder can mar the achievements of a life time. It is against this backdrop that we are calling for the trial of Professor Jubril Aminu.  

Consider the life of a great personality like Professor Jubril Aminu; professor of medicine, accomplished academic, excellent administrator and a remarkable diplomat who seems to have an inherent flair in almost every human endeavor. I gathered from the grapevine that at an advance age he committed the holy Qur'an to memory. At one time, he was an Executive Secretary of Nigerian University Commission, NUC, a Vice Chancellor, Minister of education, Minster of petroleum resources, and Ambassador to the U.S.A, an extremely important position. He is also a commander of the order of the Niger (CON). So to call Jubril Aminu a genius is an understatement.

With this enviable track record, this 67-year-old professor has lately committed the greatest blunder of his life in just a fleeting moment that has virtually eclipsed his whole glowing genius

The main difference between Aminu and the three great personalities mentioned above is that their actions cannot be termed criminal in the real sense of the word but human error that borders on pride and honour but that of Aminu was outright crime and immorality.  Jubril Aminu contested for the position of a Senator in Adamawa central constituency and he failed woefully. As a gentleman he conceded defeat and congratulated the winner but in a dramatic political maneuver and magical executive rigging, Aminu was declared the winner. Many admirers of the Prof were mortified but some gave him the benefit of the doubt that although he has committed a serious crime that is below his dignity, he would give a better representation for his constituency more than the rightful winner. He hasn't. That marks the beginning of his fall from Olympian height.

The Cardiologist Senator latter abused himself by descending to the position of the Presidential Liaison officer to Adamawa and his role was doing the President the dirty job of deregistering some party stalwart that were romancing with the VP. Prof Aminu has done that successfully. I'm not worried as it seems nemesis is catching up with the VP who single handedly imposed Aminu on the good people of Adamawa; so all Aminu's undoing goes back to the first crime.

Even the greatest admirers of Jubril Aminu started rubbing their eyes to make sure if it's the honourable and dignified Aminu they know or it is a reincarnation of another evil personality.

The last straw that broke the camel back was Aminu's ignoble role in the third term saga. Aminu strongly supported the third term in spite of the general outcry against it. He turns a deaf ear to his Constituency.

If for instance Aminu is of the opinion that the third term agenda is a good thing for Nigeria then he has the choice of resigning from his position and allowing the people of his constituency to send somebody that will represent their interest or if he cannot do that he can take the Wabara formula. ; "I am 100% with Obasanjo but my people are not so I don't have option but to side with my people". Aminu cannot do that because in the first instance he was not elected by the people but rather he was imposed on them thus not answerable to them.

Today we have a Prof that has achieved a lot in his life but with his hand has eroded the last iota of honour he has toiled for. He is an intelligent person no doubt   but intelligence never really means wisdom or sagacity.

Kabiru Buhari Saleh

13^th June 13, 2006