Adebukola Banjoko, delivering judgement on the corruption case of former Taraba state governor Rev. Jolly Nyame, cited overwhelming evidence and a semblance to the story of Alibaba and the forty thieves.

It became the climax to a prosecution that has taken eleven years since the EFCC opened proceedings against Mr Nyame in 2007 after the expiration of his last term at the Jalingo Government House. Unless overturned by court superior to the High Court sitting in Abuja, he will now spend 14 years in prison having failed to prove innocence on a 41-count charge of diverting funds up to N1.64 billion.

The conviction of Mr Nyame is a welcome triumph for democracy. As the chief executive officer of Taraba state, it was his responsibility to hold trust for its 2.2 million hardworking citizens and taxpayers. It was his sworn duty to precisely ensure that corrupt interests would fail to capture the treasury of the state for private interests. That he was a “man of God” should have made it a foregone conclusion that he will do exactly so.

But he did, by an extreme measure, the opposite. He defrauded Taraba state by enriching a personal enterprise, Saman Global, on the pretext of improving the facilities of the state’s public service apparatus. In effect, it is a double blow dealt by one irresponsible act to the treasury and prosperity of Taraba, and to the efficacy of public service delivery. Mr Nyame’s time in jail, if he serves it duly, will therefore only be a representation of the time lost by the people of Taraba on achieving real growth and development in the first eight years after Nigeria’s return to democratic rule.

That he is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) adds some significance to the conviction. Though began under a past regime, it is to the credit of the EFCC that partisan considerations have not been allowed to further stall the positive conclusion of the prosecution. Nigerians would wish that this most necessary duty of bringing past looters to justice takes a shorter time than eleven years, but the need to ensure a thorough process can also not be overlooked. At the end, the most important thing is an assurance that trail procedures reach fair and just conclusions that reflect the truth of the circumstance.

For Reverend Nyame, nothing was more obvious in his trial than the fact of his taking advantage of public trust for personal enrichment. Reports from the sentencing describe him as unfazed when asked to stand by the judge, Mrs Banjoko. The availability of an appeal means it isn’t yet total victory for the journey to justice but to have seen him remain in the court for 20 minutes after the five-month judgment was the sign that his new reality has hit home.

The reality that he is now, not just marked with the badge of corruption, but an example that not even “those who are called by my name” are necessarily, in government, different in the way they play the game. On the contrary, he is just another prince of the house of shame.

Alexander Onukwue