My prison experience, by Sule Lamido

Immediate past governor of Jigawa State, Dr. Sule Lamido, has said that those who masterminded his recent incarceration wanted to humiliate and crush him. - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/my-prison-experience-by-sule-lamido/#sthash.Umalx8jU.dpuf

Sule, who spoke exclusively to Sunday Vanguard in Kano, said that his travails over alleged money-related crime had rather emboldened than break his spirit and resolve to be involved in the Nigerian project.

According to him, though the main goal of his traducers was to humiliate, destroy and crush him, he had decided to forge ahead in the strong belief that a leader must pass through good and tough times in the course of service.

He, however, admitted that the joy of leaving office and settling down with his family was temporarily shattered by the trauma of seeing himself and his two sons in prison.

Asked what he told his two sons in prison, Sule said he made them to realize that he was a governor and that there would be people who might not be happy with him and would be going after them.

Lamido said: “I told my two sons that ‘don’t forget that your father was a governor and that there are people who do not like me and they will go after me”.

When asked if he felt bad about the treatment,the former governor fired back: “It is not my problem; it is their own problem. I am not worried about what happened to me. I am a Muslim; it is part of my faith. The purpose was to humiliate, destroy and crush me and my two sons.”

Prodded on what his children said to him when they found themselves in prison, Sule went biblical, saying: “We have a very strong bond and understanding and, as they say, children are gifts from God and, therefore, a gift from God is more than anything to me.

“You cannot rewrite what God has ordained. God has set destinies for all his children and, as such, no one can take the place of another. But God will test His servants with some difficulties to see whether they appreciate His mercies. So, to me, what happened was just a test and, with Allah, I will go through it”.

The former governor, who sounded defiant, said he had resolved to work ever harder to help make Nigeria a better country but did not elaborate on what he was going to do to bring about a better society.

Lamido and his two sons had been arraigned by the EFCC over allegations they accepted N1.3 billion gratification from a contractor who had completed a N13 billion road project the governor awarded the Nigerian firm.

After appearing in a Kano Federal High Court with his two sons, the judge remanded them in prison until five days after when another jurist in Abuja admitted them to bail.