Ali Modu-Sheriff's Hypocritical Leadership Deficit

There were so many sides to the story of this man called the political godfather of Borno State and the lion of the tribe of Kanuri. A man who emerged from nowhere, with little or nothing known previously about him to get to the Constitutional Conference and then to the senate in the 90s. With little or no education to his background and political pedigree, but suddenly, he became politically prominent and relevant overnight with overwhelming influence. All of this stirred-up my quest and curiosity to want to personally know him.

When eventually a story was published in The Daily Sun of Monday, January 24, 2005 about him, the editors played up one sentence out of the many issues the then Governor raised: 'I had 76 jeeps before I became Governor.' Since that publication, Nigerians have reacted with a new sense of outrage calling for prompt investigation about his past and since then the man has never ceased to make hot and sensational headline news. The mention anywhere of his name radiates and exude political power, controversy and even envy among those who hate and love him. In reactions, at least in one of the letters to the editor in The Punch, one Nigerian was bold enough to query the source of Modu Sheriff's wealth asking such pertinent and thought provocating questions as: where did he get all that money from? What was he doing before he became Governor? Why should anybody have 76 jeeps? His conversation here and there and probably with the advise of some of his friends who must have been more reasonable, rational and more people sensitive, Ali Modu Sheriff was to withdraw that statement a month later in a weekend edition of the Sun Newspaper. He told Saturday Sun that the story which was then drawing so much fire from critics was a distortion of the truth. According to the then governor of Borno State, it is not true that he had 76 jeeps for his personal driving, but rather the vehicles were acquired for his gubernatorial campaign in the vast and rugged terrain of Borno State spanning 27 Local Government Areas.

Speaking then to the Saturday Sun in Maiduguri, Senator Sheriff lamented that people, especially political opponents, had deliberately twisted the issue to portray him as a car freak who delighted in collecting luxury vehicles that he might never use. He also quoted and agreed with somebody who had earlier written that 'only a mad man would have 76 jeeps to drive,' adding “Then I must be a mad man to gather so many vehicles, especially jeeps, when I only ride one car at any given time.'

Surely the events of later days, weeks, months and indeed years were to prove that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was indeed 'a mad man' because for the period of eight years he held sway as the governor of Borno State, he brought in new fleet of cars every quota of the year, mostly bullet proof, state-of-the-arts cars, numbering over 100.

But because of his level of education and his shallow mindedness; his thinking and reasoning faculty, he quickly forgot that he had previously spoken off records when he once took journalists on an excursion of his estate, where he showed them his numerous cars which were obviously more than that number then. In the first week after he was sworn in as Executive Governor of Borno State, Senator Modu Sheriff had invited every journalist who was anybody in the state to the site of his literally completed mansion country home just behind the Government House, and less than five minutes drive to the Government House.

He was yet to complete and pack into the multi-billion naira edifice, whose fence was made of gold plated metals. From the mansion, the group visited another part of Maiduguri close to Lake Chad Research Institute, along Gamboru Road, Maiduguri where the then newly-elected governor had his warehouse. There also, Sheriff showed the journalists all the materials and gadget needed to complete whatever was left of the country home building. Even the entire kitchen sets and decors had been imported from Europe. He let them took photographs. Asked why he undertook the excursion, SAS said it was to make his guests his witnesses whenever the issue would arise later that he used Borno State's money to build a mansion for himself.

'I did that for posterity,' he had explained.
Ironically, Governor Sheriff never moved into any of these mansions until he left office, and today he cannot use that house for fear of his past which is now starring him in the face - Boko Haram. He only made use of the main one behind the Government House during his first daughter's wedding on the 10th - 12th March, 2011. Governor Sheriff prefered and operated from his old house built by his father for the four first sons - Ali, Mala, Goni and Mammanur within the same parameter fence. He confessed then that neither he nor his wife was excited about the new house.

'Like me, my wife prefers something smaller. But in this part of the country, when people want to insult your children, they say 'show me your father's house,' he explained.

Similarly, he had also said it was culturally proper that he had a 'befitting' home in his place especially since he already has in Lagos and Abuja.

Well, during our visit to the warehouse at Gamboru Road, for the benefit of record keeping, I counted 16 cars, mostly SUV and finally few days later when I accompanied a politician to his residence at Gambole road, near Giwa Barracks, I also counted 26 exotic and luxury cars neatly parked in car ports while some were parked behind the main building next to the generator house.

Since then; 2007, I passionately took particular note of every new car Senator Sheriff drove in until he left office and I lost count of the number of cars after 164. I was reliably informed that all through his years as governor, he made sure he attended the yearly AUTO-EXIBITION (car exhibition) in Dubai where the latest cars are first shown to the whole world before their releases to the market.

Each time he attended, he would buy up to four or six cars yearly, times the number of years he spent in the office.

Senator Sheriff definitely enjoys driving and get excited about new powerful and exotic cars like a young child would get about new toys.

In fact he likes driving himself most of the time, even as Executive Governor of Borno State, just to have the real feel of these machines.

If there is anything to call his hobby, it would be buying and driving new and exotic cars. Well, I have never been to his Abuja House, but reliable source have confirmed that the house is parked filled with the latest models of Mercedes Benz products, from G. Wagon, S. Class, E Series, M and R Series, BMW of various series for 2014 in their numbers with many more branded ones parked in another house behind his house. I was also reliably told that he does not give away his car no matter how old and outdated they are.

The main crux of this matter is Ali's affective use of human being without commensurate rewards which is why we have this Boko Haram issue in our hands today. He may have bragged that he is self-made and made had it big through his father's connection with the previous military governments or even through the importation of baby food in the past, but Ali Modu Sheriff could be rightly said to have made it through the effective use of other human beings at appropriate times to achieve his sinister aims without adequately rewarding them. Even his ascendances to the various political offices were through the manipulations and use of other human beings without proper remuneration and compensation. A labourer they say is worthy of his wages but it is not so with Sheriff. This is the main reason why most of his business and political allies are rebelling against him today. They want to take their pound of flesh from him. Those he may have used and dumped want to give him bad name for the government to hang him.

In Borno, the fear of Sheriff's political prowess is the beginning of political wisdom as far back as 2003 when he ousted Mala Kachalla to emerge as the first elected governor outside the Borno Emirate; his political profile had since been on the ascendancy, punctuated only by one scandal or the other of his involvement in Boko Haram sponsorship and attack from the opposition party. He has maintained that until recently when a combination of factors bordering on indiscretion and poor image management made his influence to plummet. But today in Borno, the easiest way to lose political patronage and followership is to be supported or backed by SAS because he has greatly lost grip of the regional politics. Ali has lost his political clout and relevance to the level where the lightest featherweight politicians could even challenge and defeat him in political power bout, anytime any day. Not necessarily because he has lost his political prowess and connection, but because he has constantly reneged on promises made to people. He is alleged to be very insincere to people, especially on financial matters, not because he doesn't have but because he enjoy being worshipped for money and watch desperate people reel in pains.

The former governor's influence did not just shoot out from the blues.

Sheriff remains the only politician in the state that was elected thrice to the upper chamber of the National Assembly. He also prides himself as the first to break the jinx of not being elected governor for two consecutive terms. He got to those places using people and spending money after which he would dump those he used. But pundits are now of the opinion that 2015 may not be easy for him and it may also be a time test for Sheriff's political strength for many reason.

He may not be interested in contesting any elective position any longer but he surely needs his people to be in those strategic places to prove his political relevance in the state and even in national politics.

The internal dissention, which Sheriff is facing today, comes in the mould of dissatisfied allies, who want to save their party and state from the eminent doom and perpetual domination by SAS and his cronies. These people are already fielding and canvassing support for any opposing force as an alternative to SAS.

The move which presents Sheriff with a stiff opposition within the ranks has caused serious headache for him on how to satisfy his numerous aides and supporters whom he had previously used severally without adequate reward and are now disenchanted and ready to abandon him in the cold for his opponents since working for him does not put food on their table anymore. Sheriff does not reward anyone for good work, it was alleged.

I have long heard of Sheriff's generosity of dashing huge sum of money to people and even giving away cars and was waiting and trusting God for my own turn. But those close to him have told us different stories, that all of those things are myth and false as Sheriff would not give his kobo out without gaining from you something much more valuable. Sheriff it was alleged could go to any length to get whatever he wants as long as money could buy it, but after that, no more.

There are long roll calls of his strained relationships with people who may have seen him through to places of life even among his childhood friends and political allies whom he has today abandoned. He has a strong character trait which he exhibits all the time in his dealing with every human being which many see as betrayal of trust. He does not keep promises neither does he payoff completely for business deals. Most people who are close to him and have had one thing or the other to do with him said that the best time to get Ali is when he is in desperate need of one or service.

'He could pay anything at that point,' the man stressed.

Many have lost their lives, businesses, dear ones for the sake of making sacrifices in having relationship with SAS.

'Only others make sacrifices, he doesn't, rather he would even like to take from you what you already have or make you waste the little you have,' offered an insider. He does not pay balance of payments in deals 'He is a one short man.'

What we see today as insurmountable insurgencies may have all started as political betrayal of trust, rivalry and displacement when Mala Kachalla was financed by the wealthy Ali Modu Sheriff, to become an elected governor of Borno State in the April 1999 election on the platform of All People's Party (APP) before becoming All Nigerian People's Party (ANPP) as a result of factionalisation. To survive the dangerous mine field of Borno politics, Kachalla in February 2001 established a Sharia Implementation Committee in a state with about 70 percent Muslims and 30 percent Christians. And because there was no clear demarcation between Borno, Chad, Niger and Northern Cameroun, a region plagued by armed rebels and trafficking in illicit arms and children as Kachalla himself once observed, his financier and godfather; a son of his own friend Ali Modu Sheriff in 2006, decided to become a king himself by pushing him aside, Kachalla defected from ANPP and sought refuge in Alliance for Democracy (AD). Following his defeat by his godfather, he joined forces with PDP to wage fierce war of rivalry and since then Borno State has been ungovernable.

Ali capitalised on this, mobilised unemployed and idle youths in the state and armed them adequately for his campaign and election which he won and afterwards abandoned the youth with the weapons of wars still in their hands. These abandoned youths eventually became useful foot soldiers in the hands of Boko Haram who were themselves disgruntled and disenchanted by Ali Modu Sheriff's abandonment.

Mala Kachalla died in the process in April 2007. Ali had successfully used his father's mate and friend, Mala Kachalla to test the troubled water of Borno politics and pave political way for himself and afterwards dumped him.

Kashim Ibrahim Imam, a privileged son of another illustrious father, Ibrahim Imam and a childhood friend of SAS had almost the same issue with him and had fallen out severally with him and made up for political reasons and benefits. As birds of the same feathers, they have been busy playing the ostrich for one another.

Recalling some of their experiences recently with one of our reporters, were his former political allies like Baba Ahmed Jidda, the present Secretary to the Government of Borno State (SSG), Hon. Mohammed Kumalia, Maina Maji Lawal, Baba Basharu, Sen. Abba Aji, Sen. Ali Ndume, Dr. Asabe Belita and Fati Bulama who contested the 2003 senatorial election with Daggash, Sen. Daggash himself and so many others have long parted ways with him for good. They each recounted their bitter experiences and how they were able to wriggle themselves out of his grip and manipulation. Each of these people were useful at particular times for particular purposes, were used and dumped by SAS.

'Ali would always want to lord it over everybody around him,' confirmed one of his close allies.

Then the second group of people whom Sen. Sheriff had allegedly dealt with severally were his close friends with business and political interests. The likes of Alhaji Mala Atuman, the former Chairman of State ANPP, Adam, Mallam Baba, Alhaji Abiso, late Alhaji Mustapha Flawama and Wahab. Each of these people have one bitter experience or the other with Senator Sheriff. Mala Atuman who is today seen as the closest person to him has been through hell with him since the 70s and he is still together with him inspite of several misunderstanding, quitting and reconciliations. He has lost so many things including his house which was burnt down sometimes last year because of his bossom friend and political leader. Now Mala does not have a house of his own anywhere again.

Wahab who is also back together with him now took sometime off between 2009 and 2010 only to come back after he had gone away, survived and survived well before coming back. He was allegedly welcomed back with a traditional title in his district in Liman Kara. Today, Wahab is the Station Manager of Ali Modu Sheriff's airline in Abuja with no other means.

He has effectively caged him now that he has no other place to go to.

Alhaji Mustapha Flawama, a very successful baking flour distributor in Maiduguri, a trade which informed his name Flawama. He had abandoned his business to lazy around SAS as a governor's friend but was not that lucky as he was summarily killed by Boko Haram sect in 2012 in the heat of man-hunt for Senator Sheriff after he had left office. Another closer-than-the-skin-friend of his, Alhaji Abiso, a successful Shuwa Arab petroleum merchant in Maiduguri before meeting Sheriff had also been promised so many things without fulfilling even one after lazing around the governor for over 12 years. He was however sensible enough to later abandon SAS in 2014 to follow the present Governor Kashim Shettima with a handsome reward of supplying a minimum of four trucks of diesel to Government House and Lodges monthly.

The most painful part of those he had abandoned is the man who had always allegedly stood beside him. He was alleged to have covered for him, killed for him, lied for him and did so many despicable things for him, yet was used for a life time and abandoned. He was alleged to be the real shadow of the man SAS, the confidence with which SAS operated and boasted. ADAM, is his name. He was alleged to be SAS's friend right from the secondary school. He was alleged to have written examinations for him in school and had travelled all over the world with him and for him. But today the same Adam is alleged to have outlived his usefulness and now dumped. He is said to be lying sick with diabetes and asthma in Maiduguri.

'The last time I saw Adam in Maiduguri, I almost wept,' confirmed our source. The only man who has survived the oppression of Ali is his bosom friend and co-in-law, Bakari, who himself has an illustrious and rich family background. Bakari's wife is the eldest sister of SAS's wife and a one time Minister of State for Finance. All of these people have had their own fair shares of bitter treatment from the godfather of Borno politics. And recounting their experiences, one could be moved to the point of shedding tears.

Another group of people Senator Sheriff has successfully used and abandoned are the journalists.

We were reliably informed that he had used some journalists to achieve his sinister ambitions and afterwards dumped them.

Some of those journalists who felt slighted and abandoned began to attack him when he newly got to office as governor. Even Inuwa Bwala who today speak in his defence was former Special Assistant on Media to late Mala Kachalla, but after departure from the office had fought Ali Modu Sheriff to a standstill and had to escape for his dear life.He was lucky to have secured another media assistantship job with Adamu Abdullahi of Nasarawa State. After a while Sheriff brought him closer, knowing his potentials in Borno politics and offered him the position of a Commissioner at the tail end of his tenure. Inuwa now publishes a newspaper with his arsenal targeted at Kashim Shettima of Borno State whom he fell out with. James Bwala another state correspondent and his colleague Samaila Omipidan were both sworn enemies of Sen. Sheriff before now; also have their stories to tell.

And even Isah Gusau, the present SSA Media to Gov. Kashim Shettima, was allegedly chased out of Borno State and never came back until SAS left office.But today, it is payback time for him. All of these worked for SAS when they were useful and were abandoned afterwards with commensurate rewards. Also included was a Kaduna based printer turned journalist and Publisher of PowerSteering magazine, Tom Oga Ohiah, who is now hired to defend SAS. He also had his own experience of how he was almost killed by Boko Haram sect while following his payment in Maiduguri, Borno State. Till date, it is alleged that Tom has not been paid by Sheriff. So what are their rewards?

Even his siblings were allegedly not left out of this. Mohammed Modu Sheriff is his younger brother from a different mother; well schooled and lived abroad with higher degree in Information Technology. He had to abandon the comfort of his business and his white wife and in-laws abroad to return to Nigeria to help his elder brother win his election in 2003. Mamman Nur as he was popularly called was treated with disdain and dejection but had to speak out and rebelled against his brother by defecting from ANPP in 2007 to PDP. Alh. Mai Modu Sheriff, another younger brother from a different woman who had obediently served Ali from childhood, was made a Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation in his prime but was also used and abandoned. His brother Mala Modu Sheriff from the same mother who was a Commissioner for Finance under his name sake Gov Mala Kachalla never got along with him because he had served a political opponent. There was also Goni, his late younger brother, who served him faithfully for years but only got a Local Government Care-Taker Chairman for only a short while. The poor man ended up being shot dead by Boko Haram Sect for Ali's sake.

The final group of people are his domestic and security staff who may have lost their posting, positions for serving Sheriff. We were reliably told of a driver whom Ali kept since he was doing business in Lagos in the 80s and till date has nothing to show for working for a man as rich as SAS. Two duty officers and an SIB Police Officer attached to Government House, Maiduguri (names withheld) have lost their juicy postings for being close to SAS after his departure from office with no corresponding reward for their actions.

So many of such complaints are now coming from people who are close enough to Sen. Sheriff to be rich but do not have any single thing to show for their closeness because of his selfishness.

But this time around, his influence and his power will be tested by the number of the people who will vote for those he is going to support at the poll in 2015.