Former Kwara Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed out of His Anonymous Cocoon

Does life get easier the longer we live, or is it the classic case of jumping down from the frying pan straight into the fire? Better not, or ex-Kwara Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has no chance of settling into the limelight after months of living under the radar.

The chieftaincy ceremony of Erelu Toyin Saraki, founder and president of Wellbeing Foundation Africa and wife of Bukola Saraki, former Senate president, stirred a lot of folks out of their cradles castles and cocoons. One of these folks was Ahmed. He was just as decked in happy colours as the other guests. Unless told, the typical person would not know that the past few months have been anything but wine and roses for the man.

Some Nigerian governors retire from their posts and spend a year or two in peace before the friendly neighbourhood watch, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arrives at their doorstep. Ahmed was not so fortunate. Folks even speculate that the anti-graft agency had kept a close watch on his activities while he was still the governor and wasted no time in casting their net to reel him in once they had gathered enough evidence. Only the EFCC knows.

What is public knowledge is that Abdulfatah Ahmed was arrested at the tail end of 2020 on the charge of alleged fraud. Of course, Ahmed’s predecessor, Senator Bukola Saraki, also faced similar queries. Nevertheless, Ahmed stood out because the tone of the EFCC was heavy, unrelenting, striking at every misconduct alleged to have Ahmed as its mastermind. A hectic time for the former governor for sure, but he got out mostly unscathed. Until the EFCC returned a few weeks ago, and it was even messier.

Thus, this is the first public appearance of Abdulfatah Ahmed since the interrogation of May 2021. Is it all over? Nobody but the anti-graft agency knows. But it sure is good to see Ahmed out in the sunlight. Whoever kept a healthy complexion (and reputation) from hiding away all year?