Nyame Reveals Major Lessons He Learned While In Prison

Former Governor of Taraba, Jolly Nyame has revealed the major lessons he learned while in prison for mismanagement of public funds and embezzlement.

Naija News reports that Nyame was granted a presidential pardon alongside a former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, and three other persons.

In a chat with Sunday Punch, Nyame said he learned humility in prison, saying that Nigerians should learn how to be humble, no matter their status in society.

The former governor added that he learned how to interact with some inmates to appreciate the degree of problems he was passing through while in prison.

Nyame also said he realized that there are problems with the judicial system in this country, adding that a quick reform will address these issues.

He said: “To be honest, being a Chief Executive is being next to God because, with your red pen, you can approve a death sentence. So, you can imagine that immediately after leaving office, you are subjected to trial, and in my case, for a period of 10 years. So, it was like I was broken down during those years before I was finally convicted.

“When I went there, for the first one or two weeks, I was living in self-denial. I could not believe it because when I went to prison, there was nothing in the room allocated to me. They had to provide a mattress, and when they brought the first food, it wasn’t like food to be honest. It was like I was eating toilet paper garnished with sauce.

“So, the first lesson I learned was humility. No matter who you are, if you are convicted, you have to know that you are under someone’s authority.

“Secondly, I also learned that as a former chief executive, I was a pal to every inmate there and with time, I started interacting with them. It was when I was able to interact with them that I was able to appreciate the degree of problems I passed through.

“I realised that we have problems with the judicial system in this country. I came to understand after interacting with them that some came in without even knowing why they were there.

“You see, the problem starts with the investigation; if the police will do their jobs well, fewer people will be convicted. Sometimes, they even ask for a certain amount of money to let someone go free and if you don’t give it, they will charge you to court. Before you know it, you will have four or more counts against you and you will end up in prison. If the police do their jobs well, they won’t have to go to court.

“And if they do, it is the judges’ duty to pass a verdict. What I have also realized is that if one big person doesn’t like you, he will influence the conviction and before you know it, you go to court and before you say, Jack Robinson, you have been convicted. My case is clear evidence.

“Well, let me say I am not an angel, but there are witnesses that gave their own statements that do not add up. I shared a story with the Christian lawyers recently. One of the witnesses said he took N110m to my office. So, my lawyer asked, ‘How many people helped you?’ and he said he carried it alone and at that time, there was no N1,000 note. So, what kind of bag would carry N110m, because no ‘Ghana must go bag’ can even carry N50m even if you get them in N500 notes. So, my lawyer went further to ask, between your office and the governor’s office, who did you meet on the way and he said nobody.

“So, it was during my time that the governor would be in the office alone, and between the cashier’s office and the governor’s office, you would not meet anybody on the way. Thank God, at the end of the day, some of the witnesses came to me and asked for forgiveness, and I have forgiven them. I know these things were orchestrated for a reason and I have taken the reason for my incarceration for good.”