Malami Breaks Silence: ‘Obasanjo’s Claims Are Baseless, I Am Not To Blame

Malami made this statement on Friday in response to allegations in former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s newly released book, Nigeria: Past and Future. In the book, released to mark his 88th birthday, Obasanjo accused former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of fostering corruption, claiming it was at its worst under Buhari, with Malami playing a key role.

Obasanjo alleged that Buhari’s tenure witnessed “the most atrocious waste, enthronement of corruption, and discouragement of officials fighting corruption,” describing Malami as a “devil’s workshop.”

Presidential Pardons Under Scrutiny

During Buhari’s administration, the Council of State, chaired by the former president in April 2022, approved pardons for two ex-governors convicted of corruption—Joshua Dariye (Plateau State) and Jolly Nyame (Taraba State).

Dariye had been serving a 10-year sentence for embezzling ₦1.126 billion, while Nyame was sentenced to 12 years for misappropriating ₦1.64 billion. Both were released from Kuje Correctional Facility in August 2022, just four months after receiving pardons on grounds of age and ill health.

Obasanjo, however, alleged that Malami strongly advised Buhari to approve the pardons and that the process was influenced by corruption. He further claimed that neither Dariye nor Nyame suffered from life-threatening illnesses.

“It was all part of Malami’s financial shenanigans. He orchestrated several such schemes to his advantage. His principal [Buhari] concurred, condoned, turned a blind eye, and paid lip service to fighting corruption while comfortably cohabiting with it in various ways,” Obasanjo wrote.

Malami’s Response

Malami dismissed Obasanjo’s accusations, stating that the pardon process followed legal procedures and that he had no control over the final decision.