Jam Jam’s Passage Has Created a Sad Vacuum at the Bar
Anthony Atata pays tribute to his friend and mentor, Musa Usman Ibrahim, better known in legal circles as "Jam Jam", former Attorney- General of Katsina State, who passed away recently. He extols Jam Jam's virtues as not only a courageous man, but a 'crac
Ishook his hand for the first time on the 20th of August, 2009. Only very few Lawyers will remember the historic event of that day. I will remind you. The year 2009 is remarkable to me. It was the year that set my career for the future as a lawyer, because it was the year I met the most wonderful people in the law profession. I was taught by the Catholic Church, that humility and speaking out against evil, are virtues. Then I left my home, Alas! I found myself in a society where humility is treated with disdain, speaking out seen as foolhardiness. My vision went blank. In the blankness of my vision, I saw a few lights shining in to the dark chaos of pride and timidity. Where people now believed that a life of "Packaging", excluded humility. One of the lights that shone very brightly in the intimidating dark cover of our society ravaged by empty pride, arrogance, and gross timidity in taking a stand was Musa Usman Ibrahim popularly known as 'Jam Jam' in the legal profession in Nigeria.
That light went off in the early hours of this morning. He died a good man. May his soul rest in peace.
I was about 6 years at the bar when I got that first hand shake, after that, I got many more from him. In all, one particular handshake stood out.
How I met Jam Jam
On the 5th of May, 2011, the Nigerian Bar Association Lagos under the chairmanship of Chijioke Okoli (now SAN), honoured six outstanding members of the Branch. One of them was Musa Usman Ibrahim.
The organising committee was led by a wonderful woman named Joyce Oduah. Shortly after I stepped into the Multidoor Courthouse hall where the event took place, Joyce Oduah picked me from the Crowd and handed over some loose sheets to me instructing me to put the contents together. I resisted on two grounds including the fact that I wasn’t a member of the committee, but she insisted. I am happy that I finally did.
The loose sheets were the handwritten Bio and CV of Jam Jam. He had brought it to the venue like that. I had 10 minutes to develop it into his citation. I delivered and again, Joyce Oduah insisted that I be the one to read it at the event. I did, and after that day, a very special friendship began between Jam Jam and I. It was after that citation, that I got the outstanding handshake. Jam Jam, a man called to the bar the year I was born, walked up to me and greeted me with a baffling sense of humility that blew me away. It was an honour to have written and read his citation. I will still tell you about that first handshake.
M.U Ibrahim was not just a humble man, he was fiercely courageous. He spoke out against the evils in the law profession and the country, without fear or favour. Many lawyers looked up to his contributions at the various NBA-NEC meetings. We will miss him.
In 2010, at the Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Kaduna, he was on a panel that discussed the SAN abolition agitation which has engulfed the law community in Nigeria at the time. That panel was moderated by Prof. Ernest Ojukwu.
Jam Jam stood up, and made a courageous case against the SAN title. Lawyers erupted in jubilation, a jubilation which today still echoes in the minds of those who were in that hall on that day in August 2010.
What happened in that hall was a follow up to what happened at the NBA Conference in Lagos the previous year on the 20th of August.
The Courageous and Loveable Jam Jam
The annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in 2009 was held in Lagos. On the 20th of August, Pa Tunji Gomez moved the historic motion to abolish the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. M.U. Ibrahim was there. When he spoke on the issue, almost everyone in that hall fell in love with him, not because they all agreed with him, but because his courage was infectious. As a young lawyer that just started a publication, I had my camera everywhere, and I captured his images as he turned around every second to shake lawyers who offered their hands to shake him. He became an instant celebrity, for people who didn’t know him before then. I was one of them. I joined other lawyers on the queue to get a share of the handshake, I sure did.
Jam Jam, the Crack Litigator
M.U Ibrahim was a crack litigator. In court, he was a colossus. As our friendship evolved, I began to carry his files to court, I began to do some of his matters. I needed to equip myself with litigation experience, and Jam Jam gave me that platform. He was very generous.
Another Good Man is Gone
I was switching off the gas cooker which I bought with the money he gave me on one of the occasions that I went to court for him, when the sad call came in. Jam Jam has passed. The voice on the other side told me. I froze. Another good man is gone.
M.U Ibrahim, was a good man. His demise will leave behind a painful vacuum that I am sure will never be filled. I am consoled by the fact that death is an inevitable end that will come when it will come. May he rest in peace.
"THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION IN 2009 WAS HELD IN LAGOS. ON THE 20TH OF AUGUST, PA TUNJI GOMEZ, MOVED THE HISTORIC MOTION TO ABOLISH THE RANK OF SENIOR ADVOCATE OF NIGERIA. M.U. IBRAHIM WAS THERE. WHEN HE SPOKE ON THE ISSUE, ALMOST EVERYONE IN THAT HALL FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM, NOT BECAUSE THEY ALL AGREED WITH HIM, BUT BECAUSE HIS COURAGE WAS INFECTIOUS"