Who is Afraid of Pantami? By Desmond Ekwueme
There is one very worrisome but peculiar, shameful and destructive act within the presidency according to impeccable sources. Once President Muhammadu Buhari loves you, you are hated, haunted and marked for failure. You become a target of power mongers. Talking about those who ensure the system doesn’t work without them. They believe that without them nothing works. They want to be seen and called THE PRESIDENT’S MEN.
They employ crude tactics, native intelligence, myopic views and hostile tendencies….tricks, pretence, backbiting, backstabbing, queries, cynicisms, propagandas, rumours and media attackdogs among others just to pull you down.
You are chased from pillar to post. You are frustrated by the power mongers who see themselves as power brokers. They tail you. They trail you. They tempt you….and they track you every step on the way. Their radar is on you 24 hours 7 days.
They lay landmines on your path. They plot your fall with traps. They even employ footsoldiers, cronies, lieutenants, associates and even their children as whistleblowers waiting to sound the alarm bell or trumpet, to announce your fall and shame.
Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami is 47. He is the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy. A young vibrant, diligent, dedicated and enterprising Nigerian. His kinds are those needed in and around government to help move Nigeria forward. His vigour, passion and patriotism are second to none. These are the qualities that have endeared him to Mr. President.
But the young man is hated for being close to Buhari or being loved by Buhari. The knives are already out….as his foes are seeking for ways to strike the big blow. They want him out. Just like Ibe Kachikwu and Isaac Adewole among others were kicked out.
What are the offence or sins of Pantami? When Mr. President called for ministerial nominees from Gombe State. Three names were submitted to him. None of them was Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami. The President queried and asked why the young man’s name was omitted from the shortlist of three.
The President himself pencilled down Pantami’s name and went ahead to appoint him Minister. The nominees whose names were submitted but were not picked nor appointed formed a “pressure group” and vowed to pull Pantami down.
They teamed up with some influential figures in the presidency. It became a gang up and full blown war against the Minister when allies of his predecessor were equally employed in the battle.
Add these to the anger by a serving Minister, who is desperately eyeing Pantami’s portfolio or seat and, you will understand the kind of shenanigans going on against him. They even frowned at and kicked against the addition of “Digital Economy” to his designation as Communications Minister. They either turned blind eyes to the standard practise across the world or were simply ignorant of it.
They told lies against the Minister. They ridiculously claimed despite his strong denials that he was eyeing Government House, Gombe in 2023 as if the office of Governor was an exclusive right to some or it was strange or a crime if he actually nursed such ambition. They even said he was being positioned by Mr. President for some higher office or offices.
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Matters went from bad to worse when Mr. President exempted Pantami and Adamu Adamu from the Ministers who should liase with his Late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari when he (President) was away. They wondered how the young man became so influential in less than six months after he was appointed in August 2019.
Little wonder Pantami’s name flew around among the list of six speculated to takeover from the Late CoS. Recently, the Chairperson of Nigeria in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Eruwa had a needless faceoff with Pantami. The fact that it became a media war is quite surprising and suspicious to say the least. This is an issue that normally would be resolved between two ministers, but how it degenerated to media war is still worrisome.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) which is a parastatal under Pantami’s Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has been housing Dabiri-Eruwa’s office. Reports suggest that the Commission had need of the office which ideally and in the first place should be under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs….and hell was let loose.
One would have thought that Pantami and his foreign affairs counterpart would have looked at the issue or resolve it amicably if really the latter is the supervising ministry of the Diaspora Commission. But the name calling, insults and aspercions hurled at Pantami over this matter and the disaffection it is generating is most unfortunate.
Dabiri-Eruwa has the right to worry or query the police or those who threw her things out of the office. But one wonders where the Foreign Affairs Minister was when this drama occurred. One equally wonders if Dabiri-Eruwa’s office is not under the Foreign Affairs Ministry. And if so since hers is a commission, why was it impossible for her to secure a befitting office rather than attaching in another ministry. It seems something is fundamentally wrong with the whole arrangements of allotting offices to agencies, commissions, parastatals and ministry from the onset.
However, government officials must learn to comport themselves like true or real public servants. When governance degenerates to issues like this, it leaves more to be admired. Government is exposed to ridicule by such development.
One sincerely thinks, Dabiri-Eruwa needs to thread softly….before hers is seen by critics as one trouble too many. The publishing of 77 names of Nigerians sentenced to life imprisonment and death over offences ranging from drug trafficking to cyber crimes overseas a couple of years ago still lingers. Needless reminding us that it embarrassed this administration especially the ethnic colouration attached to the report.
Dabiri-Eruwa has had a sterling career with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). One feels the experience gathered should be employed for greater success in this higher assignment. Dabiri-Eruwa is too Honourable a personality to be hired by anyone to join in the war against Pantami. I stand to be corrected.
Public office holders must remember that they will not serve the public forever rather their services before retirement or exit will be the legacy, they would be remembered for.
All hands must be on deck to move government and governance forward. Part of this is that the Hon. Minister of Communication and Digital Economy and his able Director-General/Chief Execurive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) Kashif Inuwa Abdullahi who is equally working tirelessly to improve the sector should be fully supported as they bring on reforms to stabilise the communications sector.
The reduced tariff charges by network providers especially on calls, sms, data usage and the sim cards registration crackdown on defaulters are just a few of the handful of efforts put in by Pantami and his team. Surely, if encouraged, they will do more!
Desmond Ekwueme writes from Abuja
