Dr Isa Pantami: Redefining Governance in Contemporary Nigeria -By Muhammad Isa Gaude

Achievers are known. They are not known by their faces. Achievers are known by what they can deliver and the mazes and even the catawampuses they had to circumvent through in attempt to get to their aspirations.

It’s obvious that achieving in Nigeria is a great task. A giant work. You could conceive a dream, an idea of achieving something outrageous in times of war, pandemic or even during great depressions in some parts of the world and succeed. Achieving is a lifestyle for some. But dare dream of making a change in Nigeria today and that’s only when you will realize that you are trudging on a thorny path. A quagmire. A real catawampus.

Evidently, many personalities holding public offices in Nigeria are good. They are known. They are adored. They are capable of defying odds, I mean all odds and delivering on their given responsibilities. They could build roads, bridges and railways. They could construct ultramodern hospitals and the state of the art schools. But the system has been weakened. The system is collapsing. And the masses constantly heaping blames and abuses on the leaders both in the mainstream and the social media are to blame. They assist in strangulating excellence. They embrace mediocrity. They love corruption. They adore ineptitude.

I read a post by Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, the current Minister of Communication and Digital Economy on the first virtual Federal Executive Council. Such a giant stride was made possible by his ministry as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic which has pushed the world to adopt alternatives. The first thing that comes to my mind is that it takes only a well defined personality to understand what to do at a time like ours. Not only that, it takes a man of greater will to be able to bring about such projects to reality in Nigeria in a very short period of time without likely falling into one of the following two things.

Firstly, I have spoken about the common ineptitude of many Nigerians. Public office holders could conceive ideas and announce such plans, and truly meaning to bring such plans to fruition. And that very day some unpatriotic individuals would unsheath their swords towards ensuring that such plans are foiled even if they don’t stand of gaining anything from such failures. They revel in the failure of leaders in any effort to bring development to the country.

Secondly, projects in Nigeria are sometimes ways of enriching some few individuals. In fact let me be very succinct. They are sometimes routes abetting and creating scandals. But I have followed, in awe, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, they have recorded landmark projects. Projects Nigerian never imagined were possible. The current Minister has pioneered projects eliciting the potentials of the ministry. Nigerians now know that the ministry is not all about asking MTN and Glo to reduce tariff. The ministry is a hub of linking Nigeria with Nigerians and relinking Nigerians with the outside world and placing the world on the palm of every Nigerian.

It is very surprising that despite technical and logistics morbidity in Nigeria, an individual could emerge and challenge the status quo. He is redefining the mindset of Nigerians. Infact even those whose preoccupation is undue criticism and cynicism have no option but to accept that something new, something different is happening in the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy in Nigeria. They might have been looking at a wound to poke. But I guess their silence signifies their inability to find any wound; raw or even a scar. Dr. Isa Ali Pantami is energetic. He is agile. He is leading his team. He is aware of every move in his ministry. He is digital in all ramifications. But he goes about to ascertain the level of his staff engagement. He doesn’t boss around and spend time eating biscuit. Far from that. His actions are speaking louder than his voice. He has a certain definition of life and he is ever ready to live through his definition.

I have to confess that Dr. Isa Ali is speaks to a lot of people every week in the country and to the world. But that is due to the fact that that away from being a minister, he is a cleric. He is spiritual. He still leads lots of people to salvation. Muslims are inspired in their thousands everyday.

I believe that while Dr. Pantami is setting the pace today, he has the thought of Nigeria and it’s citizens in mind. A single Nigerian with a digital mindset has brought about a total overhaul not only on the economy but also on the mindset of Nigerians. Now think of the teeming Nigerian youths. Think of what they are capable of achieving given an opportunity. And now Dr. Pantami is providing the arena for every Nigerian with desire to develop his digital capacity. Fellow youths, wake up from your debilitating slumber and utilize the opportunity of a lifetime. Nigeria could become the digital focal point of the world if the much needed support and encouragement is provided by the government. Nobody has said that a black man could only be the best at being corrupt and lazy.

While he was at NITDA, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami redefined the agency. He gave it a name. He placed it in it’s rightful place in the society. I have known young boys and girls that have never placed their fingers on a keyboard. But lots of them today are proud holders of a certificate in basic computing. I have a neighbor who confessed that he wouldn’t have known how to write his JAMB if he hadn’t received free training from one of the NITDA centers.

Today, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami has redefined the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria. If President Muhammadu Buhari, or any future president, is away from the country on official assignments, he could still chair the council. If a minister has to travel out of Abuja and still wishes to partake in the council, Dr. Isa Ali’s innovation has made it possible for him to join in. This is a sign that Nigeria has truly come of age. Nigeria is now on the digital map of the world.

It’s clear that Dr. Isa Ali Pantami has come not to be a minister of mouth-making. He has proven beyond doubt that achievement is in his DNA. The ministry is set to uplift the country digitally. The era of total reliance on crude oil is gone. It is a thing of history. That is the focal point of the minister.

Dr. Isa Ali Pantami is innovative. His contemporary mindset is keeping aloof of self aggrandizement and avarice. The country comes first. Achievers are not self centered. They work for the betterment of the society and the world at large even at the detriment of their time and rest. They prefer the praise of posterity against the thickness of their pockets today. They forget mediocrity and run after excellence. They shun the glistening evil and hold on the the red hot rod of truth. This is what I see in Dr. Isa Ali Pantami.

The line is drawn. The action is in full swing. The pendulum is oscillating. In absolute support, we urge you to keep the pace. Turn every analog Nigerian into a contemporary digital personality. Do not leave any stone unturned in digitizing the economy of Nigeria.

Muhammad Isa Gaude writes from Gombe State. He is the president of Gombe Jewel Writers’ Association.
muhdgaude@gmail.com