Mixed Reactions as Pantami becomes a “Professor” -By Usama Abdullahi

For the past couple of days there were some sort of mixed reactions about the latest professorial rank granted to the Minister of Communication and digital Economy, Dr Isah Ali Pantami, by FUTO, Owerri. I had decided not to engage in the topic but upon seeing the way some people misunderstood the facts and how others got outrage about it, then I would wish to chip in.

This same matter caused a little squabble between me and a friend. When I told him that I was really shocked to hear the recent rise of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy to the rank of professor, he kind of attack me in a very aggressive manner. He thought I was envious of the Minister, and resolved to calling me names. I tried to calm him down and to put him on the know but he was too furious to attend to me.

Seeing that he insisted on being harsh towards me, so I too chosed to act the same. As I began my talks, I was glad to have seen him mute. Then I continued by saying that, Dr Isah Ali Pantami is a scholar I so much respected and admired for his vast Islamic and Western Knowledge. You can attest to that if you could go through my phone’s playlist.

I’m sure you would come across many of his audio and video while delivering homilies. After clearing his uncertainties about my true admiration for the man, yet I began to prove to him why I had such feelings of misgiving about the Minister’s “appointment” to the highest academic rank at a university.

First, I recounted him what I know of the criteria to attaining professorship in the educational system. But to my surprise, he denied and, this time, vented his lividity on me. Sadly, he blatantly displayed himself in a huffish manner, which I disdain and rather avoid in whatsoever situations. I hate it when a person begins to exhibit such kind of bumptious posture towards me likewise people in general.

In that situation, my friend undeservedly failed to comprehend all that I wanted to let him know. Meanwhile, I was also stunned to watch people annoyingly arguing on the media platforms about this same issue.There were mixed reactions; bitter and the otherwise, as they continue to attack themselves.Throughout the day that makes the leading story.

However, what people don’t get is, at least there’re some certain requirements which is expected of an academic to meet before being conferred with the aforesaid title. So, the reasons why many people, particularly the academics, were confused and had to express their discontent over this is the FUTO’s negligence of the academic standards.

According to the system it’s said that an academic who quits teaching, research or no longer render service to the university cannot be promoted to the rank of professor. And what threw people into this disorder: making them to hold grudges against each other, was/is the fact that the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Pantami, has since ( for about some years now) taken his leave from the system and embraced the ministerial seat.

Therefore, by looking at this we now understand that it’s not envy that got people talking. Also, we could grasp the reasons why people were fuming over and had to show their disapproval towards that. Yet one primary thing to be considered is, we shouldn’t fault the person of the Minister rather the university involved; which bypassed the academic standards of promoting a person to the professorial rank.

Usama Abdullahi writes from Jos, Plateau. He’s a public analyst.