Pantami: Now That He Is Not A Minister -By Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim

I took a long break from writing this series last year. Now that Pantami has completed his tenure, the series continues. I deliberately halted this series until this moment.

Let me begin by congratulating Nigeria’s former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, Ph.D, CON, on behalf of the entire Muslim constituency and patriotic Nigerians, for successfully serving as Communications Minister of our beloved country. Congratulations! We give glory to Allah.

I think it is better to congratulate public office holders who demonstrated exceptional performance after leaving office, rather than just congratulating them upon assuming office. This approach can contribute to the fight against corruption and corrupt people who take pleasure in siphoning public funds.

His exit is indeed a cause for celebration, considering the numerous attacks he survived due to his unwavering dedication and selfless service to his fatherland while in office. Yet, he never ceased working. May Allah continue to bless our country with outstanding leaders.

I am here to celebrate with him for just two reasons: one, he represented the Muslim constituency by refraining from stealing from the public treasury (as there is no single news indicating otherwise); two, above all, he far exceeded everyone’s expectations during his single term of four years, thanks to his vast experience.

Prof. Pantami is often recognized as the first Nigerian minister to have memorised the Holy Qur’an, a fact affirmed by many Nigerians. He has unequivocally demonstrated that those who underestimate observant Muslims must revise their perception, as we are highly capable if given the opportunity.

I anticipated Pantami’s success when I wrote my first article about him sometime in 2019 upon his nomination to serve as a minister in the “Next Level” administration. The article, titled “Ministerial Nomination: Dr. Pantami’s Nomination Not A Surprise,” argued in favour of his nomination solely based on his competence. I am delighted to say that I was not disappointed in the end, as he performed admirably.

A single-term minister who spearheaded the execution of 4,366 tangible projects and programs across Nigeria (with 3,958 completed and 408 ongoing), development of 23 important and timely policies on digital Nigeria, ICT sector highest and unprecedented contribution to the GDP with 18.44%, increased revenue generation by 594% in the ICT through blocking leakages and increasing broadband penetration, establishment of National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, creation of a new agency (Nigeria Data Protection Bureau), National Tier IV Data Centre in Kano and National Shared Setvoce Centre in Abuja along with 3 Computer Security Indicence Response Teams, and the National Identity Enrolment to reach over 100 million enrollees deserves applause. I believe Nigerians are pleased, even if it is for this reason alone.

When BBC Hausa asked the public to name the best minister under former President Buhari’s administration on social media, Prof. Pantami’s name flooded the responses. This comes as no surprise, given the remarkable projects he successfully delivered. For those seeking more data or evidence, the records are publicly available.

Numerous images of employment offers secured for Nigerian youths have surfaced online throughout Pantami’s tenure. If you happen to visit Pantami quarters or Arewa in general, you will meet individuals from poor families who have benefited from the employment opportunities he facilitated and other related opportunities.

The conferral of the national honour upon him as The Commander of The Order of The Niger (CON) did not come as a surprise to many patriotic Nigerians. He truly deserved it for his dedicated service.

For a long time, I have challenged Pantami’s critics to provide evidence of his involvement in any misappropriation of public funds, but they have consistently failed. Until evidence emerges, I cannot tarnish anyone’s reputation. Simple. This is in line with both the provisions of the constitution and the ethics of journalism.

In journalism, we are not trained to blackmail individuals in the absence of evidence or praise wrongdoers in the presence of evidence. Our work is founded on balance and fairness. This reminds me of the common question people ask me whenever I write about Pantami. My answer is simple and clear: I do it in the name of balance, fairness, and patriotism. Nothing more. There are numerous people like me spread across Nigeria, Africa and the world at large who appear in times of need to render their support to him whenever he is attacked for no reason. All, for the love of the nation.

There are indeed numerous Nigerians engaged in misconduct while in office, but evidence always supports the allegations against them. In such cases, you will not find me speaking out. We acknowledge their wrongdoing and advocate for appropriate punishment. That is the teaching of Islam, which promotes justice even if it involves one’s relatives. It is important to stand against injustice and uphold the truth at all times. However, Pantami’s case is rooted in Islamophobia. If this is not the case, then what is it?

My commitment lies in adhering to the truth while fulfilling my job responsibilities. No one says that a report about a public official is wrong, especially when there is concrete evidence, as in the case of accountability journalism. But the truth is that I cannot fabricate lies to appease anyone, as I will eventually die and face Allah, My Creator.

What I do know is that if Pantami was indeed wrong, it would have been exposed by now due to the intense scrutiny surrounding him. As long as he remains faithful and diligent in his work, Nigeria and patriotic Nigerians will continue to support him. What we expect from him is dedication.

I have previously expressed the need for more Pantamis in power positions in Nigeria. If former President Buhari had appointed more individuals with his caliber in other ministries, Nigeria would have progressed to a higher and better level than the current one.

Now that he is not minister, it is the responsibility of the new administration of President Tinubu to appoint competent individuals like Pantami or even those more skilled than him to serve in his cabinet. The sooner this is done, the better it will be for Nigeria. We have seen how a Malam performed. This also led to his emergence as the best performing minister. And we have seen how others performed as well.

In conclusion, I wish Pantami the best in his future endeavours. Nigerians are grateful.

Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim is a multiple award-winning journalist, AIJC fellow, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. He can be reached via awwalbinibrahim@gmail.com