Why Pantami Became a Target of Fake News Content -By Adnan Abdullahi Adam

The Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka once stated that fake news will trigger a Third Word War, and it will start right from Nigeria, the Soyinka’s “prophesy” appears to carry some iota of “testimony”; considering how fake news, hate speeches, cyber bullying became widespread, dominating Nigerian cyber space to the extent of threatening peaceful harmony of the nation.

Over the last week, an online Independent Newspaper fabricated a very disturbing news report which says Dr Isa Ali Pantami, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy is ‘on the watch list of the America’s intelligence Service’. At once, some reputable news media outlet embark on the fact-checking mission on the credibility of the news which revealed there is no evidence that Mr Pantami is on the watch list for terrorism of the US, as reported by the debunked newspaper.
After deleting the news from its websites, the news platform later apologized and retracted the report, while the minster vows to seek redress for defamation before the court of law.

The news is appears to be a sheer act of defamation of character against the minister for his no non-sense stance on regulating telecommunication companies’ activities regarding SIM registration exercises. As it seems there is conspiracy against the Mr Pantami sponsored by some powerful people who connived to cast him in a ditch at any cost.

Subsequently, some media houses gang up with social media “influencers” to create and galvanize #PantamiResignNow which became trending topic on Twitter over related allegations that the Minister was one time a sympathizer of Al- Qaeda, Taliban, Boko Haram which ignited another wave of smearing campaign against the minister which was intended to force him to resign from his post.

This sustained smear campaign is reported to be sponsored by some powerful individuals who see the Minster as stumbling block who refuses to be bribed or yield to their self-serving ambition. Thus, they launched a malicious media warfare attacks to disgrace the minister for his selfless service to the God and the nation.

Rewiring our Thinking:

The most difficult thing human being to do is to think. But, not everyone in endowed to think positively , even formal schools in most advanced countries fails to invent a potent methodology on how teach human to think and to acquire problem-solving skills in this turbulent world of 21st century.
As saying goes on” You are what you think”. If you think positively, your action will translate into that, and if you think in negative terms your actions will also equally translate into that. We must try with our short comings as human being to rise above hate speeches and ethnic jingoism if we aspire to live one in Nigeria.

An individual speeches and actions are the by-product of his thought and reasoning. Then, If we are to solve our problems, as a nation, we must start by changing our pattern of thinking in a more positive and productive way. To say the least, as Nigerians, changing our thinking is first condition for changing our social circumstances.
It seems like we are living 100 years behind the times, because of our inability to learn from history of political, economic, religious struggles of the outside world, and to borrow from their wisdom, to figure out means of achieving our social and political reforms.

Throughout the course of modern history there are few people that bend the history. Those who wrote their names with ink of gold and become household name globally, such iconic historical figures like Mahatma Gandhi of India, Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Martin Luther King Jr. of America
Through their strategic thinking, passive protests and non-violent struggles Mahatma Gandhi of India delivered his people from the cruelty of British colonial administration. So also, Nelson Mandela who was imprisoned for 30 years for his civil right campaigns against apartheid regime of South Africa.

American history will be incomplete without Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was shot dead in 1968 for his non-violent civil rights activism against racial discriminations of black and non-white community. He is forever remembered as martyr who died for freedom and equality of all American citizens regardless of their skin color.

In a complex and multi- ethnic society like Nigeria, only few people are objective who will be able to see the truth as it is, who could formulate a well-informed personal opinions based on social critical analysis devoid of intolerance, bigotry and tribal affiliation.
If Nigerians want live harmoniously, they must imbibe self-restrain and learn to control anger and emotion in any of our national discourse. In solving our problems, we must be guided by critical thinking and rational judgments; we should not allow religious, ethnic and regional sentiment to cloud our subjective judgments.

As they said” correct diagnosis is the half of a cure”. Nigerians must think in abstracts terms in order to identify causal links of their unity with a view of finding out the clear analysis of their condition. They should be able to think for long term consequences of their actions as Khalil Jibran is quoted “we choose our happiness and sorrow longed before we experience them”.

At the Front Gate of Abuja House London:

Not long ago, a viral video appears in which shows Miss Saratu Ishaya Audu, a British-Nigeria lawyer, picketing in front of gate of Abuja house in London. The video which attracts millions viewers shows Miss Saratu raving and cursing President Muhammadu Buhari using expletive language as ‘fool’ ‘bastard’ without exercising self-restrain.

By using unguided utterances and derogatory languages, Miss Saratu portrayed herself not as lawyer and gentle woman. Her behavior is totally outrageous and uncalled-for, and is a clear example of many Nigerian “intellectuals” that are carried away by emotions and resort to ethnic and religious hatred.

For right or wrong, almost every happening in North Africa and Middle East carries some ripple effect in the vast Hausa-speaking states in Northern Nigeria. This is because there is a historical relationship with Islamic/Arab World, since pre-colonial era as result of influence of trade, Islamic religion and culture. And to this day, little has changed about that.

Truly, the controversial statement that even Pantami himself acknowledged to have said, of which implies sympathy with the ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Taliban is due to his youthful hubris, inexperience and lack of through knowledge of political crisis of Middle East and Arab World, so he falls gullible victim of bandwagon follower that is expected during the time at his age.

E-mail: adnanadam37@gmail.com

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