The Isa Pantamis in Our Midst

The Frontlines By Joseph Ushigiale

The raging controversy involving the outing of Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami as an extremist who is being watched by America’s secret service is an issue that should not be treated with kids gloves such as the government is currently doing.

If not well handled, Nigeria stands to be classified as a terrorist state on account of defending Pantami. Not only that, the most ludicrous and laughable part of all this tomfoolery is the conclusions that the Information Communications and Technology companies are behind Pantami’s woes. How?

In spite the damning evidence swelling around Pantami’s extreme religious views, the northern establishment embraced him, courted him and even gifted him choice appointments. Yet, our own security agencies either out of negligence or deliberate inaction, continued clear him for these positions.

Pantami was having a field day, dinning and wining with the high and mighty and taking important decisions for government. But the bubble for him burst when it was revealed that America’s secret service have placed him on a watch list. This is usually an action taken when an individual is considered extremely dangerous because of his views which have the propensity to cause negative reactions in societies example Pantami’s support for Taliban and Al-qaeda terrorists.
Trouble began for the minister after Peoples Gazette unearthed his past views which were sympathetic to terrorist organisations.

“We are all happy whenever unbelievers are being killed,” Peoples Gazette quoted Pantami as saying in an audio recording. “But the Sharia does not allow us to kill them without a reason.
“Our zeal (hamasa) should not take precedence over our obedience to the sacred law.” He was quoted to have said shortly after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in the United States of America where over 3000 reportedly died.

Immediately the story went public, Pantami’s aide tried arm twisting the newspaper, accusing it of bias and attacking the religious views of the minister even if they were extreme.
As the pressure gained momentum, Pantami, who wanted to brush aside the controversy as a storm in a tea cup was forced to make a public statement. In the statement, he blamed his support for Taliban and Al-qaeda terrorists on age and immaturity, adding that although he propagated those views in the past, he has now repented.

“I was young when I made some of the comments; I was in university, some of the comments were made when I was a teenager. I started preaching when I was 13, many scholars and individuals did not understand some of international events and therefore took some positions based on their understanding, some have come to change their positions later.

“Some of the comments I made some years ago that are generating controversies now were based on my understanding of religious issues at the time,” Pantami said.

Pantami’s apology and claim to repentance have drawn a lot of anger and negative reactions. It must be a huge joke for him to think Nigerians are so gullible to accept, hook line and sinker his puerile tale that he has repented. At his age, Pantami’s extremist views can never change. The best he can do is to review or refine them. The only plausible argument that would have been somewhat convincing is to renounce his faith.Therefore, if Pantami wants anyone to take him seriously, he should announce publicly that he has renounced his Islamic faith around which those extreme views were built.

This whole Pantami conundrum has thrown up some very pertinent questions. For instance, why is the whole north silent? There is no single whisper of condemnation against Pantami. Could it be another way of saying, we ‘we endorse is views’ with this total silence?
Here is the same north that is virtually being obliterated by insecurity rather than condemning Pantami, is this a conspiracy of silence? If it now safe to say that the north itself is complicit in its insecurity, or is it a hoax, self inflicted circumstance preparatory for a jihad? Is insecurity in the north self orchestrated? If it is, what is the motivation and does it benefit the elites?

For years, Pantami has bestrode the corridors of power like a colossus. To many, he was a saint. But it took the meticulous searchlight of the American security agencies to smoke him out of his deceitful demeanor. The ministerial position he occupies today is not his first, who cleared Pantami in previous roles he served government?

What did the security agencies discovered about him? Was it reported, if they did, to who and why was action not taken against him? If the present government was aware of a damning security report against Patami, ignored it and still went ahead to hire him, then the government itself has an agenda.

Given the presidency’s statement standing by Patami and accusing ICT companies of carrying out a smear campaign against the minister. Is Patami indispensable? It appears he is given his closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari. It is being rumoured that Patami was arm twisting some northern governors from whom he was getting N6m monthly to fund Buhari’s political activities?
So why blame the ICT companies here? There are claims that the ICT companies are angry over the ban on new sim registration. What was the rationale behind banning the sale of sims in the first place? How were duly registered new sims impact on security negatively? Is it that Patami suddenly had no faith in a policy his ministry put in place? If so, why not review it rather than coming up with a unilateral ban on the sale of sims which as impacting the revenues of the ICT companies. Nonetheless, while the ban lasted, was government subsidizing the ICT companies who were losing revenue?

In my view, if at all the ICT companies are behind this expose, and if this Buhari government is sincere with fighting terrorism, it should salute rather than hound the companies for doing their job of exposing an extremist lurking within.

With the position the Buhari administration has decided to take on this matter rather than ordering an investigation, the country is not only further polarized, it is also already becoming clear there could be more Pantamis that the Buhari government is incubating and harboring within.
It has also put a question mark as to the sincerity of the Buhari administration to fighting insecurity and terrorism. For a key suspect like Patami who has attracted the attention of United States of America, causing him to be placed on watch list, a clean bill of health by government for Patami has completely rubbished all its rhetorics of fighting terrorism and insecurity.

At a time global attention is focused on smoking out all suspected terrorists and individuals suspected of sympathizing or holding extreme views, the verdict on Patami by the Buhari government would surely lead to a boomerang effect on Nigeria.