WHY PANTAMI SHOULD RESIGN NOW

Terrorism is as old as man. All through the ages man has always had the unbridled quest for domination and control through any available means no matter how obnoxious and repugnant.

The invincibility of the United States who became a global power in 1945 after the Second World War was broken through the September 11, 2001 attack on her World Trade Centre in New York which led to the loss of thousands of lives. The reign of terror spread to London in 2004 when the famous Underground train station was bombed. Our own erudite Professor Pat Utomi narrowly escaped the cold hands of death in the blast.

The advent of Boko Haram in 2002 and its militant approach in 2009 has brought terrorism closer to the doorsteps of Nigerians. Every day the press regales us with suicide bombings making mincemeat of a former assertion that we were once the happiest people on earth.

To be associated with terrorism is worse than a mortal sin even if it is a mere joke. Ask Prince Harry who faced public opprobrium when he once wore a Swastika on Halloween day.

A national newspaper first blew a story on April 11 that the Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami was a terrorist sympathizer. The paper credited “Western Intelligence” with linking Pantami with Al-Qaeda leaders and paying glowing tributes to them in YouTube videos. It also cited “Middle Eastern Intelligence” sources that photos of Pantami and his jihadist allies are trending.

Other media dug up old videos which showed some amount of sympathy to international terrorist groups. Such headlines such as “We are all happy whenever unbelievers are being killed”; “I support terrorist groups like Taliban, Al-Qaeda, not Boko Haram”; as well as “Boko Haram terrorists are our Muslim brothers, shouldn’t be killed like pigs,” were credited to Mr Pantami.

Some Twitter influencers took to the micro blogging site to create a hashtag #ResignIsaPantami. Pantami bowing to public pressure said that he once had extremist views in his youth but had ‘repented’. Some of his supporters opined that the reason for his persecution is because he stepped on some powerful toes in the current NIN registration as sim cards were not sold for some months leading to massive loss of revenue by the telecommunications companies. A counter thread was created on Twitter opposing the call for him to resign.

Terrorism is a grave issue and there should be zero tolerance for its sympathizers. The critical question to ask is, how come Pantami made it to the Buhari cabinet when the Department for State Services (DSS) is saddled with the onerous responsibility of screening potential ministers and other political appointees through rigorous security checks?

Terrorism has cost the loss of millions of lives and millions more have been greatly set back by becoming refugees and internally displaced persons. His admission of guilt at uttering those reprehensible statements should make President Muhammadu Buhari show him the door. In sane countries, he would have resigned after his guilt admission for the DSS to conduct unbiased investigations. But alas we are unfortunate to be domiciled in a state where the theatre of the absurd reigns supreme!

Nigerians who fought with their blood for this joke of a democracy shouldn’t give up in their cry for Pantami to be forced to resign. The DSS will be biased in investigating him while he is still a minister. If former Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun could resign, then Pantami should not be spared. What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander!

Public office holders should be mindful of their statements in public and private. I join my countrymen in the loud cry that #Pantamimustresign!

Tony Ademiluyi, co-founder, The Vent Republic Media, Lagos