The Nigerian social space has been awash recently with debates, commentaries and refuttals about certain previous utterances of Nigeria’s current Minister of Communication and Information Technology Minister, Mallam Isa Pantami that alluded to his association with global terrorism.
The narrative held that the Minister and once fiery Islamic preacher had at various times supported jidahist misadventures of the late Al Quaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and his American citizen accomplice Al Zawqawi that was killed in a USA drone operation in Yemeni. Pantami was also alleged to take addictive pleasure in the extermination of Christians (veilingly and commonly refute as infidels to justify their actions) by Islamic fanatics that he espouses or once espoused as he now claims.
This allegations if true, are not only grievous, but also denotes the fatal irony of power play in Nigeria. In the first place, those holding extremist views under whatever guise that are capable of incinerating our fragile polity do not and should not have any role in governance of the country in the first place. This is because of possibility of using advantage of public space and authority to further their devilish plots. That is why those aspiring for public offices are subjected to personal and family scrutiny by security agencies before they are confirmed. Secondly, the presence of a person with extremist view in any government puts a stamp of approval on such views as being the philosophy of that government.
For this reason, governments act circumspectively in engaging citizens to occupy public spaces. Even if any person with extremist and divisive opinions manages to slip through the search combs of security agencies, such is asked by a responsive and reasonable government to excuse his or herself for a while until the truth is established. In the case of our Communication Minister, he has himself accepted making some of the inappropriate and inflammatory statements being alleged of him. His excuse was that he was young and impressionable with ‘shallow’ understanding of the Islamic religion that he was so consumed with propagating. These excuses may be valid for what they are worth but if we must believe him, he ought to have excused himself from public space by now. Therefore, his reluctance to abdicate despite the public umbrage at the allegations portend an underlying agenda of the Minister and those who hired him.
This may not augur well for our country and sets a bad precedence for those with varying extremist agendas among us. On part of Buhari’s APC Government, have many of us not said that it is going to be emblemed in nepotism, crass corruption and religious fanaticism from the outset? Have we or have we not been proven right? For empirical truth, take a cursory look at Buhari’s cabinet as presently constituted and what can you see? Can you see a ministerial and extra-ministerial cabinet that is based on ethnic, religious and patrimonial agendas or not? What comes to your mind when rather than advise Mallam Pantami to excuse himself temporarily while the allegations are being investigated, the Presidency ably bodied in the self-assured Presidential Spokesman, Shehu Garba told Nigerians to their faces that it is standing by their embattled Minister.
What a chivalry of official sort in this misruled polity of ours? And to add salt to injury, the Gombe Chapter of APC issued a statement supporting Mallam Isa Pantami who is their member. All these are proves that the much touted ‘change’ agenda by APC in Nigeria is mere deceit, an open lie and a smokescreen for pushing ethnic and religious agenda in the country.
Given the current tussle for central power between hegemonic northern forces and ambitious gang of the party’s southern leader, any discerning onlooker will realize that the current APC Government did not have Nigeria and Nigerians at heart. Rather, it was meant to further the ethno-religious and kleptomanic interests of its gladiators. If Mallam Pantami has principles and any drop of piety in his being as he claims, he ought to have resigned and apologize to Nigerians by now. As for President Buhari and his Government, needless to advocate any rightful action for them because as he has shown time and again, he is impervious to correction and feelings of the nation. And I don’t blame him whatsoever. A nation gets the type of leader that it chooses and deserves. But let it be known to this APC Government that Nigeria belongs to all of us and not to any particular tribe, religion or narrow interests. And the path that the Government is treading currently on crucial matters of national interest is not only dangerous but ominous.
Finally, let me assure all individuals and groups pursuing extremist and decisive agendas meant to plunge Nigeria into chaos and disintegration that they shall fail woefully. And my prayer is that Nigerians should never allow people in the mold of those currently governing us to gain ascendancy again under any pretext. We are greater than what we are witnessing currently in government.
Usman Okai Austin
Writes from Abu