Isa Pantami comments and why Nigeria goment stand by Minister of Communication
Nigeria presidency don describe di call for President Muhammadu Buhari to remove di kontri Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Ali Isa Pantami from office as "cancel campaign".
Dr Isa Ali Pantami Di presidency through statement wey senior media aide to di President, Garba Shehu sign say di Minister dey "currently, subject to 'cancel campaign' wey pipo wey want di removal of di minister dey instigate." Dis comments by Garba Shehu dey come afta days of pressure by some Nigerians wey don call on di minister to resign or make di president comot am from office sake of e past extreme religious views. End of Twitter post, 1 Trends for Twitter with hashtags #Pantamimustgo and #Pantamiresign na im come lead to Garba Shehu inside statement. Shehu for di statement say pipo: "no really care wetin he [Pantami] fit or fit no don tok some 20 years ago: dat na merely di instrument wey dem dey use to attempt to "cancel" am. But dem go profit if we stop am from making decisions wey go improve di lives of everyday Nigerians." Im add say: "Di Minister don, rightly, apologize for wetin im tok for early 2000s. Di views dey absolutely unacceptable then, and go dey be equally unacceptable today, if im repeat am. But im no go repeat dem..." Wetin lead to dis? Di call for di minister to resign begn after Peoples Gazette comot one old video of im past views wia im bin sympathetic wit terrorist organisations. Pantami initially deny say im hold any extremists views and call di reports defamation of character by pipo wey dey against im policies as di minister of communication and digital economy. Later, for one interview wey Daily Trust report, di minister acknowledge im past views but tok say im don since renounce those radical comments. "Some of di comments I make some years ago wey dey generate controversies now bin dey based on my understanding of religious issues at di time, and I don change several positions wey I take in di past based on new evidence and maturity," na so Daily Trust bin quote wetin di minister tok when im answer questions during e daily Ramadan lecture for Al-Noor Mosque. "I bin dey young when I make some of di comments; I bin dey university, some of di comments I make am when I be teenager..." W 'Buhari administration stand behind Pantami' Di statement by di Presidency add say di Minister "don dey lead di charge against illegal data deductions and pricing; im don revolutionize di government virtual public engagement to respond to Covid-19 and save taxpayers' money; im don establish ICT start-up centres to boost youth entrepreneurship..." Nigeria presidency claim say newspaper editors bin reject attempt to financially induce dem to run smear campaign against minister by some ICT companies. Allegation wey BBC no fit verify. But oga Garba Shehu tok say di government now dey investigate di veracity behind di claims of attempted inducement. Finally di statement tok say President Muhammadu Buhari administration "stand behind Minister Pantami and all Nigerian citizens to ensure dem receive fair treatment, fair prices, and fair protection in ICT services." "The administration stands behind Minister Pantami and all Nigerian citizens to ensure they receive fair treatment, fair prices, and fair protection in ICT services."