On Pantami’s pantomime

By Igboeli Arinze

Isa Pantami was allegedly one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s finest appointments, he exuded ideas and stood out from the pack.

But then came the revelation that the super minister was at one time known to have espoused views that were sympathetic of radical Islam and that he had supported jihadist  and Islamic terrorism.

As a Nigerian and supporter of the Buhari administration, let me say that I am indeed shocked by the fact that such a character in the person of Isa Pantami could have found his way into government as a Minister, I mean here is a government that is engaged in a forever never ending battle with Boko Haram, it then turns around to appoint someone with views that are indeed similar to what the same Boko Haram profess, for what is the difference between Al Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Boko Haram? Is ISIS not a successor to Al Qaeda and in turn is Boko Haram presently not a vestige of ISIS even bearing the name Wilayat Garb Ifriquiya or Islamic State for West African Province, ISWAP.  How could this have gone beyond the watchful eyes of the State Security Services and other security agencies that may have had Pantami on their watchlist.

Rather than apologise and resign, Pantami has resorted to playing out a pantomime, seeking to attract sympathy and arguing that he has long renounced such sentiments, blaming such tendencies on his youth.

Yes, Pantami may have claimed to have renounced such views, but where and when did he renounce them? How old was he when he churned views that were unapologetically in support of Boko Haram, Al Qaeda and the Taliban? Again, one may seek to ask how young was Pantami when he as Chief Imam of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Mosque was alleged to have orchestrated the killing of a 400 level student for sharing tracts that were alleged to have blasphemous views about Islam? Was he a teenager at these various stages? Given that Pantami will be 49 years of age this October, such an age then puts paid to his blaming his views on his teenage years because as at the time, groups like Al Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram began to flourish, Pantami must have been in his late twenty’s or early thirty’s, except I do not know what age is stipulated as teenage years again.

While I may concede that it may have been possible for a Pantami to have reconciled his extremist views before now, the truth is that such views even with its assumed reconciliation will forever leave a bitter taste in the mouths of Nigerians, particularly at a time when the nation is been overwhelmed with a number of conspiracy theories as regards the war against Boko Haram and the rising spate of banditry.

Give or take, not only will Nigerians be wary but even the international community would definitely not be comfortable that a government that claims it is fighting terrorism is also at the same time safely harboring someone with sympathies to the the same terrorists.

What about those who have loved lost ones, limbs and properties owing to the senselessness we all have experienced  in the past few years which can be traced to the promotion of certain radical ideologies similar to the same views that a Pantami held as his views and publicly preached , will a Pantami pantomime like apology resurrect the dead, will it heal the limbs lost or return properties and livelihoods lost? Will it heal the pain and reverse the trauma suffered?

Even as the presidency has come out to defend Pantami, citing that he is been trolled for his good works in the Ministry for Communications and Digital Economy, I much believe that it is making a big mistake for toeing such path. Throwing a pity party for Pantami sends a negative image to Nigerians and the world, it portends that there are two kinds of Nigerians, from which are applied two different set of laws. For it means that tomorrow, should an Abubakar Shekau renounce his views on Boko Haram then his sins and numerous acts against the Nigerian State will be forgiven.

These are the actions that make me wonder if Nigeria isn’t really the theatre of the absurd. For me it would have been better for the government to have kept mum on the issue rather than come out to defend Pantami.  Such a defence would continue to haunt this administration which has made a number of policy missteps previously in the granting of amnesty to repentant Boko Haram members who in turn are alleged to become spies for the sect.

The honorable path now for Pantami is to resign from this government to save this administration any umbrage from its citizenry and the international community, retaining his job for whatever ‘Alice in Wonderland ‘reason offered will only create a number of bad precedents in the future, Pantami despite this pantomime of his should just go!