Pantami’s target are non-Muslims, he hasn’t changed, CAN knocks Presidency

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The Christian Association of Nigeria has lambasted the Presidency for defending the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, and his past radical pro-Taliban comments.

The apex Christian body in the country also said non-Muslims have been the target of the minister right from his days as Chief Imam of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University mosque in Bauchi State.

CAN General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, stated this in an exclusive interview with The Punch on Friday.

Pantami has been under fire of late over past pro-Taliban comments supporting the activities of terrorist groups including Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

In audio clips that resurfaced lately, the minister who has been an Islamic scholar for about three decades also once declared that he was always happy when infidels – non-Muslims – were massacred.

Though he has since renounced the comments, blaming immaturity, many Nigerians continue to demand his sacking or resignation.

But in a statement on Thursday, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu ruled out the possibility of the sacking of the minister when he said, “The minister has, rightly, apologized for what he said in the early 2000s. The views were absolutely unacceptable then, and would be equally unacceptable today, were he to repeat them. But he will not repeat them – for he has publicly and permanently condemned his earlier utterances as wrong.

“In the 2000s, the Minister was a man in his twenties; next year he will be 50. Time has passed, and people and their opinions – often rightly – change.”

Speaking with The Punch on Friday, the secretary of the Christian body said it was not surprising that the Presidency swiftly came out to exonerate Pantami despite his past radical views and support for terrorists.

Daramola said, “What do you expect? You think the Presidency will sack him? There is what we call corporate interest. The Presidency is protecting its interest. Didn’t the Presidency appoint Pantami in the first place?

Pantami must have been given specific instructions. Government studies the characters they put in particular positions. If you are eloquent in speaking and you can lie, you can be made minister of communications. If you are one that knows how to fight workers, you can be made minister of labour. If you are known for your academic prowess and you can manipulate the academic environment to suit government policies, they put you in education.

“So, that is what government does. Should we now expect government to say, no, we jettison him (Pantami)? No, they won’t deny him. They have their reasons for making him a minister in the first place.”