The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has cautioned
the leadership of the Christians Association of Nigeria, CAN, to stop
inciting Christians against Muslims in the wake of the ‘controversy’
surrounding the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa
Ali Pantami.
The NSCIA under the leadership of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto,
Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar, says it has been following heedfully and
meticulously how the country and indeed, the world at large, have been
so much inundated with barrages and deluge of lies, fabrications and
smear campaigns being churned out against the person of Minister
Pantami.
The highest decision making body on Islamic affairs, in a statement
posited that the Minister is a man of impeccable character, a genuine
Islamic scholar, a responsible and right honourable public servant and a
person globally recognized as a man of peace and integrity, saying he
would survive these campaigns of calumny and would come out clean and
stronger when the storms of wicked lies wither away, as they definitely
would.
“It would not take more than a layman’s intelligence to discern the lies
contained in those stories and press releases. Besides the fact that
they are surely handiwork of premeditated and well calculated plots of
witch-hunt , they are as well obviously an outburst of hate, mischief
and desperation all at the same time,” the NSCIA says.
The statement reads further: “As it were, the NSCIA does not normally
involve itself in addressing issues that affect individual persons,
especially those holding political offices whether Muslims or
Christians.
“The NSCIA focusses on addressing issues rather than personalities. It
has, however, been compelled to wade into this matter because of the
dangerous dimensions it has taken. First, those whose stock-in-trade is
hate and prejudice against Islam have found reasons albeit unfounded
ones, to disparage him, pull him down and his religion as a Muslim
scholar with all sorts of awful and dreadful publications.
“Similarly people that do not mean well for this country have also used
the situation as a launch pad for fanning the embers of discord and
causing disaffection to provoke nation-wide violence and hostilities. In
situations like this it becomes imperatives to make rightful, just and
honourable interventions.
“The Hon. Minister has been leading Friday Prayers, conducting Tafsir,
study circles, preaching sessions, delivering lectures for more than 20
years. He has also excelled in his field of computer science/ICT. NITDA
was recommended for scrapping. His coming as its DG made it a vibrant
agency the impact of which is felt all over the country.
“His appointment as Minister of Communication has brought transformation
and vigorous and unprecedented pursuit of mandate of the Ministry. His
effort to put the telecom industry on the path of global best practices
is appreciated by all patriotic Nigerians.
“His stance on deviant and violent groups are their stance on him are
well-known. Then suddenly the mainstream and social media became loaded
with all sorts of trash thrown at the Minister. Today they say he was a
supporter of Taliban. Tomorrow they say he plotted the killing of
Yakowa. Another day they say he is on watch-list.
“The NSCIA as the apex body of Islamic affairs is in a good position to
know Ulama and organizations that harbour deviant ideologies as well as
moderate and nominal Muslims. The statements and actions of the Hon.
Minister speak for themselves.
“The Honourable Minister Pantami remains one of the vital vocal forces
against terrorism and terrorists’ activities in the country. He was
among the pioneer Islamic Scholars who publicly and openly condemned the
activities and antics of Boko Haram Groups. Pantami’s debates especially
with the leader of Boko Haram, Muhammad Yusuf, despite possible
repercussions, unequivocally, proved him to be a frontline and audacious
Nigerian scholar against terrorism.
“His recent interventions against terrorists especially the use of
internet, digital technology tools and mobile communication apparatus
stirs him against the present leadership of Boko Haram. The terrorist
video clips against Dr. Pantami warning that they would eliminate him
are widely circulated by the Nigerian press. No doubt, the present
travails of the Minister proved the fact that terrorism is fighting back
at those who fight it with Dr. Pantami as a clear example.
“With all these very clear achievements on contributing to the
development of Nigeria and indeed to nation-building and peace-making,
it becomes really appalling that the National President of the Christian
Association of Nigeria would join the ignoble band-wagon of the
architects of mischief who peddle lies and fabrications against the
Honourable Minister.
“Forgetting the cordial relationship and mutual understanding and trust
that exist between Christian and Muslim leaders in the Nigerian
Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) and the painstaking efforts we are
making to engender peaceful and harmonious co-existence amongst our
followers, the President of CAN, obviously driven by prejudice, jumped
into the frontline of the unreasonable ones, asking the DSS to go after
Pantami.
“The National President of CAN needs to be reminded that the NSCIA has
always exercised restraints on issues involving individual political
office holders except when it becomes ultimately necessary like in the
present case.
“If the NSCIA has been as prejudicious and as pathologically hateful, it
would have asked Nigerian Government in 2008 and 2009 to arrest and
investigate a one time prominent , active and vocal Christian Minister
who at three different instances bailed the late leader of Boko Haram
when the latter was arrested by the Nigerian Security agents.”