A non-governmental organisation, Centre for Law and Civil Culture (CLCC), has called on the embattled Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Mallam Isa Pantami, to emulate the former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and tender his resignation letter without further delay.
Specifically, the centre gave the minister 14 days to tender his resignation letter or it will have no other option but to approach the court of law to compel the president to remove him from office.
CLCC stated this in a statement jointly signed by it’s Executive Secretary, Abdulganeey Imran, and the Chief Strategist, Bayo Bernard.
The Centre urged Pantami to follow the path of former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who resigned her ministerial position over alleged forged NYSC certificate.
According to CLCC, the position of the minister of communication of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is too sensitive to be left in the hands of a person whose act and utterances in the past had clearly established his sympathy to both local and international terror groups.
The statement reads “The attention of the Centre for Law and Civil Culture (CLCC) has been drawn to the ongoing controversy that surrounds the alleged placement of Nigerian Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Mallam Isa Patanmi, on the United State of America terrorist watch list”.
“The placement was sequel to series of statements the Minister had made in the recent past that clearly established that he had some kind of sympathy and relationship with terror groups like al Qaeda and the Taliban”.
“CLCC is worried and concerned that the position of the minister of communication of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is too sensitive to be left in the hands of a person whose act and utterances in the past had clearly established his sympathy to both Local and international terror groups, especially at this material point in time when the country is facing unprecedented security challenges.
CLCC is equally surprised and worried on how the Minister, Mallam Isa Patanmi, was able to scale through the routine rigorous background check that the men of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) usually conducts on designated ministerial nominees and wonder how the DSS did not come across such inflammatory and unguarded statements Credited to the Minister.
“Furthermore, the CLCC also frowns at the refusal and failure of the Nigerian Governments to discourse this sensitive national issues at the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday, 21st March, 2021 with a view to confronting the Minister on the views he has expressed on various platforms before he became the Minister”.
“By virtue of the statements credited to the minister in the past, which statements have never been denied by the Honourable Minister, we genuinely believe that he is not a fit and proper person to occupy the position and continue as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The CLCC therefore call on the Honourable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Mallam Isa Pantami to emulate the Former Minister of Finance (Mrs. Kemi Adeosun who resigned her ministerial position over alleged forged NYSC certificate) and drop his resignation letter as a Minister of Communication and Digital Economy without further delay.
CLCC warns that if the Minister fails to tender his resignation and the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhamadu Buhari fails and refuses to relieve him of his appointment within fourteen (14) days, of this press release, we shall be constrained to approach the court of law to compel the president to remove him from office”.
