It was almost late into the night when the calls came in. Since I didn’t have the number in my phone’s list of contact, I was initially reluctant to answer it. But when the call came again, this time with the ID Caller displaying ‘Isa Pantami’, my heart skipped a beat.

The quite critical article I did on Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy quickly flashed back to my mind.

I had received different comments on the said article, with some friends saying I was not fair to the notable Islamic scholar and digital worldview professional.

Prior to the publishing of the said article, I had only seen him at a distance when he served as a guest speaker at the book presentation of a childhood friend and forensic detective, Dr. Abdullahi Bello, and also at the conference of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), both in Abuja.

Still, on the two occasions, one thing I found impressive was Pantami’s promptness to the events, even arriving earlier than some of the organisers, and then the extempore manner of delivery of his remarks, in which he spoke to subjects and issues that he displayed a captivating command of.

Meanwhile, on October 17, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved Pantami’s submission for the expansion of Ministry of Communication’s mandate to cover the novel and future-looking area of an encompassing digital economy that captures the direction of the global economy which the Nigerian one seeks greater participation in, particularly as anticipated in the strategy laid out in the National Economic Growth and Recovery Plan. As such, he is the first driver of the Nigerian economy in this regard.

I am equally aware that apart from preaching against terrorism for over a decade as an Islamic scholar, Pantami as a digital professional has been in the forefront of advocating for the implementation of ICT-based solutions to tackle insecurity in Nigeria. I with his bosom friends, Jaafar Jaafar of the Gandollar fame and award-winning investigative journalist, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, had causes to discuss, analyse and report the incessant threats of Boko Haram to the minister in our different media platforms.

With all these running through my mind within a span of seconds, I picked the phone that night hoping it could however be one of those scam calls by the growing legion of increasingly sophisticated con artists, known as yahoo-yahoo boys, looking to another victim.

“Assalam alaikum. My name is Isa Pantami. Am I speaking to Mallam Yushau Shuaib?”

Immediately, I recognised the soft voice and responded in the affirmative, “Yes, Sheikh Pantami.”

“I have been reading you for a very long time and I am impressed by some of your contributions to national discourses,” he continued.

I was quite flattered, but being fairly familiar with this sort of ritual, I knew that such praises at the beginning of a conversation could easily take a sharp turn and nosedive into accusations and abuse.

Surprisingly, rather than expressing any reservation, he commended the efforts of our media platforms in the objective reporting being carried out. As he went on, the news instincts of the journalist in me sought some quick responses from him to certain media reports about his alleged conflict with other public officials.

However, he quickly interjected by saying that he was grossly misunderstood and attacked in the media, and that he was not even aware of some of the actions being attributed to him. He ended by saying that, “Surprisingly, I hold in high esteem and respect, some of the officers behind these reports.” Yet, I could sense his feelings about the unfair attacks on his person by the media, as we rounded up the call, with his promise to see me soon.

Weeks later I received an invitation from the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa to attend virtual commissioning of ICT projects in the first year of President Buhari’s second tenure in office.

I was amazed at the unveiling of dozens of ICT projects across the country within a few hours. In attendance at the virtual commissioning of the projects in Abuja were the Ministers of Information, Lai Mohammed; Interior, Ogeni Aregbosla; Aviation, Hadi Sirika and the Minister of State for Works, Abubakar Aliyu. Governors Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, Hope Uzodinma of Imo and Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa State were equally present at the unique event.

The two phases of the event were beamed live on big screens. Gracing the occasion at the other end on different locations were university Vice-Chancellors, public officers, religious leaders, traditional rulers and security chiefs, among others.

Some of the digital projects commissioned during the two phases of the event included the School Knowledge Centres (SKC), Tertiary Institution Knowledge Centre (TIKCs), ICT Innovation Hubs, Digital Skills for Entrepreneurs and Innovators, Community IT Training Centres, Virtual Examination Centres, and the newly completed Emergency Communication Centres (ECC).

More significant is the E-Health Centre, which aims to improve access to healthcare service delivery at medical facilities and the E-Accessibility Project that promotes digital inclusion of persons with disabilities through the provision of ICT and assistive technologies for institutions catering for their needs

All the facilities were delivered with adequate infrastructure and tools for ICT teaching and learning, including the Virtual Academy, which provides digital skills to citizens for economic empowerment (digitalnigeria.gov.ng).

Apart from these facilities provided within a year of Pantami’s tenure, his Ministry has also developed many policies to address concerns in the sector. These include the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030 (NDEPS); Roadmap for the Implementation of the NDEPS; the National Broadband Plan 2020-2025; SIM Card Registration Policy; and the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Telecommunications Sector (Draft). Also, the National Policy on Virtual Meeting in the Federal Public Institutions (Draft); National Dig-Once Policy; and the National Policy on Internet.

Meanwhile, concerned about efficient productivity, the Minister also commissioned the Computer Emergency Response and Readiness Centre, the Digital Media Studio for Virtual Learning and the Digital Conference Centre for Remote Collaboration at the Nigeria Information and Technology Agency (NITDA).

NITDA’s IT Project Clearance (ITPC) also successfully cleared the Unique IT Projects of the ministries, departments and agencies of government (MDAs) and saved the government N5 billion, while it commenced enforcement action against MDAs that flout the Local Content Policy of the Buhari administration.

Presently, the structures of the Emergency Communication Centres (ECCs), a project under the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) are now available in 34 states of the federation, with the toll-free emergency number, 112, activated in 19 of these states.

In the attempt to improve the efficiency and modernisation of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), the Minister has approved the unbundling of the service into five companies, to cover Banking and Insurance, Property Development, Logistics Transportation, E-Government Service, and the E-Commerce Service. He also suspended cash payment for the services offered by NIPOST to promote the entrenchment of a national digital economy, while also fighting corruption.

Similarly, in a deliberate commercialisation effort to encourage private sector investment, Pantami endorsed the creation of Strategic Business Units within the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), which now operates the Satellite Infrastructure Company and the Satellite Broadband and Broadcast Company. Also, the Galaxy backbone, another agency under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, has securely hosted the Open Treasury Portal to track all government expenditure above a certain threshold.

In accomplishing these tasks, the Minister ensured a synergy across the different parastatals under the Ministry, which now work together as a team and complement each another in their respective mandates. It is therefore not surprising that the broadband penetration in the country has hit over 40%, while the contribution of ICT to the Nigerian GDP reached 14.07% within a year.

I must admit that in all remarks, Dr Pantami gives credit to President Muhammadu Buhari for providing him with the enablement for the projects. I won’t be wrong to describe him as one of the keenest supporters of the President in the cabinet.

Yushau A. Shuaib
Publisher PRNigeria and Economic Confidential

The post Pantami and Digital Economy Projects in Nigeria by Yushau A. Shuaib appeared first on YAShuaib.

The aftermath of unveiling the Digital Economy Complex built by Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) has been the negative commentaries in the public space over the seemingly frosty relationship between the Minister of Communication, Dr. Isa Aliyu Pantami and the Executive Vice President of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta.

The event in mention was to showcase facilities in the complex and announce the coming into full operation of the newly established Emergency Communication Centres (ECCs) for responding to distress calls on security challenges, health problems, and even the spread of the deadly Coronavirus in Nigeria.

In the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister allegedly broke the protocol three times, while attempting to stop the NCC boss from mentioning the Commission’s achievements in a speech. There is also the allegation that a day earlier, at the pre-conference briefing as part of the lined-up events, Dr. Pantami had cautioned Professor Danbatta to remain silent while he (the Minister) was speaking about his academic qualification, among others. There are several other allegations pertaining to misunderstandings on policy issues due to the deteriorating relationship between the Minister and CEO of the Commission that are too disturbing to be discussed here.

While there are instances where master-servant relationships exist between some Ministers and the heads of agencies under their supervision, however there are relevant laws that define what the relationship between ministries and the parastatals under them should be. As instance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) are organisations under the direct or indirect supervision or guidance of the Ministers of Finance, Petroleum, Justice and Information respectively. Still, these establishments enjoy independence from the ministries under whose oversight they are.

It is even shocking to realise that Dr. Pantami and Prof. Danbatta are Northern intellectuals and academics, not politicians, whose relationship ought to be devoid of partisanship and political sentiments. While Professor Danbatta, from Kano State, obtained his B.Eng and MSc degrees from the Technical University of Wroclaw in Poland, Dr. Pantami, from Gombe State, obtained his BTech and MSc qualifications from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi.

Danbatta obtained a PhD from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) and lectured in Bayero University Kano for more than 30 years, where he taught courses in telecommunications engineering and electronics and held the academic positions of Head of Department and Dean of the Faculty at different times.

Pantami, on the other hand, obtained his PhD from Robert Gordon University in Scotland and lectured for 10 years in ATBU, where he taught courses on multimedia and software engineering, before his appointment as Head of Technical Writing at the Islamic University of Madinah in 2014.

Apart from other positive innovations in the telecommunications industry since his appointment as NCC boss, Professor Danbatta ensured the completion of Emergency Communications Centres across the country to promote and enhance public safety through a toll free three-digit number, ‘112’, as the Universal Emergency Communications telephone number in Nigeria. The toll-free number can help distressed persons access help from the Police, Road Safety Corps, Civil Defence Corps, Fire and Ambulance Services and emergency responders.

Prior to his present duty call, some of the major successes of Dr. Pantami had been on his beat as Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). There he had not only been at the fore of organising strategic capacity building initiatives for the information technology sector, but he had equally been responsible for enforcing the Nigerian Guidelines on Local Content Development and Data Localisation Regulation. This remarkable feat had resulted in an unprecedented increase in the patronage of locally assembled devices, IT service providers and the repatriation of substantial data assets of the Federal Government, which had previously been hosted outside Nigeria.

Immediately, on his appointment as Communications Minister, Dr. Pantami had, among other things, tasked the NCC to link Subscriber Identification Number (SIM) cards, with National Identification Cards (ID cards) and Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) as a means of checkmating criminal and terrorist activities in the country. This action drew the ire of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, who threatened to kill him.

While one may appreciate the burning desire of public officers to enable the provision of needed positive impacts in the lives of citizens, they also need to be aware that the public office is a position of trust, which is usually transient. One may be a Director today and become a Minister tomorrow and vice-versa, just like the current Minister of Youths and Sports, Sunday Dare was simply a Commissioner under Professor Danbatta in NCC, only last year, before his elevation into the Federal Executive Council. Public officers should keep finding ways of reconciling their differences, without exposing their acrimonious antagonisms to the public glare.

Meanwhile, the idea behind the Emergency Communications Centres was mooted in 2003 when the National Assembly enacted the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), with Section 107 of the legislation mandating the NCC to promote and enhance public safety through the use of a particular number, while also facilitating the prompt deployment of reliable end-to-end infrastructure for emergency communications needs throughout Nigeria.

Yet, due to the bureaucratic red tape, political bickering and egocentric behaviour of major actors in the sector, this dream could not be realised over a long period. I recall from my time as a spokesperson at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in 2009, the failure of the then Minister of Information and Communication, the now late Professor Dora Akunyili to reconcile the positions of the incumbent Director General of NEMA, retired AVM Mohammed Audu-Bida and the then NCC boss, Ernest Ndukwe on the modalities for the operation of the Emergency Communications Centres. The disagreement had eventually hindered the realisation of the project at that time.

As the nation deals with the emergency situations arising from the global Coronavirus pandemic, the Presidential Taskforce inaugurated by President Buhari, as the central coordinating body on the COVID-19 response in Nigeria, need to painstakingly coordinate the activities of responders on the levels of security, logistics and mass care, in support of the anti-Coronavirus campaign.

With regard to this, the Emergency Communications Centres could be activated to process and attend to the distress and emergency calls from the public in this most crucial of national tasks. And, since NEMA is statutorily empowered to educate the public on disaster prevention and control measures, as well as to coordinate and facilitate the provision of necessary resources for curtailment activities, the agency and other critical stakeholders should be co-opted into the endeavours of the task force.

With NEMA currently under the supervision of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Faruk, the existing National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP) could also be activated to manage and respond to the Coronavirus epidemic beyond just phone calls.

The NDRP, which serves as a policy guideline for disaster management in Nigeria, is a multijurisdictional, multi-sectoral, multi-disciplinary and multi-resource initiative, has aspects that can be implemented through the Emergency Communications Centres. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has done so well in providing updates on the health status of Nigerians, availability of testing and other facilities, alongside contact tracing of infected persons, it should not be burdened with other components of crisis management, which are information, security and logistics related.

The presidential task force and other important stakeholders involved in seeking a resolution to this epidemic need a structure for the systematic, coordinated and effective delivery of federal assistance, and other levels of support to address the consequences of the current emergency. As such, the newly established Emergency Communications Centres, with its easy to memorise toll free 112 number, could play vital roles in this regard. Hence, the need to swiftly douse any brewing controversy around this vital information structure among the sector leaders, and quickly bring the operations of the Centres up to the presently required speed in enabling disaster response at this crucial period.

Yushau A. Shuaib
Author of “Award-Winning Crisis Communication Strategies”
yashuaib@yahoo.com

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