A certain minister of our Republic who for years was and is still is an Islamic sheik spent years preaching in mosques and elsewhere in support of Boko Haram, ‘no to western Education’, including stating publicly many times that he and others are happy when infidels are killed. Now in Boko Haram’s eyes infidels included Igbos who at one time were targeted and killed. I remember one particular family whose twelve members were massacred and their church burnt and the surviving patriarch and what was left of the family escaped to Igbo land from the North East. Then the murderous sect descended on other Christians and annihilated so many. Then they decided that everybody who is not a member of their terror group or a supporter must be killed. They butchered and are still butchering human beings day and night with all sorts of weapons made through Western education. So if you are not a cave man, a prehistoric creature like them, they kill you. And Pantami preached everywhere supporting Boko Haram activities, indoctrinating uncountable numbers of ‘almajiris’ and other worshipers many of them without any skills enabling them make alternative living on the need to wipe out ‘infidels’ following the Boko Haram doctrine.
And somehow our wonderful government gave our erstwhile supporter of Boko Haram the job of Director General of one of our government parastatals. No, it did not stop at that. Our wonderful government nominated him for ministerial appointment and our even more wonderful Senate confirmed a man who had publicly said he was happy when infidels were killed, an ‘honourable’ minister!
But people’s past have a nasty habit of catching up with them! Pantami’s past has caught up with him. And his excuse in the mosques where he has been preaching has been that he did those things when he was young. He has now left childish things behind him. He no longer supports the killing of infidels. He is now an enemy of Boko Haram and his past should be forgotten.
I am not really concerned with what our government or our legislators will do. Judging from their track record they will do nothing. But I was disappointed that on a TVC television programme, ‘Journalists Hangout’, some journalists whom I thought knew better, agreed that what needs to happen is that Pantami himself should apologise publicly for his past actions and all would be forgiven. What trash! What of the thousands of lives his mosque followers who may have been convinced by his preaching to go forth and kill all ‘infidels’ as preached by Boko Haram may have wasted? Will Pantami’s public apology bring them back to life? And I was shocked by what the one called Otitoju said, that Biblical Saul repented from his crime of killing Christians on his own volition! Was Saul not struck down by The Almighty? Did He not ask ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me’? Thereafter did The Almighty not resuscitate him and give him a charge on which platform he became an ardent and most effective Apostle Paul? If Mr Otitoju is not a Christian could he not ensure that as somebody whose position on television influences the public he should get his facts right?
Pantami should resign. That is what people exposed like this do in civilized societies. But knowing Nigeria he will not. And nothing will happen. But I would like to be pleasantly surprised for him to be sacked or for him to resign. Some years ago a British minister resigned because it was found out that he was paying one hundred pounds to his domestic servant. We do not need this minister’s apology. His apology will not undo the evil he may have or the evil he may still be doing. Perhaps the journalists hanging out have not read on social media the allegation that four million foreigners from Niger and Chad have been issued with our National Identity Number (NIN) by Pantami’s ministry. They are now Nigerians. Is it true? The journalists did not hear from the social media that one captured foreign herdsman terrorist was found carrying our National Identity Number. Is it true? Instead of basking in their ‘glory’ on television while our rulers are rapidly taking us back to the dark ages they should go and do some real investigative journalism and find out the truth about what is being done with our ‘visa on arrival’ policy and alleged issuance of our NIN to foreigners. How many foreigners have been issued visa on arrival? Does it include those driving cattle into Nigeria and terrorists flocking in from the Sahel? God save Nigeria.