Former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has revealed reasons Isa Ali Pantami, former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, caused ruckus during the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
During their tenure in the Buhari cabinet, Fashola attributed Pantami’s occasional annoyance to his unwavering commitment to precision, ensuring every ‘T’ and ‘I’ was meticulously crossed and dotted in official documents.
The former Lagos State Governor said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the public presentation of a 341-page book titled ‘A Scholar’s Journey: Navigating Academia’, written by Pantami.
READ ALSO: “We Prioritise Certificates Without Skills In Nigeria” – Pantami
“I encountered Prof. Pantami as a colleague in the Federal Executive Council (FEC) from 2019 to 2023. His passion for detail was remarkable. The Pantami effect significantly enhanced the accuracy of our records. He was our ‘Mr. Compliance,’ ensuring that every tech memo had a NITDA certificate and openly addressing misalignments in visions and missions,” Fashola remarked.
Fashola continued, stating that in an era tainted by fake news and historical revisionism, Pantami’s dedication to accuracy was vital for preserving the foundations of civilization.
“And if your vision and missions did not align, he would let you know very clearly. But he was Mr. Compliance for a good cause. As I said, our records are better off for the ‘Pantami effect’. At a time when truth is endangered by fake news and history is threatened by revisionists, books that profess a factual basis and report history and events accurately become all the more important to preserve the foundations of our civilization,” Fashola added.
