Lawmaker Blames Nigerians For Allowing National Assembly Confirm Pantami As Minister

Isa Pantami

A Nigerian federal lawmaker, Yusuf Gagdi has lashed out at Nigerians, accusing them of being responsible for the National Assembly’s decision to confirm embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

Pantami has been under pressure over the past week to resign from his position following the revelation of troubling comments he made in the past, including support for terror groups, and infamous terror leader, Osama Bin Ladin.

The revelations have led critics to blame the legislature for confirming his appointment without doing due diligence to ascertain him fit for public office.

However, Gagdi said on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 that ordinary citizens themselves should accept some of the blame for not bringing the attention of authorities to Pantami’s past, much of which has been public for years.

The lawmaker said the National Assembly and the Department of State Services (DSS) cannot possibly have every information, and should have been assisted by the public.

“No individual out of 180 million Nigerians was able to remember that comment made, to write petition to the National Assembly for them to act or not to act,” the Chairman of House Committee on Navy said.

When he faced a full plenary of senators for his confirmation hearing in July 2109, Pantami answered questions for only 11 minutes.

Attempts to ask the 48-year-old more questions to test his competence were shut down by other lawmakers that wanted to rush his confirmation through.

House Minority Leader, Tony Elumelu, on Wednesday called for Pantami’s resignation, but the Presidency has failed to address the controversy even as more damaging revelations are made about the minister.