Pantami Vs Abike: The Whole Story Of Their Fight

By Ayodele Oluwafemi

The conflict between the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa have taken another dimension, as both parties involved traded allegations on the microblogging platform, Twitter.

The issue started when Dabiri-Erewa, in a video, posted on NiDCOM Twitter handle alleged that the commission’s staff were forced out under the influence of guns from the office complex on the orders of Pantami.

See video:

NiDCOM’s office complex is located at Mbora district in Abuja, an annex of Nigeria Communication Commission’s (NCC), head office.

NCC is under the control of Pantami, an agency of Communications ministry.

Reacting to the allegation, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Henry Nkemadu, in a statement, dismissed the allegations by Dabiri-Erewa, as mere “allegations”, noting that the office complex had not been used by NiDCOM before deciding to clear the complex in preparation for President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit.

“The NCC has not withdrawn the offer but had hiccups arising from the preparation for the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Communications and Digital Economy Complex and launch of other projects relating to the mandate of government,” Nkemadu said.

“Incidentally, after the offer of the office spaces to the NiDCOM, the Director General, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa had not visited the Complex to take possession of any of the offices and also the Commission had not started using any of these spaces as offices.

“As is usual in ensuring security and accountability before, during and after presidential visits, the building had to be cleared to allow for only known and identifiable persons to have access within the Complex.

“Therefore, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, could not have sent armed men to drive the staff of the Diaspora Commission out of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex,” NCC said.

Also, NiDCOM, in a statement by its Head of Media and Public Relations Unit, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, refuted the claims of NCC that the complex was not in use by the commission, noting that the “fifth floor was allocated to NIDCOM by NCC Management since June 2019 and handed over by Mrs Maryam Bayi, its Director Human Resources.”

Balogun noted that the commission was issued a one-week quit notice by Pantami, on 9th February, but was eventually forcefully evicted by security operatives.

He added that the commission’s office equipment were carted away.

He said, “But while our Chairman/CEO Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa was on official assignment with Mr. President in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the 9th of February, the staff were given one week by the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Ali Pantami to pack out but within 48 hours of the said quit notice, they were forcefully evicted by security operatives attached to the complex on the orders of the Minister on February 11.

“On the allegation that NIDCOM did not move into the offices when allocated, this is untrue, false accusation and contradictory to the statement of NCC to the effect that NIDCOM properties were warehoused and intact in the annex.”

Amdist the controversy, a video surfaced of Dabiri-Erewa accusing Pantami of using armed security personnel to chase away her staff, with the caption “#PressPlay: Nigeria’s Communication Minister, @DrIsaPantami, Asks Gunmen To Chase @AbikeDabiri, Other NIDCOM Staff From Office Complex In Abuja.”

Quoting the tweet, Pantami tweeted, “THIS IS A FAT LIE FROM HER: The owner of the building @NgComCommission has faulted her lies on their social media platforms. The minister has never given that directives to any gunman. We need to be very objective in reporting. I have never sent any gunmen there, & I have no one.”

Quoting the tweet of Pantami, Dabiri-Erewa tweeted: “An Islamic scholar should not lie Hon Minister .( Phd??)You did that to me cos  I am a woman .Your disrespect for women is legendary Left the ugly incident behind me since Feb. But pls release all our office eguipment.Public office is transient .@DrIsaPantami”

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