Pantami Says He’ll Not Succumb to Blackmail

DR. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has said he will not succumb to blackmails, by some people he described as unpatriotic elements in the telecommunications sector.

Pantami claimed that his office is aware of some clandestine attempts by unpatriotic elements at sabotaging the efforts being made by the Ministry to deliver its mandate to Nigerians.

Uwa Suleiman, spokesperson to the minister quoted him as saying that “No acts of corruption or injustice shall be condoned. We will neither be intimidated by fifth columnists or any agents of dubious intentions, nor be blackmailed into submission,” the Minister was quoted as saying.

Suleiman also said that Pantami’s leadership has impacted hugely on the lives of ordinary Nigerians who have hitherto been helpless in the face of blatant exploitation.

“Since assumption of office, the Honourable Minister has consistently rolled out policies that strive to protect the consumer and entrench discipline and professionalism in the sector, this stand has obviously ruffled some feathers whose sole aim is to discredit Dr Pantami’s mass-friendly policies,” she said.

Suleiman noted that investigations into the suspicious activities of some disgruntled elements, has exposed attempts at a malicious smear campaign, bankrolled by unscrupulous elements who are uncomfortable with the Minister’s people-oriented policies because, “they can no longer conduct business as usual.”

She alleged that “The strategy is to compromise the media, using financial inducements and they have raised a considerable amount of money for this campaign.”

Suleiman commended the resilience of some media persons who resisted the lure of evil, and “refused to be compromised and reached out to us.”

“We are proud of the level of professionalism and patriotism demonstrated by the press which resulted in the woeful failure of the despicable campaign,” she said.

Insisting that the objective of this façade, was to intimidate Pantami's office into allowing the continued exploitation of Nigerians by compromising regulators.

As said by her, the office of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy would pursue and uphold its mandate, in line with the Three Point Agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.