The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) has lambasted the Presidency over its defence of the embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.
In a statement signed by the NAS Capoon, Mr Abiola Owoaje, titled ‘Isa Pantami Must Go’ the group pointed out that the Presidency’s defence was ‘an ill-judged action that provides a safe haven for a self-confessed sympathiser of terrorism.’
Owoaje who described the Presidency’s defence as hollow stated that ‘it suggests that the Buhari administration is so deeply infected with bigotry that the defence of a Minister is informed by factors more primordial than the integrity of governance.’
According to him ‘President Buhari’s decision to retain Pantami as Minister despite documented evidence of him being unsuitable for that position in the first place going by all ethical benchmarks that dictates the selection for public officers, is an indication that his appointment and subsequent clearance by the security agencies and the Nigerian Senate was not a happenstance’.
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‘It is an awful indication of failure in the process of selecting citizens fit for public office and exposes the character deficit of the Buhari administration.
‘It is heart-breaking that the Pantami controversy has further underscored the appalling level to which governance has degenerated under the Buhari administration. Almost in all facets of governance and its war against terror including intelligence gathering and combat operations, the Buhari administration has repeatedly exhibited gross incompetence, corporate irresponsibility and narrow-mindedness in choices that should not have been taken in the overall interest of the country.
‘For a country that is ranked third in the Global Terrorism Index; where insurgents have killed an estimated 36,000 persons and displaced two million from their homes according to the United Nations, the Pantami saga presented the Buhari’s Presidency with a rare opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to the fight against local and global terrorism and regain public trust. But yet again, the administration in its characteristic culture of impunity could not rise above sectarian interests.
‘The Presidency’s spurious defence is unsatisfactory and we repeat the urging of millions of Nigerians – Isa Pantami, must go! The Federal Government should underline its commitment to religious plurality and democratic ethos by disengaging this crusader of religious extremism. The more determined the Buhari administration is to ensure Pantami keeps his job, the more the administration becomes insensitive, irresponsible and dishonourable,” he concluded.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK