Africa
Nigeria’s presidency “stands behind” an embattled Minister with extremist views
Nigeria’s presidency says it “stands behind” an embattled minister facing calls for his resignation after extreme Islamist views he held in the past recently came to light.
Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, and also a renowned Muslim cleric, expressed views sympathetic to groups such as al-Qaeda and Boko Haram.
In one sermon from the 2000s he said he considered al-Qaeda founder, Osama Bin Laden, a better Muslim than himself, and in another, he said he was happy when infidels were massacred.
Recordings of him expressing these views began circulating on social media last week, leading to calls for his resignation or sacking by President Muhammadu Buhari.
But in its first reaction since the saga began, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said the minister was being “subject[ed] to a ‘cancel campaign'”.
“In the 2000s, the minister was a man in his twenties; next year he will be 50. Time has passed, and people and their opinions – often rightly – change”, the statement said.
The minister also attempted to renounce his past views at the weekend, telling a local newspaper that some of the comments were based on his “understanding of religious issues at the time” and that he has changed several positions “based on new evidence and maturity”.
But that has not stopped calls for his sacking or resignation with many using the #PantamiMustGo hashtag on Twitter to express concerns over his access to sensitive data as the minister of communications.
He has also been defended under the #PantamiMustStay hashtag as the issue exposed the religious and ethnic lines in this multi-ethnic country.
What exactly did Mr. Pantami say?
There has been a steady stream of new evidence of the views he held in the past and the latest are documents that appeared online on Wednesday.
The documents are purportedly from a 2010 meeting he chaired at the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), a top Islamic body, where it was agreed that Christians should be prohibited from building churches in city centres across northern Nigeria, which has a majority Muslim population although millions of Christians also live there.
Audio and video recordings have also emerged of Mr Pantami’s fiery prayers and sermons at different stages of his career as an imam. In one sermon after there had been a deadly religious conflict and tensions were still high in Shendam, Plateau state, he volunteered to lead Muslims back to their homes, saying that he was willing to die in the process.
Pantami, Bil Laden, and Buhari. Nigeria’s presidency says it “stands behind” Pantami’s extremist views.
In a 2006 speech, Mr Pantami publicly offered his condolences after the death of al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
In one audio clip, where he talks about the Nigerian army’s war against Boko Haram, he appears to be on the verge of tears as he passionately describes the militants as “our Muslim brothers” who did not deserve to be “killed like pigs”.
In another audio recording, he declares he is always happy when infidels are massacred.
He has not denied the authenticity of these texts, audio and video clips.
What did the government say?
Nigerians had been waiting for a reaction from the government and it came via a presidential spokesman on Thursday.
Garba Shehu, who speaks for President Buhari, said the administration “stands behind Minister Pantami.”
“The Minister has, rightly, apologized for what he said in the early 2000s. The views were absolutely unacceptable then, and would be equally unacceptable today, were he to repeat them,” he said in a statement which he also shared on his Twitter account:
But critics have pointed out that the minister was already in his 30s when most of his controversial statements were made and so, was fully aware of the ramifications.
The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) tried to debate Mr Pantami’s views in the House of Representatives on Wednesday but it was blocked by the ruling party.
Why are these views just coming to light?
It began as a rumour last week when a local newspaper reported that Mr Pantami had been placed on a US watch list for his alleged links to terrorism.
There has been no confirmation from the US and Mr Pantami threatened to sue the newspaper and others that carried the reports, leading to a retraction and an apology.
But since then a series of audio and video clips of Mr Pantami making inflammatory comments have been posted on social media.
There has also been extensive reports by Nigerian online newspaper Peoples Gazette.
An old Wikileaks document citing a US diplomatic cable of Mr Pantami being thrown out of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi state, and from a mosque in Gombe for preaching inflammatory rhetoric, have also been re-circulated.
There was also social media posts about his time at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University where Mr Pantami, as cleric of a local mosque, was accused of instigating the gruesome murder of a Christian student leader who preached on the campus.
Mr Pantami has denied these accusations and also said that he was never dismissed from the university.
He told local newspaper, Premium Times, that people opposed to the introduction of a compulsory national identification number, which would be needed to get a mobile phone number, were the ones attacking him.
Who is Isa Pantami?
- The 48-year-old is currently Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
- Was formerly head of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
- From Gombe state in north-eastern Nigeria where he began his education at the Quranic Tsangaya schools popularly known as almajiri
- Obtained a PhD from Robert Gordon University, Scotland but was also schooled in Saudi Arabia
- He is chief Imam at the popular Al Mannar mosque in Abuja where he still leads annual teachings during the Ramadan fast.
Why are some Nigerians so worried about Pantami?
As head of the communications ministry, he oversees agencies responsible for databases of Nigerians and expatriates in the country.
Some people have expressed concerns that a minister with past sympathy for Islamist militant groups has access to such critical data.
Mr Pantami also oversees the web infrastructure for most government ministries and agencies, armed forces, intelligence agencies, and Nigeria’s satellite infrastructure that provides communications and navigation support for the air force.
The backlash he is facing seems to be largely on social media.
Offline, ordinary Nigerians are less concerned about the minister’s past views and he has received support from Muslim groups in the north, many of whom do not share his past extreme views but say his apology is proof he is a changed man.
Immediately after getting drafted, Maluach was asked: “So many people, when they think about Africa, think about strife, think about war, think about not so great things about the continent, let alone South Sudan. How much of a responsibility do you think you have in changing perceptions of what people think Africa is in terms of thinking more about the resources, thinking about the people of Africa and South Sudan, specifically?”
Maluach’s native country, South Sudan, is undergoing a humanitarian crisis. His family fled the country to a suburb of Kampala, Uganda, in search of safety and opportunity during the South Sudan crisis. He now hopes to change the narrative about the region by highlighting its good parts on the world stage.
“I think about showing them the good parts of Africa,” Maluach said at the press conference after he was drafted. “I’m thinking about showing them the great places in Africa, like Kigali, whether it’s Senegal, whether it’s the safaris in Africa, and showing them the cultures we have and the people we have, which is different from the stuff they see on TV. I just want to change the narrative, the narrative of our people and how they see my continent.”
Maluach was born in Rumbek, once an important city in South Sudan that was ravaged by the country’s civil war. The 7’2″ center’s road to success was far from easy. The nearest basketball court to his house was nearly an hour’s walk away and usually packed. Moreover, he played his first game in Crocs, not basketball shoes. But his dedication was enough to catch the eye of local coaches Wal Deng and Aketch Garang.
Through the effort that he put in, Maluach made it to the NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, then to the Duke Blue Devils, and now the Suns. He hopes the moment inspires kids on the continent.
“Living in Africa, I had the whole continent on my back. Giving hope to young kids,” he said after the Suns selected him No. 10 overall.
Maluach considers basketball a gift God gave him, and hopes to finish off his NBA career as a Hall of Famer.
After making history as Nigeria’s first female fighter pilot, Flt. Lt. Kafayat Sanni has emerged as the Best Allied Student and won the Best Assistant Commandant Paper award at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Accra, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
In a statement released on Saturday and cited by NAN, the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the awards were presented on Friday during the College graduation ceremony which had in attendance top military personnel and dignitaries from across Africa.
Ejodame recalled how Sanni first made the news in 2019 after being decorated as the Nigerian Air Force’s first female fighter pilot following her pilot training in the U.S.
“Since then, she has flown the Alpha Jet as well as undertaken training sorties on the Super Mushshak as a prolific instructor pilot, producing and mentoring younger pilots for the NAF,” Ejodame said.
“Her outstanding performance at GAFCSC not only symbolises personal excellence and resilience but also underscores Nigeria’s growing leadership in regional defence and commitment to gender inclusion in the armed forces.
“This remarkable achievement further reflects the Nigerian Air Force’s strategic investment in human capital development under the visionary leadership of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar,” he said.
In 2017, Sanni emerged as the overall best pilot at the Nigerian Air Force’s 401 training school before she moved to the United States to train at the U.S. Aviation Leadership program.
Upon completion, Sanni returned to Nigeria, where she, alongside 12 new fighter pilots, was decorated.
As Sanni became the first female fighter pilot in the 55-year history of the Nigerian Air Force, her colleague, Tolulope Arotile, also became the Force’s first female combat helicopter pilot.
“It is a privilege for me to be winged as the first female fighter pilot in the Nigerian Air Force,” Sanni said after being decorated.
Sanni said at the time she had always wanted to be a fighter pilot, and “I was just lucky to be chosen.”
“It was also my choice. It was what I wanted to do. And I felt that everyone is not supposed to fold their arms and watch what is happening in our country.
“Everyone could always play their part. So, I did not think there was any reason for me to think that it is not possible for me to actually fly the jet because there was no female that ever flew the jet. I believe I could achieve it and I did,” she said.
She then went on to advise younger girls to “never say no to opportunities.”
“They should always strive to be the best and put in their efforts. They should never look at anything that seems to want to overpower or overshadow them. For me, you can always attempt things and if they do not work out well; fine. But at every point in time, you just need to put in your best.”
U.S. hotel chains Hilton and Marriott have announced African expansion drives to tap into the continent’s rapid tourism growth.
Rising business and leisure travel on the continent has made it increasingly attractive for multinational companies and Hilton said on Wednesday that it plans to more than triple its African portfolio to more than 160 hotels.
The company plans to enter Angola, Ghana and Benin for the first time while returning to Madagascar and Tanzania, its statement said without providing a specific time horizon for the expansion plans.
Marriott expects to add 50 properties by 2027, it said on Wednesday. Those will include entry into five new countries: Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Mauritania.
The group’s existing African portfolio encompasses nearly 150 properties and 26,000 rooms across 20 countries and 22 brands.
Airlines have also increased their African capacity.
Emirates now offers 161 weekly flights across Africa, recently adding daily services to Entebbe and Addis Ababa. United Airlines launched a direct Washington-Dakar route in May and Delta will begin a seasonal daily flight to Accra in December.
International arrivals to the continent rose 9% year on year in the first quarter of 2025, the United Nations World Tourism Organization says, 16% above the same period of pre-pandemic 2019.
That momentum is translating into economic impact. Tourism accounts for between 3% and 7% of gross domestic product in countries such as Kenya, Morocco and South Africa, and up to 15% in tourism-heavy economies such as Namibia, World Bank and national statistics show.
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