Calls for Nigerian Minister to Resign Over Extremist Views Increase
The calls for Nigerian Minister to resign over extremist views is at an increase because Minister Dr Isa Ali Pantami, may be seen as a terrorist or one who sponsors terrorists.
The calls for Dr Isa Ali Pantami, Nigeria’s minister of communication and digital economy to resign over his past extreme religious views continued on Sunday the 18th of April, 2021.
48-year-old Pantami, for the first time, on Saturday the 17th of April, 2021, acknowledged his past views but stated that he had since rejected those radical comments.
The minister blamed his past radical comments on age, immaturity and ignorance.
According to the minister, some of the comments he made some years ago that are causing major controversies now were based on his understanding of religious issues at the time, and he has since then changed several positions taken in the past based on new evidence and maturity. Pantami said this during his daily Ramadan lecture at Annor Mosque in Abuja.
“I was young when I made some of the comments; I was in university, some of the comments were made when I was a teenager. I started preaching when I was about 13 years old, many scholars and individuals did not understand some of international events and therefore took some positions based on their understanding, some have come to change their views as time progresses”
Despite his renunciation, more people on social media joined the call for him to resign. His critics stated that the views he expressed as a university student cannot be blamed on age.
A Nigerian lawyer and activist Ayo Sogunro in his tweet on Sunday morning stated that the issue had nothing to do with age because he was once a teenager as well. But he never supported killing people of different religions or beliefs.
Sogunro further stated that if Pantami “truly wants to make up for his past mistakes,” he should resign and “continue the work of engaging and de-radicalising young jihadis, not handle national affairs.”
Another lawyer and human rights activist named Festus Ogun stated that if Pantami refuses to resign, he will be forced out of office by mass action as it is the patriotic thing to do.
#PantamiResignNow has been trending on Twitter in Nigeria on Sunday morning when this report was being written some days before, #PantamiResign also trended.
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