The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) says Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami deserves commendation for innovating programmes and projects designed to take Nigeria to the next level in a highly competitive digital world.
MURIC issued the commendation in a statement signed by the group’s director, Professor Ishaq Akintola and forwarded to The Herald over the weekend.
The human rights organisation added that the innovations conceived by the ministry under Pantami were also aimed at making life easier for Nigerians.
According to MURIC, “We are greatly impressed by the performance of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami. He has proved himself as an uncommon federal minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His ministry is always on one activity or another and most of such programmes and projects are designed to take Nigeria to the next level in a highly competitive digital world.
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“Notable among such achievements of his ministry are the 112 toll-free number commissioned on 19th March, 2020 and the virtual federal executive council meeting of 13th May, 2020. A few weeks ago, the ministry introduced a mobile application designed to link the National Identity Number (NIN) to the SIM. This is a great step forward particularly in the fight against crime as it will assist security agencies in identifying criminals at a faster pace.
“Equally noteworthy is the recent permission which Pantami’s ministry gave network providers to register Nigerians for NIN. This is seen as a way of bringing smiles to the faces of Nigerians who have been experiencing difficulties in their efforts to obtain NIN. Many Nigerians have had to spend up to three nights sleeping somewhere close to the NIN registration centres across the country just to obtain the elusive national identity number. There is no doubt that the long queues at the NIN registration centres will soon disappear. Thus, Pantami has directly and positively impacted the lives of Nigerians.
“The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy must therefore be celebrated for responding to the needs of the people and for digitalizing the economy at a fast pace. No wonder, therefore, Pantami was declared IT Man of the Year 2019. He has taken Nigeria to higher heights in communications and digital economy.
“It is our considered opinion that while individual citizens and groups reserve the right to interrogate the activities of public officials, such interrogation must be fair, constructive and balanced. It must not be thrashing and bashing all the way. There must be occasions when we take a look at the bright side of the performance of government officials and applaud them when they perform creditably well. This will bring out the best in them on the job. It will also enable them to know that the people appreciate their sacrifices and the tough times they face most of the time.
“MURIC charges critics to give their negative comments a human face. Observations should not be a one-way affair all the time. A pianist can use the white keys some of the time and the black keys at other times. But for harmony he must combine both the white and black keys.”