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Tag: Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami

  • No Comment On ASUU’s Stand Against My Professorship — Pantami

    No Comment On ASUU’s Stand Against My Professorship — Pantami

    The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Ali Pantami, Wednesday declined comment on the stand of the Academic Staff Union of Universities against his promotion as a professor of Cybersecurity by the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.

    ASUU had on Monday described the professorship awarded to Pantami as illegal.

    Asked by State House reporters to comment on the issue, Pantami repeatedly said: “No comment”,

    He said: “On your second question, no comment. No comment, and no comment. That’s my position. I’m here for official assignment, asks me about that responsibility. So, anything to deal with my ministry of communications and digital economy, I can be subjected to you and that’s why I come here. I couldn’t go anywhere.”

    “The institution you have quoted mentioned they are in court. As a government official, do you know what contempt of court is? You need to know. Because of this, I’m a law-abiding citizen. No comment, I hope you get it. There’s no comment.”

  • FG Restates Commitment To Transform Economy Through Digital Innovation, Tech

    FG Restates Commitment To Transform Economy Through Digital Innovation, Tech

    The Federal Government has restated its commitment to transform the country’s economy through digital innovation and information technology.

    Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isah Ali Pantami, disclosed this on Tuesday when he commissioned the newly established Muhammadu Buhari Information Technology Innovation Hub in Katsina State.

    Pantami who described the hub as an incubation centre where ICT talented youths will be trained and mentored on new innovations in ICT for them to become job providers and contribute to the nation’s economy explained that the project is part of the Federal Government’s policy on the National Digital Economy Policy on strategy.

    Pantami further described digital innovation and digital entrepreneurship as two major prerequisites to digital economy and requirements for establishing and building a successful digital economy globally.

    He observed that all the leading nations of today which comprise Europe, Switzerland, Asia, South Korea, China, USA and UK excelled, became stronger and successful with digital innovation and Digital entrepreneurship, adding that the world economy had moved from being dominated by those in the oil and gas sector to those in Information and Communication Technology.

    “Katsina State is blessed with talents because its indigenes had on several international occasions or competitions been emerging as the global best.

    “What we need is to provide them with enabling environment, the mentorship, and the support they need to be successful and by extension make the country more successful,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, the governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari assured people of the state of the government’s readiness to continue to encourage youths to embrace Information Technology, adding that 60 per cent of the current population of the state (7 million) are under the age of 30.

    He announced that the civil servants now consume nothing less than 90 per cent of whatever federal allocation is coming to the state hence the need to engage youths in the area of ICT.

    He, therefore, assured residents that the newly commissioned IT hub would be put into good use under the state Institute of Science and Technology.

  • ASUU Sets Up Committee To Probe Pantami’s Professorship

    ASUU Sets Up Committee To Probe Pantami’s Professorship

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says it is setting up a committee to probe the circumstances leading to the appointment of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy as a Professor of Cyber Security, by the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO)

    ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke stated on Monday while briefing journalists in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    He noted that the controversial appointment of Pantami by FUTO followed advertisements in some national dailies on September 2, 2020, which made Pantami purportedly apply for the position and thereafter given the position.

    Expressing displeasure over the issues, the ASUU President noted that the Minister was only promoted to the rank of Lecturer 1 in 2013 before he left the country.

    According to him, the Minister allegedly skipped three positions – Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor – with each having at least three years experience requirements.

     

    Professor Osodeke said that information at his disposal revealed that the Minister resigned from the Abubakar Tafewa Balewa University, Bauchi in 2015 and moved to a university in Saudi Arabia as an Assistant Professor, which is an equivalent of an Assistant Lecturer in Nigeria.

    According to Osodeke, Pantami left the academic to become the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in 2016.

    “There are serious doubt and unanswered questions bordering on the qualification of Dr. Isa Pantami for the position,” he said.

    “The attention of ASUU has been drawn to the controversy generated by the recent appointment of Dr. Isa Pantami, the current Minister of Communications and Digital Economy as a Professor of Cyber Security by the Federal University of Technology Owerri,” he said.

    “From 2013 to 2016 when he ceased to be an academic is just three years which means if Futo said he is right, it means the man moved from becoming Lecturer 1 to becoming a Professor within three years which is against all rules.

    “In view of the foregoing and having rejected FUTO Committee’s report, NEC set up an independent committee to go to FUTO to investigate fully and get all the data so that we can put it to the public, the role of FUTO on how this person who spent three years during Lecturer 1 and Professor, how did he become a professor.”

    The ASUU President assured Nigerians that the outcome of the probe would be made public.

  • BREAKING: FG crashes data price by 50% in all Telecom Network

    BREAKING: FG crashes data price by 50% in all Telecom Network

    The Federal government said on Thursday that the price of data has been reduced by more than 50 percent following a directive that the Nigerian Communications commission, NCC, should put in place measures to that effect.

    Accordingly, the price of data of 1GB has been reduced from 1000 naira to 487 naira beginning from last November.

    The Minister of Communications and digital economy Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami who broke the news, said it was in line with the directive he gave to the regulatory agency (NCC) to put measures in place to reduce the average cost of data in the country.

    “The average cost of 1GB of data has reduced from the January 2020 cost of N1,000 to N487.18 in November, 2020.

    “This was based on a report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) submitted to the Honourable Minister following the implementation of the directives,” Dr Pantami’s Technical Assistant, Mr Femi Adeluyi said in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.

    Adeluyi who is Technical Assistant, Information and Technology said: “The Honourable Minister had inaugurated a Committee that developed the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020-2025) on the 16th of December, 2019.

    “The Plan was unveiled and launched by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on the 19th of March, 2020.

    “One of the goals of the Plan is to reduce the average cost of 1GB of data to a maximum of N390 by 2025.

    “With the January 2020 baseline of N1,000 per GB, the maximum projected steady decrease for the end of each year was as follows: 2020 (N925), 2021 (N850), 2022 (N775), 2023 (N700), 2024 (N545) and 2025 (N390).

    “In line with Dr Pantami’s commitment to under promise and over deliver, the measures have caused the current cost of data to reduce significantly beyond the December 2020 projection of N925.

    “Based on the Report by NCC, the average cost of data as at November 2020 was N487.18, which amounts to 47.33% lower than the projected value.

    ” The Report also indicates that the cost of data in November 2020 was less than 50% of the cost of data in January 2020.

    “The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, through the NCC, will continue to ensure that consumers enjoy a price regime that supports fairness and is friendly to consumers.

    “Policies are in place to ensure that operators adopt competitive pricing that eschews unjustifiable margins. The general public may also wish to note that complaints about rapid data depletion are also being investigated.

    “For more enquiries, the Honourable Minister has directed NCC to respond to all issues raised by our citizens and customers.

    “All hands will remain on deck to achieve the goals of the Broadband Plan as the Ministry supervises its implementation in line with our National Digital Economy Policy for a Digital Nigeria.”