"The first reported blockage by Sheikh Pantami was of a Twitter follower named “error” ..."
Screenshots are going round showing the Minister of Communication, Sheikh Pantami blocking a rude Twitter contact. This is not holding brief for the Minister but a mere effort to highlight a critical albeit missing aspect of the debate — that of Sheikh Pantami’s right to remove from his contact people he believe are unteachable and those he believe have gone over the boundaries of decency in what’s already believed to be a lawless community — the social media community.
What’s the argument? The first reported blockage by Sheikh Pantami was of a Twitter follower named “error” who raised an unfounded concern about Sheikh Pantami’s “change” of style and methods — that he respond to issues differently than in the PDP days, something “error” ascribed to Pantami’s new status as a Minister. “error” wrote that back in the PDP days there was a day Sheikh Pantami cried over the incessant killings of those days. However, after Sheikh Pantami was appointed a Minister, on a certain day (a day “error” did not mention) over 500 Muslims were killed but Pantami remained mute.
Secondly, “error” claimed he’s a regular in Sheikh Pantami’s preaching sessions in Abuja where Sheikh Pantami usually admonishes adherents to imbibe modesty but today he is a Minister he is not living by these ideals. To buttress this, “error” alleged the son of Sheikh Pantami is using a N500,000 phone while Shekih Pantami himself was dressed in apparels of N800,000 at a time when he’s certain some of his neighbors in Gombe are sleeping hungry.
The first charge, if anything, only confirmed the suitability of the “error” title of the Twitter user. It’s an error of judgement, even silly, for “error” to assume Sheikh Pantami could behave the same as an opposition and as a senior member of a ruling party. We knew how Sheikh Pantami behaved in the days of the PDP by using his preaching platform to send his message to the government. Will it make sense if today, when he have the privilege of walking directly to the office of the President to relay his message, he refused that privilege and relegate himself to the pitiable position of sending second hand messages? Perhaps, “error” is not aware that Sheikh Pantami is now part of the government who should be answering instead of asking questions and, it will only amount to playing to the gallery if he adopt the silly option hotheaded and ill-prepared people like “error” have in mind.
To make “error” happy, let’s assume Sheikh Pantami’s son is using a N500,O00 phone and the Minister is also dressing in a N1m apparel. So damn what! I can’t recall Sheikh Pantami telling anybody he’s a pauper before being appointed a Minister. Actually he was always described as lucratively employed in Saudi Arabia before he joined the Nigerian government. So, if his legitimate earnings could afford him these luxurious why should it be a source of concern to “error” or anybody how he spend his hard earned money? Logically, It will only be a problem if “error” could prove Sheikh Pantami is financing the lifestyles of his family with corruption proceeds. Expectedly, “error” made zero effort to prove that. Why then, shouldn’t Shiekh Pantami block him from his contacts since it’s obvious he’s an error of judgement on Sheikh Pantami’s part on how he accept friendship requests in the wild social media jungle. In any case, “error” didn’t say what was Sheikh Pantami’s previous lifestyle for a more fair comparison and jungle adjudication.
Also, is it not silly to accuse Sheikh Pantami for living a life he could afford because some people in his Gombe neighborhood are sleeping hungry? I doubt if there’s any Nigerian alive who would be acquitted of this mischievous charge. The world is created to always have the haves and the have-nots and nobody can change that. What matters, to sane minds of course, is how the haves assist the have-nots to cushion the effect of this divine reality. And “error” failed to prove Sheikh Pantami has not been assisting where and when he could.
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