To begin with, a responsible Public Affairs commentator should be and or must be devoid of slander, campaign of calumny, character assassination and or defamation of character etc.
Personality attack doesn’t show any intellectual capacity of any writer or a commentator. In my view, personality attack is very cheap because it could be done by anybody. Everyone can identify a problem on national issue , but only the Intellectually sound writers or commentators can proffer a workable solution to a problem . Writers or commentators with genuine concern on issues must discharge their duties with decorum.
Prof. Kperogi in an article with the above-mentioned title alleged that: “It emerged that Communications and Digital Economy Minister Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami (or his agents) possibly instructed Zamfara State governor Bello Muhammad Mutawalle to place an advertorial in the Daily Trust to congratulate Pantami on his “promotion to the Rank of Full Professor of Cybersecurity…”
In my observation, the aforementioned statement is disrespectful to the person and office of the governor of Zamfara state to say the least. It is equally unbecoming of a professor to accuse a “celebrant” for the actions of his well-wishers. It is a common knowledge that, well-wishers often rejoice with their celebrants without prompting. So why will Dr Pantami’s be different?
Prof. Kperogi also alleged that:” Pantami is not qualified to be promoted to the rank of professor in the two universities he has some associations with. Most importantly, though, he is not qualified to be appointed professor by and at ANY university in the in the world…”
In reaction to the said allegation, Mr Nnabuihe, the Registrar of the Federal University of Technology, (FUTO), Owerri, stated that, “in September 2020, FUTO advertised for the position of professor and lecturers in different disciplines in the institution and Dr Ibrahim applied”.
He added that: “If an associate professor is in a particular university and another university wants him and after assessing him he is qualified based on his research works and credentials, such a person could be appointed as professor by that university.” ( Saturday Tribune,18th September, 2021).
In addition, Mr Nnabuihe, said: “ based on the documents in his file submitted, he was assessed alongside other internal members who were also appointed as professors. The promotion was deserving, and based on his qualification which he merited through long years of research works.”(Saturday Tribune, September 18, 2021).
Prof. Kperogi further alleged that: ” Pantami’s “professorship” was granted by the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, where he has never taught. It doesn’t take much thought to see that the “professorial promotion” and, worse, its promotion in the media is some self-humiliating intellectual duplicity perpetrated by Pantami himself”.
In his response, Mr Nnabuihe argued that:” Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim was not “promoted” as reported in some quarters but was “appointed” because he was a Reader. Somebody who is not your staff, you cannot promote him”( Saturday Tribune, September 18, 2021).
Prof. Kperogi equally alleged that: “The last academic position Pantami held before he became DG of NITDA in 2016 was an assistant professorship (roughly equivalent to a senior lectureship in the Nigerian system) at the Islamic University of Madinah where he taught for two years after his PhD in 2014.
On the other hand, Mr Nnabuihe maintained that: ” Dr Ibrahim graduated in Computer Science, he started as a lecturer at the Abubakar Tafawa Belewa University. He, later went to another university in Saudi Arabia and was thereafter appointed as an “Associate Professor,” which was where he stayed for some time until he was appointed as the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) which he said was “like a research institute”(Saturday, Tribune 18th September, 2021).
Prof. Kperogi in the said article prayed that: “I hope Professor Abdulrasheed will cause the NUC to sanction the FUT, Owerri, for the intellectual fraud it has perpetrated in “promoting” an undeserving non-employee to its highest academic rank and ensure that other mercenary university administrators don’t replicate this swindle in the future”.
Prof. Sa’ad in his rejoinder to Prof. Kperogi on the said article stated that : “He wants NUC to sanction Owerri for making Pantami a Professor. Maybe his knowledge of our university laws and the various statutes is limited. so also his understanding of the level of autonomy universities have vis a vis NUC. A University can decide to appoint an individual to a position either through promotion or straight appointment based on the criteria they set up independent of NUC”.
He added that: ” NUC does not create professorial Chairs or determine the mode of appointment of a Professor. If I were to cite cases that would surprise Kperogi, I would write a book. Yet the cases are legally right. One may disagree with the criteria for such appointments or promotions but cannot challenge their legality”(Prof. Sa’ad ).
Dr Pantami’s contributions to humanity is phenomenal in varied field of human endeavors which includes: technology, science, and Islamic jurisprudence etc. His records as the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) which is “like a research institute” was enviable. His performance in his current position is equally enviable.
We have had some of the greatest African professors without PhDs, but were recognized on the bases of their peculiar contributions which included:(1) Prof. Chinua Achebe, (2) Prof. Wole Soyinka,(3) Prof. Cyprian Ekwenzi,(4) Prof. George Magoha,(5) Prof. Basil Davidson, and (6) Prof. Ngui wa Thiong among others.
As confirmed by the Registrar of FUTO Dr Pantami did not assess himself, but was assessed by eminently qualified assessors alongside other internal members who were also appointed as professors.
In my thought, the character assassination of the person of Dr Pantami is totally uncalled for. If any law or process is violated or by-passed on his professorial award he should not be blamed for that, but rather the University and its team of assessors should be. Why attacking his personality?
May God bless Nigeria!
