A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has described the immediate past Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali- Pantami, as a public figure of ‘indomitable courage’ who has a true passion for national service.
Mr Fani-Kayode made this known during the public presentation of A book titled: “A Scholar’s Journey: Navigating the Academia,” authored by Mr Pantami, which took place last Wednesday in Abuja.
The former aviation minister extolled the role Mr Pantami played in the rescue of Monsoor Al-Kadriyar who was abducted alongside his five daughters at Bwari area of the Federal Capital Territory.
He said: “Prof. Pantami is courageous about his faith. He is courageous about his academic achievements. He has been courageous in his political career. He has been courageous when it comes to his friendships and his loyalty to so many people.
“He has been courageous in his support and standing by President Muhammadu Buhari through thick and thin, which is something that is a great honor because most people when somebody is out of power, they no longer stand with that person. He has been consistent and clear and that speaks for him.
“But most important of all, and I have to say this, is his religious fervency, his commitment to Islam. Because he is first and foremost, in my view, and this is probably why I admire him so much, a cleric, a sheikh, and a man that will stand for, and by his faith any day and any time. And that is something that ought to be admired.
“…Look at the issue of kidnappers. The other day, a family was kidnapped. And one of them, the oldest daughter, was killed. Had it not been for Prof. Pantami’s intervention, speaking to a number of people, and his reaching out to that family personally, which nobody else had done, the other five daughters would not be free today”.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the book presentation was chaired by Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, the Governor of Borno State.
A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, reviewed the book.
Governors Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, together with former Governors of Lagos, Gombe and Ekiti States: Babatunde Raji Fashola, Senator Danjuma Goje and Dr. Kayode Fayemi; and several Ministers (both serving and former) were part of the eminent dignitaries who attended the event.
The 341-page book chronicles the two decades Prof. Ali Pantami spent in academia, both full-time and part-time.
The book covers the former Minister’s academic life across four continents – Africa, Europe, Asia and North America – from January 2003 to January 2023.
