For those of us that are in our 40s or older, and who grew up in the various hinterlands scattered all over the Nigerian geographical space, it is difficult to believe that any ailment known to humanity does not have a cure. If one was sick, our grandmothers would simply go to the backyard and pick a few leaves or cut a small portion of a tree, boil or grind them and give the sick person as medication. 
Even with the advent of modern medicine, brought about or made popular by our colonial masters, that form of medication has hardly been abandoned, not even till date. While I am by no means discounting the heavy significance and superiority of orthodox medication, the fact remains generations upon generations have relied on traditional or unorthodox medicine to get totally cured of ailments or completely healed of wounds. In a way, government in our shores has accepted the efficacy of our traditional medical system that it has set up an agency at the federal level researching on the subject and somewhat regulating the industry.
For the typical unorthodox medical practitioner, all ailments have cure. That informs why when HIV-AIDS was ravaging humanity and several thousands were getting killed, an orthodox medical practitioner in Abuja, a certain Dr. Jeremiah Ojonemi Abalaka deployed some unorthodox means todevelop what he called an effective vaccine that cured the disease that we are still told doesn’t have any cure. So sure was Abalaka that he said he was ready to inject himself with HIV virus and then apply his vaccine to get cured of it. Sadly, the regulatory health agencies paid only a scant attention to him. As far as they were concerned, you can only develop a vaccine when you follow some procedures adopted in foreign lands, as if our mothers and grand mothers did not cure millions of Africans of various ailments before whitemen set their foot in Africa.
Now, with the advent of Coronavirus late last year, so far at least five Nigerians have claimed to have found a cure for the pandemic that is threatening human existence in a way and manner that are unprecedented in the annals of world history.
The first to lay such claim is Professor Maurice Iwu, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). When it appeared that nobody in Nigeria was ready to listen to the Professor of Medicine, he simply turned his attention to the United States where his claim is now receiving attention. Nigeria is missing on the opportunity because if the claim is established to be true, the country will have to spend its scarce resources to purchase them at exorbitant cost from the United States. The fact that the person who found the cure is a Nigerian will not matter, as the company Iwu is working with will readily register and obtain a patent, making it impossible for any other government or individuals to use the same process to develop the vaccine.
Also, a Kaduna based scientist, Professor Ayodele Adeleye has been asking the Federal Government to engage him over his claim to the cure for the Coronavirus. Is anybody listening to him? I doubt. Just like reigning World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Anthony Joshua was ignored when he vied for a chance to represent Nigeria at the Olympics, Professor Ayodele could end up being celebrated globally if he is able to prove to the whitemen that his claim is not a hoax. Only then would Nigeria regard him as a worthy human being, the same ridiculous way we are now falling over ourselves desperately appropriating Anthony Joshua after England has given him the opportunity that made him the greatest boxer of our time. Definitely nobody will have heard of Joshua if he had remained in Nigeria after being snubbed by our mostly-selfish sports technocrats.
There is also Malam Idris Ibrahim Kalgo from Kebbi State, who, at the outset of the
pandemic shortly after Nigeria recorded less than ten victims, made it clear to the authorities that he has developed a vaccine that could cure any Covid-19 victim in only three days. The case of Kalgo is even worse because he hails from a part of Nigeria, the North, where the elite members hardly reckon with those on the lower rungs of the social ladder; where most of the leaders care only for themselves, their girlfriends and members of their immediate families.
Other Nigerians who claim finding cure for Coronavirus include Onwubiko Ezeibe, a professor of small animals and clinical virology, who, as early as February when the ailment was still new in Nigeria, introduced his invention to the public in Umuahia, Abia State. He is renowned for developing vaccines that are working wonders for the human race. I wonder why Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the Governor of Abia State, cannot seize the moment to help this young professor who has the potential to be among the very best in the world.
There is also Professor Maduike Ezebe of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, who has made a similar claim, and whose therapy is also said to be very potent and effective. Let’s also not forget Bright Eworo, a first class graduate from Cross River State who is fast making a name as a researcher of distinction. He also claims to have developed a vaccine that will cure Coronavirus.
There are several others who have made a similar claim, and I have no doubt they will never have gone unnoticed if they were in America or any of the western countries that attained their potential only because they give all their citizens the enabling environment to thrive and excel.
Of course it could be claimed that recently, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has challenged Nigerian scientists to develop a cure for Coronavirus and Lassa fever, promising a cash reward of N36 million for the effort. But the question remains: what has he or any agency of government done in real terms to help and encourage those whose claims are likely to be true? The minister should know that many Nigerians are not impressed with the offer he has made, as what is important is to privately engage those claimants and work with them to sieve the grain from the chaff. That way, we could be lucky to find at least one of them saying the truth. That way also, Nigeria could make billions of dollars from the global audience that would rush for the vaccine.
Let’s not forget that a Nigerian by name Chinedu Echeruo earned global respect when, in 2013, a company he founded was acquired by Apple for one billion dollars. If Chinedu had relied on a competition instituted by a Nigerian minister, such as the one the Minister of Science is now doing, chances are that the organizers may have discouraged him with unnecessary criticism, or deploy favoritism to edge him out.
Such is on record to have happened to a countless number of Nigerians who have invented one technology or the other, but who were discouraged by our officials with their lackluster, selfish and corrupt attitude.
One can only imagine the kind of money Nigeria would have been making if its officials had provided the enabling ground for people like Chinedu Echeruo to thrive locally.
The evil forces against Pantami
Three weeks ago, I published an opinion advising the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Ali Pantami, to ensure the telecoms sector does not get derailed by what I perceived as his penchant for picking unnecessary fights with other key operators in the sector, especially the indispensable Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
About two days after the publication, I received a call from Malam Shu’aibu Gara Gombe, a renowned sports personality and public affairs analyst who, incidentally, is a very close old friend that maintained a weekly column in a national newspaper when I was the title editor of the daily edition of the paper. Whereas the respect between us is mutual, he disagreed vehemently with what I wrote, and I assured Malam Gombe there was absolutely nothing personal between me and the Communications Minister; that it was owing to the high esteem in which I hold Dr. Pantami that I felt offended with his conduct when he did what many commentators described as breach of protocol by forcing the NCC boss, Professor Umaru Danbatta, from completing his speech in the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari, during the launching of the NCC complex named Digital Economy Complex in Abuja.
As fate would have it, my 15 year old son was kidnapped in Kano about three weeks ago, and I have not been able to return to this column since then. I apologize to my readers for this, trusting they would reason that the traumatic experience deprived me of the presence of mind to do justice to the column. But the story here is that Dr. Pantami somehow played a role in the rescue of the boy by his insistence that communication service providers must deactivate all unregistered and pre-registered SIM cards and stop the sale of same to the public. I recall that Abubakar Shekau, the Boko Haram terrorists commander, felt so offended that he threatened to kill the minister for taking that patriotic measure that will now make his terrorist activities easier to fathom.
The reality is that terrorists, bandits and other sundry criminals use pre-registered SIM cards to commit all sorts of crimes all over Nigeria, and were finding it easy, indeed very easy, to get away with it without trace. Upon his appointment as Minister, however, Pantami made it his cardinal objective to stop the dangerous, thoroughly immoral and illegitimate practice. The three security services, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), that worked in deep harmony to facilitate the release of my son assured me that they now find it easier to track down criminals owing to what the Communications Minister is insisting about. Pre-registered SIMs that were on sale on virtually every street in Nigeria are now becoming more and more scarce, and with that criminals are finding it more challenging to escape.
I publish hereunder the rejoinder sent to me by Malam Shu’aibu Gara Gombe, as part of the policy of this column, and indeed this newspaper, to ensure readers a right of reply. Enjoy:
Lately, there seems to be a wide range of missiles being fired at the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Sheikh Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, by a group of people in the country.
If they are not finding faults with how the Honourable Minister guided the Head of an Agency under his Ministry from going against protocol in the presence of Mr. President, they are sponsoring proxies to embark on smear campaigns against his office or any person close to him.
But discerning readers would notice that even at the height of the sponsored campaigns of calumny, none has been able to question the competence or professional integrity of the Honourable Minister.
Most of the criticisms and attacks are borne out of pursuits of self interests as against what should constitute the general good. If there is one person that I have no doubt was not influenced by anyone in the critical notes he wrote against Dr. Pantami, it is Suleiman Uba Gaya, and I can always say this because he is one person I have known very closely for well over twenty years now, and except he has changed, he is someone who holds no prisoners; who I also know to have the courage of his conviction.
It will interest many to know some of the reasons Pantami, who unarguably is one the best performing Ministers in the current administration, has become the focus of attacks by some elites in the country.
Many have forgotten that it was Pantami who sanitised the security network in the country by his insistence on checking the number of unregistered SIM cards which had hitherto been criminally neglected to the detriment of the people of the country who have as a result suffered various forms of crimes including kidnapping, internet scams and many others.
People also forget that it was Pantami who intervened when some telecom operators in Nigeria wanted to start charging for bank transactions done via mobile phones.
These are only a few of the many reasons why some self-centred and greedy individuals have taken it upon themselves to discredit the hardworking Minister but unknown to them, discerning Nigerians are watching and taking note of what is happening.
Many would be surprised to discover how ridiculous some of the reasons cited in the gang up against the Minister as some boil down to mere envy and inordinate ambitions.
The second force against the minister is from his home State of Gombe. This is because some key members of the political class in the state are not happy and have not forgiven the President for bypassing them to pick Pantami as his Ministerial nominee from the State. It will interest many to know that Pantami’s name was not included among the three names submitted from Gombe for consideration as Minister, but the President, knowing Pantami’s capacity, reached out to him to come and serve in his cabinet. Surely that has not gone down well with some political leaders in Gombe who are engaged in desperate efforts to pull him down in any way they can.
Another thing is that when Pantami was nominated as Minister, there were some of his colleague nominees who, after the screening, were interested in being posted to the Ministry of Communications because they consider it lucrative. But the President chose Pantami over all the lobbyists and with this, provoked the ire of some people who are now hellbent on working against the Minister.
Some Heads of Agencies under the Ministry are also not happy that Pantami, unlike his predecessor, came with deep knowledge and understanding of what ICT is all about and cannot be misled into taking the wrong decisions. One of the very first things he did, as stated earlier, was to insist on SIM card registration and gave all the Agencies under his Ministry, tasks with a performance index to ensure maximum compliance. He directed the NCC to block all unregistered SIM cards and make it difficult for unregistered SIM cards to enjoy space in the sector.
Due to his insistence, the number of unregistered, pre-registered or partially registered SIM cards in the country went down from 9.2 million to 5 and later to 2.4 million which later went down to zero. Today there’s no single unregistered SIM in the country as they have all been blocked!
But the operators are not happy with the Minister over this because of what they were making from allowing shady SIMs in the system.
As if that was not enough, the Minister fought the telecoms companies on the issue of data expiration and call dropping.
Pantami ensured that the charges on data are reduced while drop calls and unsolicited SMS and messages which the telecoms companies used to place charges on are stopped.
The Minister also nipped in the bud the attempt by some unscrupulous elements to fleece Nigerians through the introduction of charges on financial transactions done on mobile phones which as mentioned earlier, the Minister stopped.
All these did not go down well with some telecoms companies because they were conspiring against the people of Nigeria due to what they were benefiting from it.
Another thing the Minister did which irked some people in government was that when he came on board, he found out that the ministry of trade and investment is the one coordinating digital economy in the country with a committee which the ministry of communications is part of .
When Pantami came, he said no to that practice and explained to the authorities that everywhere in the world, it is the Ministry of Communications that coordinates digital economy because they control the platforms for it.
Two Ministers fought him in the Federal Executive Council over this. One of the Ministers even went to the Council and submitted a Memo to establish an Agency for Digital Economy under his office but Pantami shot it down with the backing of the President.
Not done with that, Pantami again requested the Council to rename his Ministry to Communications and Digital Economy and the President asked him to submit a Memo to that effect which he did and was approved. Those dragging the Digital Economy portfolio with him were not happy.
Before becoming a Minister, Pantami who was heading the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as its Director General ensured that the principle of federal character was implemented at the agency but this also did not go down well with some in the sector. This positioned the Agency for the stellar performance it recorded under the period in question.
In order to consolidate on that gain, Pantami nominated Malam Kashifu Inuwa to President Buhari who appointed him as DG of NITDA. My friend Suleiman Gaya got it wrong when he posited that Kashifu Inuwa was appointed after Pantami was sworn in as Minister. The truth is that he assumed office before that, and his appointment has absolutely nothing to do with nepotism but absolute competence.
Kashifu who is not even from the same state with Pantami was seconded to the Agency from the CBN due to his competence based on a personal request by Pantami as he is well known in the ICT sector. He was on top of his set at Harvard University and is one of the best brains in the ICT sector in Nigeria today.
But this has also angered some people even though his competence as a telecom guru cannot be questioned.
From these one can see that the gang up against Pantami are purely selfish and meant to stop a man who is sticking out his neck for the overall interest of the country.
Pantami is an expert in the field of communications, he attended some of the best schools in the world so he is well exposed and cannot be deceived by the head of any Agency under the Ministry unlike his predecessors.
He is one of the best Ministers in the current administration in terms of performance and is also a world renowned Islamic Scholar. They know that with such a credential, the Minister is set to revolutionise the ICT sector in Nigeria for the better and that is why they are after him.
Pantami has always been pro-masses, and he is one Minister who is working very hard to give life to President Buhari’s stated objective of removing one hundred million Nigerians out of poverty in the next few years. By making it more and more difficult for telecoms service providers to fleece the people, Minister Pantami is in many ways providing for a more robust economy and making more funds available to Nigerians.
Also by contributing in making kidnapping a less attractive business, the Minister is also ensuring that millions of naira that have for years been going to criminals are now left with hapless families, many of who had to sell their assets to pay ransom and free their abducted loved ones.