Dr. Isa Pantami-headed Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has signed a new deal agreement worth over N5 billion ($13 million) with The Republic of Korea.
Korea signed the contract on Thursday in Abuja, through its grant aid agency, Korea International Cooperation Agency Office (KOICA) in Nigeria.
The agreement seeks to boost the e-government enlargement and proliferation access in the enrollment of the National Identification Number (NIN).
The KOICA Office in Nigeria in a statement explained that the new agreement will help the implementation of the ‘Project for Building Foundations Towards Digital Governance in Nigeria from 2020 to 2026’.
The statement read, “The project, which is fully funded by the Korean government through grant aid, is expected to enhance capacity for the further execution of key initiatives of the National eGovernment Master Plan, improve competencies for e-government service delivery through capacity building programmes, expand the delivery of government digital services through the activation of the government service portal, www.services.gov.ng, and create increased access for NIN enrolment through the establishment of additional NIN enrolment centres.”
Speaking during the event, Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy noted that KOICA’s aid disbursement for e-government remained the highest in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Government in July extended the deadline for NIN linkage to SIM data to October 31, 2021, but a large number of Nigerians, especially from the Southern part have vowed not to link their SIM with NIN.
Their decisions and positions were hinged on the sympathy Pantami has expressed for the terrorist group, Boko Haram, which has killed an estimated 72,000 persons in 12 years. He was also linked with terrorist groups around the world such as Al-Qaeda.
In a 2006 speech, Pantami publicly offered his condolences after the death of Al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
In an audio clip, while talking about the Nigerian Army’s war against Boko Haram, he appears to be on the verge of tears as he passionately describes the militants as “our Muslim brothers” who did not deserve to be “killed like pigs”.
“This jihad is an obligation for every single believer, especially in Nigeria,” he said in another audio recording, and also declared that he was always happy when infidels were massacred. He has not denied the authenticity of these texts, audio, and video clips, rather he said he now saw things differently.
In one of his defensive remarks, Pantami said, “I have engaged those with Boko Haram ideologies in different places. I have been writing pamphlets in Hausa, English, and Arabic. I have managed to bring back several young persons who have derailed from the right path.
“Some of the comments I made some years ago that are generating controversies now were based on my understanding of religious issues at the time, and I have changed several positions taken in the past based on new evidence and maturity.
“I was young when I made some of the comments; I was in university, some of the comments were made when I was a teenager. I started preaching when I was 13, many scholars and individuals did not understand some of the international events and, therefore, took some positions based on their understanding, some have come to change their positions later.”
Some Nigerians who have expressed reluctance to register for NIN said on Twitter:
“The thought of it scares me, from the comfort of his office PC, he will pull out your personal data and do what he feels like,” Mr Wick @ValarMuurghulis wrote.
Isimmiri Nwene @IsimmiriN also tweeted, “Do not undermine a reprobate mind hiding under religion while being in charge of your sensitive particulars.”
Jacob @Area_Jay said, “Whenever I remember that all this data of Nigerians is in his fingertips, I’m scared like hell.”
“Is the truth, the guy can literally track anybody while sitting comfortably in his office and that **** is scary!” Johnnygid @MrJohnsongid tweeted.
