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The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, and the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami engaged in a verbal clash on Twitter over the forced eviction of NIDCOM staff from their office at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Trouble started on Sunday when Dabiri-Erewa posted a video on NIDCOM Twitter page and accused Pantami of ordering armed men to chase away her workers from their office on the 11th of February, 2020, adding that the notice of evacuation was given via a text message on the 9th of February, 2020.
“In one year, we don’t even have an office. The office we got, given to us by the NCC, we were actually driven away by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Isa Pantami. Within two days he drove us out with guns and what happened? The place was given to us by the NCC,” she said in the video.
“You know we all help each other, NCC as an agency of government, said there is a place you can use to settle in. And just as we settled in, I was in Ethiopia when I got a call. I thought that it was a joke. I came back from Ethiopia on Thursday, this happened on Tuesday, by Friday when I went to the office, guns, armed men had taken over the place. I thought it was a joke; but here is the thing, I’m a government employee, so is he. It’s government business. Do I go on the street and start fighting. No. So, I said I would take the moral higher ground.
“I have complained officially, but we let it be. He wants the place, let him take it. And that place is still there, a whole floor is still vacant. As I speak with you all our items are locked up. I don’t have a computer; I don’t have printers, everything has been locked up.”
The former House of Reps member also said the office was given to them by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, lamenting that the working tools of the staff had been locked up.
However, the communications and digital economy minister replied in a tweet to the video, calling her a liar. “This is a fat lie from her. The owner of the building @NgComCommission has faulted her lies on their social media platforms. The minister has never given that directive to any gunman. We need to be very objective in reporting. I have never sent any gunmen there, and I have no one,” he tweeted.
The NIDCOM boss, responded again, insisting Pantami chased the workers away because he did not have respect for women.
“An Islamic scholar should not lie. Hon minister (Phd), you did that to me because I am a woman. Your disrespect for women is legendary. Left the ugly incident behind me since February. But please, release all our office equipment. Public office is transient,” she wrote.
To further support her claim, she posted a video of the stranded NIDCOM workers who were being addressed to stay calm. “To refresh you sir, despite your denial; the secretary of the commission seeking calm after staff resumed for work and denied access to the 5th floor office of NIDCOM based on your instruction. Turned back by armed men! Haba!!!!,” she noted.
But Pantami, in response, retweeted supports from some of his followers who urged him to take legal action against Dabiri-Erewa for defamation of character and shared a statement from the NCC, which had also absolved him of blame in the matter.
Henry Nkemadu, NCC Director of Public Affairs, in the statement, noted that NIDCOM was not forced out of the complex.
“The NCC has not withdrawn the offer, but had hiccups arising from the preparation for the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Communications and Digital Economy Complex and launch of other projects relating to the mandate of government,” Nkemadu noted.
“Incidentally, after the offer of the office spaces to the NDC (NIDCOM), the Director General, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, had not visited the complex to take possession of any of the offices and also the commission had not started using any of these spaces as offices.
“As is usual in ensuring security and accountability before, during and after presidential visits, the building had to be cleared to allow for only known and identifiable persons to have access within the complex.
“Therefore, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, could not have sent armed men to drive the staff of the Diaspora Commission out of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex.”
Hours later, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head, Media and Public Relations Unit NIDCOM in Abuja, released a statement in response to the position of the NCC Director of Public Affairs.
In the press statement titled “Re: Forceful chasing out of NIDCOM staff from NCC Complex”, it was argued that the said fifth floor of NCC Annex Mbora was allocated to NIDCOM by NCC Management since June 2019 and handed over by Mrs Maryam Bayi, its Director Human Resources.
“But due to lack of basic facilities in the complex, NIDCOM staff could not move in gradually until October 2019,” said Balogun in the statement.
“But while our Chairman/CEO Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa was on official assignment with Mr President in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, on the 9th of February, the staff were given one week by the Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Ali Pantami to pack out but within 48 hours of the said quit notice, they were forcefully evicted by security operatives attached to the complex on the orders of the Minister on February 11.
“On the allegation that NIDCOM did not move into the offices when allocated, this is untrue, false accusation and contradictory to the statement of NCC to the effect that NIDCOM properties were warehoused and intact in the annex.”
