THE INSIDER: Why Pantami sailed through senate screening despite pro-Al-Qaeda views

The senate confirmed Isa Pantami as a minister because of the alleged failure of security agencies to draw attention to his past extremist views in support of terror groups, sources have told TheCable.

Those involved in the screening process told TheCable that the senate acted only based on information made available to it by the security agencies — the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the police.

TheCable could not independently verify the claim which was corroborated by Ajibola Basiru, the senate spokesperson, during an interview on Wednesday.

There is also the possibility that the federal lawmakers chose not to act on any of such security report.

PANTAMI IN TROUBLED WATERS

Nearly two years in office as minister of communications and digital economy, Pantami’s integrity is being questioned following his earlier views in support of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda.

What started as an unverified report about being on the United States watchlist over alleged ties with terror groups snowballed into heightened calls for the minister’s removal after he admitted to expressing support for extremist anti-western ideologies in the past.

In videos from the 2000s, Pantami, who is a known Islamic scholar, said while he was against the ideologies of Boko Haram, he supports what Al-Qaeda and the Taliban stand for.

“This jihad is an obligation for every single believer, especially in Nigeria. Oh God, give victory to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda,” the minister was quoted as saying in one of his teachings years ago.

Although he has recanted the views after claiming that he has “changed several positions taken in the past based on new evidence and maturity”, a question continues to pop up: How did he get past scrutiny by the senate and security agencies?

‘NO ADVERSE REPORT ON PANTAMI DURING SENATE SCREENING’

National assembly sources told TheCable that in confirming ministerial nominees as it is the case with other nominees of the president, the senate sends the forwarded names to security agencies to act on.

On receiving the names, the agencies — mostly the police, the DSS and the NIA — will then invite the nominees for questioning while carrying out a background check on them.

Afterwards, the agencies communicate their findings to both the executive and the national assembly.

But in the case of Pantami, legislative sources including a member of the senate leadership said there was no “adverse” report indicting Pantami when he was screened as a ministerial nominee.

“After they appear before the agency, there will be a report (sent) to the relevant committee of the senate as to their security screening. So, the senate will only rely on the report of the screening,” one of the sources told TheCable.

“There is no instance where the Nigerian senate has screened anybody without a relevant security report. We can only rely on the judgement of security agencies; we can only act on evidence from experts and security agencies.

“None of them (the ministerial nominees) had any adverse security report that could be the basis for the senate not to screen them.”

TheCable contacted Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesman, and Frank Mba, police spokesman, for comment but is yet to receive a response.

SENATE SAYS IT CAN’T CARRY OUT INDEPENDENT FINDINGS

Ola Awoniyi, the spokesman of Senate President Ahmad Lawan, has not yet responded to an enquiry on the matter, but Basiru told TheCable that to date, the senate has not received any petition against Pantami regarding his extremist views.

The senate spokesperson also said the lawmakers could not have carried out independent findings regarding the minister’s past when he was being screened as they are not empowered to do so.

“How do we carry out independent findings? Does the senate have the capacity to carry out independent findings about people; 40 nominees? Does the Nigerian senate have its own security outfit or independent forensic unit? We don’t have such facilities. It is not in our law or our mandate to have such in place,” Basiru said.

“On issues of security, the only recognised experts Nigerian senate can rely on in screening any candidate is the Nigerian security agencies. For all the people that were screened, and will be screened, we continue to rely on their security reports.”

But, will the upper legislative chamber act on the new information on the minister now that the controversial comments he made in the past are in the open?

The senator said federal lawmakers do not act on speculations but only on motions, petitions or reports from security agencies.

“Opinion of experts on security is different from the opinion of individuals as to what constitutes a security problem that can hinder the person from being screened as a public officer. That is why we rely on the opinion of Nigerian security agencies,” he added.