Eviction Saga: “Communications Minister Pantami Used Armed Men To Drive Out My Staff” – NIDCOM Chairman Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Minister Calls Allegation ‘A Fat Lie’
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has alleged that minister of communications and digital economy, Isa Pantami, ordered the eviction of her staff from an office, handed over to her by Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC).
Highlighting the challenges of NIDCOM in a video shared on Twitter by the commission, Dabiri-Erewa said the agency has been carrying on despite office accommodation setbacks.
She accused Pantami of ordering police men to throw out the agency and also locked up over 40 office equipments belonging to NIDCOM staff.
The office complex located at Mbora district in the federal capital territory (FCT) is an annex of NCC’s head office, an agency under the communications ministry.
It was gathered that the eviction of the NIDCOM occurred on February 12, 2020, after Pantami reportedly queried the NCC of housing the commission despite not being under his ministry.
In the video, Dabiri-Erewa stated that the NCC duly offered its annex office at one of the meetings held with the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta at Maitama, Abuja, in June 2019.
Commenting on questions about the lack of office accommodation by her agency, Dabiri-Erewa stated;
The office we got was given to us by NCC, but we were actually driven away by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Isa Pantami. Within two days, he drove us with guns.
The place was given to us by NCC, we all help each other. The NCC said there is a place we can settle in and just as we settled in; I was in Ethiopia when I got a call. I came back from Ethiopia on a Thursday, this happened on Tuesday, by Friday, when I went to the office, there were guns, armed men had taken over the place, I thought it was a joke.
She stressed that;
Here is the thing: I’m a government employee, so is he (Pantami). It’s government business. Do I go on the street and start fighting him? So, I said I would take the higher ground. I decided that I’m not going to raise any dust about it. I have written to the appropriate authorities, I have complained officially.
The presidential aide further said that the NIDCOM is still facing severe accommodation challenge, noting that the fifth-floor offices in the NCC building where the commission was evicted are still vacant.
Watch full video below;
As with every path to success challenges are bond to surface what have been the major challenges since the establishment of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission – Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission. pic.twitter.com/Ez6qAR1mJ9
— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) May 23, 2020
2. As with every path to success challenges are bond to surface what have been the major challenges since the establishment of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission – Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission. pic.twitter.com/DtWlJzAjpq
— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) May 23, 2020
But reacting to the allegation in a tweet on Sunday, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, described NIDCOM chairman’s allegations as “a fat lie.”
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 directives to any gunman. We need to be very objective in reporting. I have never sent any gunmen there, & I have no one https://t.co/SUi3n4Qs4E
— Isa Ali Pantami, PhD (@DrIsaPantami) May 24, 2020
