The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami has denied owning three houses as posted by Sahara Reporters.
The news medium had posted three buildings in choice parts of Abuja saying the Minister bought the properties for his three wives after he became Minister.
The post caused some outrage among Nigerians on social media who recalled that the Minister once introduced his three wives on the floor of the National Assembly as proof of his masculinity and ability to lead.
Issuing a statement on Friday through his spokesperson, Uwa Suleiman, Pantami said he has not bought any property since he was appointed as Minister.
He said one of the properties in question had been occupied by the Minister since 2017 while another one was rented in December, 2019.
Excerpts from the statement read;
“Our attention has been drawn to the grave falsehood Published by controversial online media, Sahara Reporters against the person of Honourable Minister Dr Isa Ali Pantami. The online media, has falsely accused him of procuring three houses within the period of his assumption of office.
“For the purpose of setting the records straight, the Honourable Minister has not purchased a single property anywhere in the world, in the period he has been in office as a Minister. One of the apartments in the images published is one which the Honourable Minister has occupied since January 2017, more than two years before becoming a minister, while the other one is a house he rented since 17th December 2019. Two of the images are not even known to him.
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“It is worthy of note that as a serving Minister, Dr Pantami’s salaries and allowances fall below his earnings as a Professor at the International University Madinah Saudi Arabia, where he still holds the record of being the first Nigerian to lecture at that level. He only returned to Nigeria out of the zeal to contribute his quota to national development.
“Dr Pantami is one of the few Nigerians who are driven by nothing, but an unequalled sense of patriotism and selfless service as demonstrated in his act of sacrifice, to answer the call to serve his country as a sign of his patriotism and selfless service. As a successful businessman in his own right who has been comfortable in life, he has carved a niche for himself in his character, deep sense of responsibility and successful feats.
“Dr Pantami’s integrity and credibility precede him, and his fight against corruption in both official and personal capacities have become a reference point not only nationally, but globally.
“The general public is advised to ignore all attempts to slander the name and image of the Honourable Minister. In the same vein, we plead with the Nigerian media to deploy the strategies of investigative journalism and avoid false sensationalism inorder to uphold the tenets of the noble pen profession.”
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