BOOK REVIEW: Celebrating an Unsung Digital Economy Maestro
By Nuhu M. Mohammed
One thing Nigerians dont do enough of is celebrating heroes and icons. Another thing is putting their landmarks, breakthroughs and sacrifices into proper, enduring documentation for the purpose of posterity.
Award-winning author and Public Relations guru, Mallam Yushau Shuaib, has however achieved both with his latest contribution to the country’s body of knowledge titled, “Pantami: The Trials and Triumphs of a Digital Economy Maestro.”
Like Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and other renowned authors, Mallam Yushau knows how to take his readers along and put them in the exact situation he is describing. Due to his power of description, he makes his readers feel the exact emotions and other situations of the subject matter he is talking about.
The central character of this masterpiece is the immediate past Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, a distinguished academic and preacher who worked his socks off to place the country’s digital economy among the best in Africa and beyond. But what did he get from envious and sometimes bigoted critics – endless, hate-filled attacks over nothing. It was either they were condemning him for his previous fiery sermons or slandering him for not being worthy to be a Professor or trying instigate rebellion among the agencies under his Ministry.
The Book also captures his landmarks in the Ministry, the obstacles he had to surmount to get things done and the glory he brought to Nigeria from the international community.
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A very interesting read, the Book captures the attitude of the Minister as well as his innermost feelings about the country as well as the huge task he had to deliver. Without necessarily setting out to whitewash the Minister, the author presents Pantami as a patriot who has an unshakeable belief in Nigeria.
The Book offers indepth perspectives on some of the battles the Minister had to fight including the one against the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU) over the untested payment system it wanted to impose and the unnecessarily long strike action.
The Book is divided into four chapters and 137 pages. Chapter One focuses on the author’s reason to put pen to paper. It also talks about his encounter with the digital economy maestro, cyber security, datafication and innovative ideas meant to advance Nigeria’s digital economy.
Chapter Two talks about inter-relationships among government agencies as well as inter-agency squabbles and how this can bring about some kind of headache for the Minister in charge of that Ministry. Topics on multiple telecom taxation, NIN-SIM linkage and the war on stamp duty also dominate the chapter.
The ASUU crisis over IPPIS and UTAS, his professorship saga and the fierce criticisms he suffered on the alleged past pro-Boko Haram preachings dominated Chapter Three.
The issue surrounding NigComsat and the fear of privatisation as well as the Minister’s record of achievements dominate the last chapter.
The thematic preoccupation of the Book revolves round patriotism, loyalty to a cause, survival, perseverance and dedication to God and country even in the face of adversity.
The narration is short, concise and straight to the point and easy to read, and this is good for this generation as reading is a big issue. The drawback here however is that this Book doesn’t tell the full story of Pantami as a person or as a public servant. This should therefore be in volumes so that curious readers like me can get to read more interesting and inspirational tales about the Pantami persona.
This piece of literature is recommended to all and sundry – students, scholars and researchers at home and abroad.
Nuhu M. Mohammed can be reached via
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