Babatunde Raji Fashola, a former minister of works and housing, has explained why certain individuals found Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, a former minister of communication and digital economy, bothersome under the former federal administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. One of the reasons, according to Fashola, who served in the Buhari cabinet with Pantami, was Pantami's unwavering commitment to doing things correctly and crossing all the "T"s and "I"s.

This was said by the former minister and governor of Lagos State on Wednesday in Abuja during the keynote speech for the public launch of Prof. Pantami's 341-page book, "A Scholar's Journey: Navigating Academia." "I first became acquainted with Prof. Pantami as a fellow member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), where he held the position of Minister for Digital Economy and Communication from 2019 to 2023. His devotion to detail and enthusiasm are widely recognized. For some, it was almost aggravating that he insisted on crossing out every "T" and "I" in every paper.

But having been affected by what I refer to as the Pantami effect, our memos, and our cabinet records are more accurate. He served as our go-to "Mr. Compliance." He would be the first to see your memo or a tech memo without a NITDA certificate, in which case he wouldn't remain silent. And he would be extremely straightforward in informing you if your missions and vision did not line up. For good reason, though, he was Mr. Compliance. As I previously stated, the "Pantami effect" is beneficial for our data.

Books with a factual basis that authentically reflect history and events are even more crucial to preserving the foundations of our civilization in an era when false news threatens the truth and revisionists threaten history. said Fashola. According to Fashola, the book's debut is fortunate as it focuses on academics and scholarship, two things that are critically required to propel national growth. Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, the governor of Borno State; Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, the governor of Gombe State; Engr. Abdullahi Sule, the governor of Nasarawa State; Alhaji Danjuma Goje, the former governor of Gombe State; Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti State; Femi Fani Kayode, the former minister of aviation; and Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, the former executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), were also present at the event.

In his remarks, Fayemi praised Pantami for making significant progress toward the development of Nigerians, citing the rise in broadband penetration—which was at 23% in 2019 and is now at 50%—and internet penetration, which is at roughly 87%. In his remarks, Prof. Pantami thanked everyone in attendance as well as everyone else who helped to make the event a success and pledged to keep adding to the body of knowledge for the advancement of the country.