By John Ikani
Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has been promoted to the rank of Professor of Cybersecurity.
Pantami is among seven Readers (Associate Professors) promoted to Professor by the governing council of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), at its 186th meeting held on Friday, August 20, 2021.
Other promoted from Reader to Professor are Dr Okechukwu Onyelucheya (Chemical Engineering), Dr Alex I. Opara (Geology), Dr Conrad Enenebeaku (Chemistry), Dr Chikwendu Okereke (Geology), Dr Lawrence Ettu (Civil Engineering) and Dr Godfrey Emeghara (Maritime Management Technology).
The council also approved the recommendation of the Academic Staff Appointment and Promotions Committee (Professorial) for the promotion of nine Senior Lecturers to Readers and two Senior University Librarians to Deputy University Librarians.
An erudite scholar of Information Technology, Pantami who recently bagged the Security and Emergency Management Award (SAEMA) on Cybersecurity, had lectured at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, on ICT, before joining the Islamic University of Madinah as Head of Technical Writing in 2014.
He was appointed the Director-General and CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in 2016, before he was appointed the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy on 21 August 2019.
A senior lecturer at the FUTO told PRNigeria that the university committee is excited to have Pantami as one of its new seven professors, even though the minister has indicated that he would not receive remuneration because of his current position.
“We gladly welcome this new set of professors in our reputable institution. It is even more heartwarming to note that Professor Pantami has already communicated to the university that he won’t collect his salary for now because of his national assignment”.
