The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri and the Minister of Communication & Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami have engaged in an unsavoury bicker over the use of office spaces.

According to the NIDCOM boss, the Minister (Pantami) directed gunmen to drive the diaspora commission out of Nigerian Communications Commission building.

"One year in, we don't have an office. The office we got, we were actually driven away by the Honourable Minister of Communication & Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami with guns. The place was given to us by NCC and told us that there was a place we can settle in.

I was in Ethiopia on Tuesday and I came back on Thursday. By Friday when I got to the office, guns and armed men have taken over the place. As a Government employee, should I go on the streets and start making noise? So I chose to take the high moral ground. I have written to the appropriate authorities. As I speak to you I don't have a computer or printers. If he wants the place, let them take it," she said in a video.

She promised to leave it all to posterity.

Pantami countered the statement saying all Dabiri said was false. He presented a statement by the NCC to back up his claim.

Hon. Minister Sir, u need to be very careful with some of ur staff and people around you. Some sadist in this country don't like u and they'll do everything to drag u on the ground. They have seen how honest u r and may want to give people some bad impression about u.

— OSUKU (@saleece) May 24, 2020

In the statement, he confirmed that NCC offered the NIDCOM office spaces on the fifth floor in the newly completed building due to goodwill.

"Some of the Departments of the NCC had started moving to the new Office Complex of Five (5) Floors when discussions were held between the NCC and the Diaspora Commission to enable the Diaspora Commission also to utilise any free offices within the Complex. The fifth floor allocated to them had to be used to accommodate other Departments from the NCC Headquarters to ease the congestion.

"NCC’s offer to house NiDCOM was predicated on the long-held position of the NCC that agencies of Government will achieve more through strategic collaboration, partnership, synergy and sharing to the extent allowed by relevant laws," the statement read in part.

However, two things happened. A hiccup occurred during the office commissioning as the NIDCOM boss failed to take up the allocated spaces. So the delay in the new complex commissioning and the efforts by the NCC to stay accountable in Government eyes made them beef up security for only "identifiable" persons to have access therein.

"The NCC has not withdrawn the offer but had hiccups arising from the preparation for the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Communications and Digital Economy Complex and launch other projects relating to the mandate of government. The Board and Management of the NCC took a decision to ensure that every activity in the building was in line with the Federal Government’s digital agenda.

Incidentally, after the offer of the office spaces to the Diaspora Commission, the Director-General (DG), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa had not visited the Complex to take possession of any of the offices and also the Commission had not started using any of these spaces as offices. As is usual in ensuring security and accountability before, during and after presidential visits, the building had to be cleared to allow for only known and identifiable persons to have access within the Complex," the rebuttal from the NCC read.

PRESS STATEMENT

Diaspora Commission not sent packing from Digital Economy Complex, says NCC.

Link: https://t.co/3Jxoi1AFBp pic.twitter.com/f6UBdp5wh0

— ncc.gov.ng (@NgComCommission) May 24, 2020

In an epic Twitter banter with several back and forths, Dabiri accused the Minister of rigging the system against her because of gender.

An Islamic scholar should not lie Hon Minister .( Phd????????)You did that to me cos I am a woman .Your disrespect for women is legendary Left the ugly incident behind me since Feb. But pls release all our office eguipment.Public office is transient .@DrIsaPantami https://t.co/sdcu2tBmtL

— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) May 24, 2020

?@DrIsaPantami? . To refresh you Sir. Despite your denial.The Sec of the Commission seeking for calm .after Staff resumed for work and denied access to the 5th floor office of Nidcom.. Based on your instruction . Turned back by armed men. Haba!!!! pic.twitter.com/QGiIojMqyz

— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) May 24, 2020

Dabiri claims to have since moved on.

We have since moved on. We don’t need that particular office . Let @DrIsaPantami just be gracious enough to tell us where he locked up our equipment and release them. After the lockdown , we will settle for some options we already have . Thank you https://t.co/SfE8kvRErF

— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) May 24, 2020