While the entire nation is still in an uproar regarding President Buhari’s praises for Governor Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano State who has been shown in five videos receiving stacks of dollars as bribes, a N2.5bn fraud has been uncovered at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC),
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has set its beam lights on the NBC over the misappropriation of N2.5 billion seed grant released to the agency by the Federal Government for its digital switch-over programme.
According to a statement credited to the spokesperson of the ICPC, Rasheedat Okoduwa, the Director General of the NBC, Ishaq Kawu is being investigated alongside other top management staff of the NBC for their roles in misappropriation of public funds.
The funds in question had been part of a larger amount of N10bn released by the Federal Government to the Ministry of Information and Culture for the digital switch-over programme which involved the migration of telephone lines from analogue to digital platforms.
The Federal Government had thereafter issued a White Paper directing that the entire process be specifically handled by firms affiliated with the Nigerian government.
Based on the guidelines provided by the White Paper, two companies were nominated to handle the process, one of which was ITS, an affiliate of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to which N1.7 billion was released as seed grant for the commencement of the digital switch-over.
The ICPC has however alleged through its statement that the process was fraudulent, shady and corrupt.
“It was alleged that Mr Kawu fraudulently recommended a private company called Pinnacle Communications Limited, to the Minister of Information and Culture, for the release of N2.5 billion against the guidelines contained in the White Paper.
The N2.5 billion was paid into the Zenith Bank account of Pinnacle Communications Limited in May/June, 2017 for the programme.
The DG NBC during interactions with the Commission could not justify why the government White Paper was flouted leading to the release of money to an unqualified company.” The ICPC said in its statement.
The anti-graft commission revealed further that it interrogated the Managing Director of Pinnacle, Dipo Onifade, who confirmed that his company received the money but could not account or justify that the money was actually used to effect the digital switch over.
The ICOC said further that it also uncovered a series of suspicious transfers of large sums from the company account into the bank accounts of several organisations and individuals.
It gave examples of such transfers saying N100 million of the fund was paid into the personal bank account of Mr Onifade in Zenith Bank which he claimed was for legal services that he had rendered to the same Pinnacle Communications where he is employed.
Another N450 million was transferred into the account of Sabdat Investment Limited, a Bureau de Change, which then converted the money into dollars and handed it over to the Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Limited, Lucky Omoluwa, in his Kaduna residence as he usually did with other funds.
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The ICPC said however that Mr. Omoluwa had repeatedly failed to honour invitations extended to him by the Commission.
“He had also sought the leave of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to stop the investigation as well as unfreeze the Zenith Bank account of the company that was frozen by ICPC, but was however ordered by the same court to appear before ICPC for interrogation before the next adjourned date of 3rd December, 2018 before his case would be heard.
In compliance with the court order, Mr. Omoluwa has appeared before the Commission where he made useful statements to investigators,” the ICPC added.