The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) monday arrested the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Emeka Mba, for allegedly concealing N15 billion that the commission was meant to transfer to the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Thisday Reports.
The arrest followed a petition against Mba and his management team, alleging that they concealed the sum from the federal government despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that all government funds must be transferred to the account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Investigations revealed that the N15 billion was part of the N34 billion realised from the sale of the 700MHz spectrum band to MTN Nigeria Limited.
A senior staff in NBC had petitioned EFCC, alleging financial misconduct by the Mba and his management team.
Specifically, the petitioner alleged that Mba, with the connivance of senior staff in the accounts department, concealed an NBC account with the said amount from the federal government after the TSA policy was enforced to block leakages.
According to the petition, the amount was allegedly concealed by the leadership of NBC and was moved to the account of the cooperative society of the commission.
THISDAY further gathered NBC made payments from the account for what it described as special projects, while funds were also disbursed to some set-up box manufacturing companies for the digital switchover.
However, a senior manager of NBC denied the allegation, saying that the contract for the set-up boxes was awarded before the federal government’s directive on the TSA.
The senior official, who confirmed that the money was part of what NBC realised from the sale of spectrum, explained that the sum was provided at a guaranty by a commercial bank, effectively blocking the sum from being transferred to the TSA, with the aim of supporting manufacturers of set-up boxes to aid the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.
He also said the remaining part of the money was declared and remitted to the TSA.
“The funds were meant to guarantee the manufacturer of set-up boxes, and had been deposited in the commercial bank before the TSA policy. I cannot confirm to you if it has been disbursed from the bank but I can confirm that the remaining part of the money has been transferred to the TSA. As I speak to you, NBC is strapped for funds and some of our activities have been hindered.
“Also, the NBC wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, informing him of the sale,” the source said.
EFCC operatives last Monday raided the headquarters of NBC in Abuja and carted away vital documents relevant to the alleged financial misconduct.
The team of investigators also interrogated senior officials of the finance department in the absence of the director in charge and other top management staff including the director general.
Another management staff of NBC, in a phone conversation with THISDAY, explained that the special committee of the EFCC investigating the $2.1 billion arms deal scandal rocking the Office of the National Security Adviser, traced some payments to the account of NBC, and the operatives had visited the commission for further investigation on the matter.
Although the identity of the funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser whose share of the money was traced to NBC was not disclosed, he hinted that some politicians who benefited from the NSA funds might have paid part of the money into NBC’s account to secure their business interests, adding that many politicians have interests in the media industry.
According to the source, “Many politicians also have business interests, many of them are licensees of NBC, and you will be surprised at the individuals behind some of these media houses. But NBC does not deal with individuals. An individual cannot pay money to NBC, it has to be through a company.”
Posted by Janice Johnson
