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A civil society organisation, Coalition Against Corruption and Bad Governance (CACOBAG) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe the recent award of radio licences.
The anti-graft organisation alleged that the radio licences list recently released by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was doctored after it had been approved by the president, adding that a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (names withheld) was one of the 10 beneficiaries of the licences.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Toyin Raheem, yesterday, CACOBAG alleged fresh discoveries after an initial investigation, which showed that NBC recently allocated six slots of radio licenses to a director of the Commission and another 10, to companies that did not apply or were on the original list approved by President Buhari.
“We are again compelled to draw the attention of President Buhari and, indeed, the Nigerian public to another finding, which indicates that one, of the 10 illegal radio licences, dolled out by the leadership of NBC, is owned by the family of the former SGF. The 10 companies that did not apply or bided for any radio licence were smuggled into a list already approved by President Buhari.
“Our findings at relevant quarters showed that one of the beneficiaries of the doctored licence list is Oracle Exclusive Services and Consult Ltd, with its registered address as 20, Monrovia Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja. Further investigations also revealed that the company has only two directors/shareholders, who are both children of the former SGF, who gave same addresses as 59, Nelson Mandela Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja. We believe this is totally unacceptable in a country governed by rules and regulations. This is an abuse of office and a display of cheer greed.”
The non-governmental organisation urged president Buhari and the anti-graft agencies that had been petitioned on this matter to move swiftly and probe its allegation against NBC and its leadership.
“We reiterate our earlier call on President Buhari to immediately direct the EFCC and ICPC to launch an investigation into this embarrassing development to protect the integrity of the administration, which professes zero tolerance for corruption as one of its cardinal pillars. We equally assure the public of our commitment to expose corruption anywhere we find any,” CACOBAG added.
