Disquiet at NBC over alleged secret allocation of N2.5bn to signal distributor
Though details are still sketchy as at Wednesday’s evening, tension is gathering momentum over an allegation that contrary to laid down terms and conditions for the bidding of signal distributorship in the Digital Switch Over (DSO), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) paid about N2.5bn to Pinnacle Communications Limited, a signal distributor licensee for undisclosed services.
Whereas aggrieved stakeholders in the matter are calling on the anti-graft agencies to wade in before the matter gets worse, Hajia Maimuna Jimada, NBC’s Public Relations Officer, said the payment was made for delivered services and not for any frivolous activities.
According to her in an interview, “The payment was paid to Pinnacle for services rendered. The truth of the matter is whoever is accusing NBC should come up with documents to back the claim”.
Continuing, she averred that “The NBC is a transparent agency and has paid our stakeholders for different services rendered. How much payment will NBC be making public in the media? That is not our practice. It is not for NBC to be defending itself when we know that all payments made are within our purview and if someone is aggrieved, should provide documents to back up the claim. Normal due process was followed; there is nothing secretive about it at all. Agencies are empowered to make payments and whatever payment made was within our power for a just cause”.
But followers of the issue queried if NBC has the powers to seek services worth up to N2.5bn without following a bidding process through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
They queried why it has been very hard for NBC to reveal the actual services rendered within the short period so that it will be easy for the public to weigh if such services formed part of the original jobs of Pinnacle Communications or truly a job or services that can be outsourced in the first instance.
Observers say answers to such questions will calm frayed nerves of stakeholders, who had been alleging that NBC gave priority attention to a particular signal distributor, to the detriment of others, which does not augur well for fairness, equity and business competition.
Followers of the matter also insist on knowing why such a huge sum of money was given to a private company that bid for the project knowing full well that part of the conditions for getting the license was the ability of a private firm to mobilise financial resources to carry out the project.
It would be recalled that Pinnacle Communications while defending its bidding, claimed to have the financial wherewithal to deliver all the needed services in the DSO process.
There are unconfirmed rumours that apart from the Abuja switch-over, which Pinnacle used the money it got from the NBC to execute, the firm is struggling with the completion of the other sites allocated to it, and, as a matter of fact, it is yet to complete the first site.
Whereas calls put to the Director General of NBC, Mallam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu on Wednesday evening around 7.31PM were not answered, similar calls to other top officials of the agency within the period were also not picked.
However, a usually dependable source at the agency said “The DG may address the Press on Thursday (today) on the matter to keep the record straight,” adding that “Very late on Wednesday evening; there were feelers that the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed is planning to equally address the matter on Tuesday next week”.
Part of the issues the minister may wish to explain include whether or not he was aware of the fund and the services so rendered by Pinnacle Communications for N2.5bn. He will also explain if part of the fund used by the company in some of its services was given to it by the NBC on his approval.
Mohammed will also explain to Nigerians why such fund was given to the company which made it clear during bidding defence that it has all it takes to discharge its duties in the delivery of signal distribution services and also whether such approval if from him, is within his powers without recourse to the BPP.
