Group asks EFCC to produce investigation report of alleged graft at Nigeria Communications Commission

The CSNAC had written a petition to the EFCC last year.

A civil society group, Civil Society Network Against Corruption, CSNAC, on Monday gave a seven-day ultimatum to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to produce the report of its investigation on the sale of telecommunication spectrum by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.

CSNAC, a coalition of some civic groups in Nigeria, in a statement by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, asked the EFCC to make available the report of its investigation on corruption allegations made against the communication commission.

The demand for the investigation report comes over a year after CSNAC asked EFCC to thoroughly investigate allegations of corruption surrounding the sale. The group had on January 23, 2013 petitioned the EFCC to investigate the shady sale of telecommunication spectrum by the NCC. The sale was alleged to have led to a loss of N53 billion by the Nigerian government.

“It is over a year since this petition was officially submitted at your office. Under the Freedom of Information Act, we are accordingly by this letter, requesting an update of your Commission’s findings on the matter. Take notice that your Commission is under mandatory obligation to comply with this request within seven days from the date of the receipt of this letter,” Mr. Suraju said.

The petition, the group said, was aimed at redeeming the country’s image and retrieve monies lost in the transactions.

In the January petition, CSNAC had stated that during the tenure of a sacked head of NCC, Bashir Gwandu, the telecommunication regulatory body sold three valuable spectrum licences for pittance. NCC had earlier sold a 450MHz Spectrum worth over N7.5 billion ($50 million) to OpenSky limited, an unlicensed company believed to be owned by controversial business mogul, Emeka Offor, for N900 million ($6 million), the group said.

CSNAC also claimed that there was an allegation that the NCC granted a dubious waiver of N1 billion to the telecommunication company. He said the waiver was personally applied for, by the Minister of Communication, Omobola Johnson. The group also alleged that after this waiver was granted, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Eugene Juwah, got some “sweet shares” from the communication.

CSNAC also alleged that a 10MHz slot in the 800MHz Spectrum was sold to a South African owned company, Smile Nigeria Communication Limited for N2.5 billion (13million Euros) when similar spectrum in Europe is valued at over 1 billion Euros (N200 billion).

According to CSNAC, money lost by the government from the deals was estimated to be sufficient for the provision of 60 international standard hospitals across the country. The organisation said selling these licenses for pittance will stifle competition as it gives the beneficiaries an undue edge over other investors in the industry.