A civil society organisation, Concerned Citizens, has questioned the alleged failure of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Ali Isa Pantami, to take action over allegations of corruption involving officials of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), claiming that his inaction amounted to shielding the indicted officials from prosecution.
The Independent Mirror reports that the group, through its Convener, Ibrahim Illyas Kaltungo, recalled that the NCC, in 2021, admitted that some of its officials had fraudulently received public funds but allegedly failed to impose the disciplinary measures required under Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws.
Kaltungo cited a report published by Premium Times on April 27, 2021, which stated that two weeks after receiving a petition requesting intervention in an alleged N122 million fraud involving two senior NCC officials, Professor Pantami had not taken any action.
According to the CSO, despite the NCC’s admission that the officials fraudulently received public funds, neither the commission nor the supervising ministry ensured that appropriate disciplinary or legal measures were taken.
The group further recalled that an earlier Premium Times investigation published in March 2021 alleged that Yakubu Gontor, then Head of the Finance Department, and Philip Eretan, former Head of the Internal Audit Department, received fraudulent travel allowances amounting to about ₦122 million for official trips they allegedly never undertook.
According to the report, Mr. Gontor allegedly received about ₦54 million, while Mr. Eretan allegedly collected approximately ₦68 million through fraudulent travel claims.
Concerned Citizens noted that both officials were indicted by an investigative committee established by the NCC Governing Board in 2020.
Although the commission reportedly began recovering the funds through deductions from their salaries, the officials were neither prosecuted nor subjected to the disciplinary actions recommended by the committee.
The committee reportedly recommended that both officials face a disciplinary panel and receive appropriate sanctions.
The CSO further cited Premium Times findings alleging that the NCC management under the leadership of Umar Danbatta, despite receiving the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Ethics Compliance and Integrity Scorecard (ECIS) Award in 2020, did not implement the committee’s recommendations or initiate prosecution against the officials.
The group also referred to reports indicating that between January and February 2020, the two officials were invited by the Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following a petition submitted by an unidentified group.
However, the then-new zonal leadership reportedly stated that it could not locate the case file after assuming the office.
According to the CSO, Premium Times also reported that the NCC admitted the fraudulent payments but allegedly continued to shield the officials from prosecution.
Kaltungo further recalled that an anti-corruption organisation, Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiatives (LYLI), wrote to Professor Pantami on April 14, 2021, requesting his intervention.
The letter, signed by the group’s Director of Legal and Compliance, Lekan Oladapo, stated that the organisation had earlier written to the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC on December 29, 2020, with a copy forwarded to the minister, urging the commission to implement the recommendations of its investigative committee and prosecute those involved.
According to the letter, repeated appeals to the NCC management were ignored despite media reports and public concerns over the alleged fraud.
The organisation described it as “deeply disturbing” that the commission allegedly continued to shield officials implicated in corruption without any convincing justification.
The CSO also recalled that when Premium Times contacted Professor Pantami’s spokesperson, Uwa Suleiman, she reportedly stated that the issue was an internal NCC matter and should be addressed by the commission.
According to the report, although she requested a copy of the petition sent to the minister and received it, no further response was provided despite subsequent follow-up messages.
Concerned Citizens argued that Professor Pantami should publicly clarify his role regarding the matter and respond to allegations that he failed to act despite receiving formal complaints.
The group also referenced the controversies surrounding Professor Pantami in 2021 over past sermons in which he had expressed support for extremist groups.
Although he later renounced those views, attributing them to youthful indiscretion, the CSO noted that the controversies attracted widespread public criticism and calls for his resignation at the time.
