CSO Seeks Pantami’s Clarification Over 2021 NCC Financial Misconduct Allegations

A civil society group, Concerned Citizens, has called on former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, to clarify his role in the handling of a 2021 financial misconduct case involving two officials of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The group, through its Convener, Ibrahim Illyas Kaltungo, said it was seeking clarification over allegations that Pantami was contacted at the time regarding the matter but did not take publicly documented action on the concerns raised.

Concerned Citizens based its position on an earlier report by Premium Times published in April 2021, which examined allegations involving two senior NCC officials and the response of the commission and relevant authorities.

According to the report cited by the CSO, an investigative committee constituted by the NCC Governing Board in 2020 examined allegations concerning allowances allegedly paid to two officials for official trips they were alleged not to have undertaken.

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The officials were identified as Yakubu Gontor, then Head of the Finance Department, and Philip Eretan, a former Head of the Internal Audit Department of the NCC.

The CSO said the committee reportedly recommended that the matter be subjected to disciplinary proceedings and that appropriate sanctions be considered.

Concerned Citizens further recalled that an anti-corruption organisation, Lygel Youths and Leadership Initiatives (LYLI), wrote to Pantami in April 2021 seeking his intervention and drawing his attention to the allegations.

The group said the letter followed an earlier complaint to the NCC management concerning the matter and called for the implementation of recommendations reportedly contained in the investigative committee’s findings.

According to the account cited by the CSO, Pantami’s office acknowledged receipt of the correspondence, while his then spokesperson, Uwa Suleiman, reportedly directed questions concerning the matter to the NCC, describing it as an internal issue within the commission.

The CSO said it was concerned that the issues raised at the time did not result in a publicly documented resolution that adequately addressed the concerns.

Kaltungo therefore urged Pantami to clarify what steps, if any, were taken by his office after receiving the complaint and whether the recommendations of the NCC investigative committee were subsequently implemented.

The group said its demand was aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the management of public institutions and should not be interpreted as a judicial determination of guilt against any individual.

Concerned Citizens also called on relevant institutions to provide appropriate clarification on the status and outcome of the matter, where necessary, in the interest of transparency and public accountability.

The group maintained that public officials and government institutions should be prepared to account for how allegations of financial misconduct are handled, particularly where public resources are involved.