The minister of Communications Barr.Adebayo Shittu said the Federal Government is awaiting the outcome of the investigation by the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the petition written against the management of the National Information Technology and Development Agency (NITDA) over its spending of the 2017 budget estimates.
With the title: “Like Jack, Like Pantami: NITDA Stinks”, a Kaduna-based NGO, Good Governance and Accountability Monitoring Group (GGAMG), alleged that some contractors who were engaged in 2015 by the Agency have been paid fully the balance of their contractual agreement.
But like a double edged sword, few others whose jobs were certified okay and issued with the letter to the effect, are still being owed while interest on the loans they sourced from banks to complete the job on schedule keep accumulating.
The petition alleged disobedience to Procurement Act and perceived grand plan to cede the entire NITDA budget for the year to a certain company (Galaxy Blackbone), a development they argued could affect the nation’s economy as quantum of over 180million Nigerians who could benefit from the contract, may be sidelined in the process.
Speaking with Journalists at the weekend, the Minister said; “Before I received the letter, the case was with EFCC but merely copied me. Since that is done, it is not in my power to investigate alleged criminality. I think we should look up to EFCC on that matter.
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He continued, “Of course NITDA has also responded and gave me a copy of its response but I don’t have the prerogative power to investigate. If the matter had not gone to EFCC, I would have set up a committee to look into it. But let me sound this note of warning; on a matter of contracts, so many people get used when they are not succeeding in getting what they want in the processes.
“I am not saying people in NITDA or other government agencies are saint or angels but you have to look at the two ways deeply. At my level, I wish EFCC, to whom the original petition was address take it up and take a decision and report appropriately,” Shittu maintained.
The petitioners; Muhammad Yusuf and Rebecca Emeleogwu, National Coordinator and Convener respectively of the GGAMG had also alleged that the current Director General was a replica of the ousted DG Peter Jack especially on matters relating to contracts’ awards, secondment of staff and other sundry issues.