Zangina Media Consultant, a media and public accountability organisation, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commi...
Zangina Media Consultant, a media and public accountability organisation, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling for a comprehensive investigation into the activities of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, during his tenure in office.
In a petition addressed to the Executive Chairman of the EFCC in Abuja, the organisation urged the anti-graft agency to scrutinise what it described as several allegations surrounding Pantami's stewardship of Nigeria's telecommunications, digital economy, licensing, and identity management sectors.
The petition, signed by Sani Ahmad on behalf of Zangina Media Consultant, alleged that several controversial decisions taken during Pantami's tenure as Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and later as Minister of Communications and Digital Economy deserve thorough investigation in the interest of transparency and accountability.
According to the petitioners, one of the major concerns relates to the alleged allocation of valuable telecommunications spectrum licences under questionable circumstances.
The group cited reports claiming that certain spectrum licences within the telecommunications sector were allegedly allocated through non-transparent processes that may have favoured politically connected entities.
"The telecommunications spectrum remains one of Nigeria's most valuable national assets capable of generating enormous revenue for the country. Nigerians deserve to know whether due process was followed and whether public resources were protected," the petition stated.
The organisation called on the EFCC to investigate all approvals connected to the licence allocations, identify beneficiary companies, examine financial transactions linked to the approvals, and determine whether the Federal Government suffered any losses through alleged undervaluation or preferential treatment.
The petition also raised questions regarding the implementation of the National Identification Number (NIN)-SIM linkage policy introduced during Pantami's tenure.
According to the group, millions of Nigerians faced significant difficulties during the registration and linkage exercise, while substantial public funds were reportedly committed to the project.
Despite the policy being promoted as a tool for enhancing national security and combating criminal activities, the petition argued that insecurity persisted across the country, prompting questions about the effectiveness of the initiative and the management of resources allocated to it.
The group urged the EFCC to investigate contracts awarded under the NIN-SIM programme, identify contractors and consultants involved, verify procurement procedures, and establish whether any public funds were diverted or mismanaged.
In addition, Zangina Media Consultant alleged that reports of irregular recruitment exercises and promotions within agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, particularly within the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), should be subjected to independent scrutiny.
The petition claimed that allegations of political favouritism, irregular appointments, and abuse of office had surfaced during the period and should be properly investigated to restore public confidence in government institutions.
Furthermore, the organisation requested an audit of public funds expended on various ICT and digital economy programmes supervised by Pantami, including digital infrastructure projects, e-government initiatives, digital training programmes, telecommunications regulation, and national identity management systems.
The petition questioned the overall outcomes of several projects announced during the administration and called for transparency regarding the total sums expended, beneficiary companies, procurement procedures, and long-term sustainability of the initiatives.
Zangina Media Consultant stressed that its petition was not motivated by political considerations but by what it described as the need to strengthen accountability in public office.
"The fight against corruption must remain consistent, transparent and free from political selectivity. Public officials who supervised strategic national assets and managed billions of naira in public resources must be willing to account for their stewardship," the petition stated.
The organisation therefore urged the EFCC to invite Pantami for questioning, conduct a forensic investigation into telecommunications licence allocations and digital economy projects carried out during his tenure, examine all relevant contracts and expenditures, investigate alleged recruitment irregularities, recover any funds found to have been diverted, and prosecute anyone found culpable in accordance with Nigerian law.
As of the time of filing this report, Professor Pantami had not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the petition, while the EFCC had yet to announce any official action regarding the requests made by the organisation.
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