EFCC Probes Ex-DG Emeka Mba, Nine Others Over N3.4b Payout

A former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Emeka Mba and nine ex-members of the board are to explain to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

all they know about the sale/lease of 700Mhz spectrum to MTN for $171million (about N34,114,500,000.00). They are also to explain payment of 10percent broker fees of about N3.4billion to a Technology Adviser.The said 10per cent payment was allegedly paid in a curious manner before
the presidential approval of the request for the sale.The invited ex-board members are: Professor Herbert Orji (chairman), Mohammed Kabir Umar, Mike Iheanetu, Yakubu Busa Buji, Ebenezer Ayorinde, Isa Badamasi Dahiru, Prince Dennis Sam, Jude Nnodum (SAN) and Peter Dama (representative of the Ministry of Information).Well placed sources said EFCC smelt a rat in the NBC over the sale of the 700Mhz spectrum to MTN.The spectrum is for the purpose of providing digital pay TV broadcasting services.It was gathered that NBC resorted to a desperate bid to auction the spectrum with a view to raising cash to enable Nigeria meet the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) deadline for the Digital Switchover (DSO).But it was learnt that the spectrum was disposed of at a rate suspected to be cheap as its value as at May 2015 was over N200 billion.
The Nation