EFCC probing NITDA’s 2017 contract awards, says minister

Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu has revealed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was already investigating allegations of impropriety in award of some contracts by the National Information Technology and Development Agency (NITDA).
He spoke while fielding questions on Ibadan-based Fresh FM radio programme, Political Circuit, at the weekend.
The minister said the Federal Government would await the outcome of the investigation on the petition written against the NITDA management over its spending of the 2017 budget estimates to know the next step to take on the matter.
Kaduna-based Good Governance and Accountability Monitoring Group (GGAMG) had, in a September 27 petition, accused the Director General of NITDA, Dr. Isa Pantami of flouting  the Procurement Act with an alleged  grand plan to cede the entire NITDA budget for the year 2017 to a certain company (Galaxy Blackbone).
The group argued that the decision could affect the nation’s economy going by the quantum of the contract.
Shittu said: “Before I received the letter, the case was with EFCC. I was merely copied. 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.
“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 Nation