Broadcasting
EFCC v. Emeka Mba: The Puzzles and Contradictions
The continued prosecution of Emeka Mba, erstwhile director general, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), by the Federal Government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), presents several agonizing puzzles and contradictions.
Recently, the Minister of Information, National Orientation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed admitted that government was grateful for the N34 billion realised by NBC through the special auction of part of the 700Mhz digital dividend broadcast spectrum to MTN Nigeria in June 2015.
Lai Mohammed’s feeling of elation and satisfaction stems from the fact that the amount has been critically pivotal in funding the ongoing implementation of the Digital Switch Over [DSO] from analogue transmission.
Emeka-Mba In effect, government is satisfied that the Management of NBC under Mba applied good sense of creativity and innovativeness in creating that critical resource pool that leapfrogged and escalated implementation of the digital switch over plan.
Ironically, while government has appropriated the outcome of that creative and innovative transaction between NBC and MTN, which has given it the impetus to indeed implement the digital switch over along the framework created by Mba’s Management team, the EFCC, an agency of the same government has been seeking grounds to isolate Mba from the high points of the transaction, which culminated in the funds realized from the licensing of the spectrum.
The same EFCC has been studiously working at the same time to criminalize him for working with NBC’s consultants to achieve the desirable. The same consultants that originated the very idea of auctioning the 700Mhz digital dividend broadcast spectrum. Ever heard of cutting one’s nose to spite the face? How is EFCC going about this?
The Commission literally considers that: “well, maybe after all there’s nothing fishy in the transaction, but how on earth could the legal consultants get paid as much as N2.89 billion? This must be evidence of money laundering.”
A lot of ignorance fly around here. Consultants generally and legally negotiate transaction success fees in percentages- whether the transaction is a Public-Private partnership requiring the services of transaction advisors or an industry-specific technical intervention such as the one under review benefits are negotiated in percentages.
The consultants benchmarked its demand for a transaction success fee on a threshold. Both the board and Management of NBC negotiated this down.
It is important that we go through this carefully once more. The EFCC has changed its accusations against Mba severally since this matter was evidently manufactured. And it would appear that the idea is to rope Mba in, by hook or crook. Initially, members of the public were told that Mba misappropriated N15 billion.
The documents of how the transaction was originated, all the justifications and approvals- by even the relevant ministers and the Federal Executive Council- up till its perfection and the crediting of NBC accounts are clear, open and available.
No money was misappropriated. As a matter of fact, no money was even under any threat of misappropriation. The amount in question was lodged with Zenith Bank as collateral for the set top boxes manufacture and government approved rebate for Nigerian households, being a key demand by the Set Top Box Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, before they could even engage or manufacture.
#Never mind that due approvals from the NBC Board, Minister, Federal Executive Council as well as President and Commander-in-Chief are all in place.
Puzzles! The puzzles continue. For example, one of the charges against Mr. Mba is: while being director general of the NBC on or about the 31st day of August 2015, “awarded contracts for the supply of set top boxes in the sum of N1,237,400,000 (one billion two hundred and thirty seven million, four hundred thousand naira) for the Digital Switch Over for the National Broadcasting Commission to Gospell Digital Technology, Trefoil Global Investment Limited, Zinox Technology, Media Concept International Limited, Digitune Media Technology Limited, SMK Engineering & Construction Limited, I-Box Engineering Limited, Innosson Communications Limited, African Cable Television Limited, Trendcorp Africa Limited, TV Enterprises, STB Manufacturing Co Ltd, and Design Build Concept Limited without seeking approval of the Bureau of Public Procurement contrary to section 40 of the Public Procurement Act No. 65, 2007, and punishable under section 58 of the same Act.”
But, if all 13 companies got manufacturing contracts illegally, why are they still being used to manufacture the set top boxes? Is it possible that the fact that they are manufacturing the set top boxes as spelt out in the contracts has vitiated the purported “illegality” of the contract as contended by the EFCC?
And if that were to be the case, why is Mba’s status never viewed by the same EFCC through the prism of the successful outcome in every department of the entire framework, engagement, implementation and deployment of the Digital Switch Over?
The reality, however, is that all the set top boxes currently being used for the DSO pilot flag-off in Jos, and the DTT signal distribution service recently launched in Abuja by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibajo, are totally and fully the proceeds of what the EFCC contends are illegal transactions, for which Mba is now being prosecuted.
It is like saying that the ram is rotten, but its barbecue (suya) is, nevertheless, irresistibly tasty. Think about this puzzle. For over a decade, Nigeria despite several vows by government, could not meet its international obligation to transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, as mandated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
The recurring challenge over government’s inability to meet this obligation had always been blamed on unavailability of funds. Successive governments failed to appropriate necessary funding for this very crucial national development program, despite mouthing all sorts of promise.
In 2014, the NBC’s legal consultant, Basil Udotai, submitted a proposal to the Commission to help raise funds through a special auction for the DSO project.
The NBC Management, headed by Mba thought the proposal was brilliant. He got the board of the agency involved and the board gave its nod.
All necessary due diligence were done, and transaction success fee requested by the consultants was cut down from 20% to 10% by the board.
It is the cumulative value of that 10% transaction success fee that the EFCC is now holding unto and dressing it up with the bizarre, but annoying toga of the “crime” of money laundering. The straightforward and intelligent thing to do, you would imagine, is examine records of transaction success fees for consultants in similar or related transactions in Nigeria and show graphically how the one in question differs injuriously to NBC from national industry rates.
Strikingly, for the first time in the history of alleged corruption cases brought up by the Commission, the EFCC has been unable in the charges levelled against Mr. Mba, to trace any money to Mba or establish any ground on which Mba may have directly benefited by the transactions or indeed even by its own standards of money laundering.
But, by gosh, no, just hold Mba; subject him to media trial; intimidate, malign, and wear him out. Like Cinna the Poet (in William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”), lynch him; even if he is obviously not Cinna the Conspirator.
After all, some names also carry dire consequences. Although things rapidly lose their meanings these days and the ceremony of innocence is brutally drowned, Emeka’s case is one puzzle and contradiction that will continue to torment the conscience of this nation.
Obaze writes from Lagos
More than 100 channels have signed on to broadcast free-to-air digital content under Nigeria’s Digital Switchover (DSO) programme, marking a major milestone in the country’s transition to digital broadcasting.
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, saying the development followed the unveiling of FreeTV, a free-to-air direct-to-home (DTH) national platform supported by satellite and Internet Protocol (IP) delivery.
According to the commission, the platform offers a broad mix of content targeted at Nigerian households.
It said the channel line-up includes 14 news and current affairs stations, 15 general entertainment channels, six kids and family channels, two lifestyle and talk shows, three music and entertainment channels, one business and finance station, and five movie channels.
The commission added that 57 of the channels are already live and accessible through the FreeTV app and the NigSat satellite platform.
It advised viewers to download the FreeTV application from Google Play Store to access the services.
Director-General of NBC, Charles Ebuebu, said the initiative would improve television access and viewing quality for Nigerians.
“We will deliver digital TV with clearer pictures, more free channels, and opportunities for every family.
“It is one simple change for a better future,” he said.
Ebuebu noted that with over 100 stations onboard and a satellite-led strategy, Nigeria’s digital migration was making significant progress.
The DSO project was launched in 2008 following the Geneva 2006 Agreement (GE06) as part of efforts to modernise the nation’s broadcasting ecosystem.
Its objectives include improving picture and sound quality, freeing up spectrum space for broadband development, and supporting Nigeria’s creative industry.
The commission acknowledged that the project had faced delays despite its official launch in 2016 and an earlier pilot phase in Jos.
It said nationwide implementation had remained slow due to infrastructural and logistical challenges.
According to NBC, a major turnaround came after President Bola Tinubu approved a N10 billion intervention fund in August 2024 to accelerate the project.
The commission said the funding enabled the adoption of a new satellite-first model under a partnership between NBC and the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT).
The strategy replaces the earlier terrestrial tower-heavy rollout with direct satellite broadcasting using the NigComSat-1R satellite.
“This technological leap is expected to accelerate nationwide rollout by over 65 per cent while avoiding infrastructure bottlenecks,” Ebuebu said.
He added that about 10 million Nigerian households already own satellite-ready televisions or DVB-S2 set-top boxes and can immediately access the channels.
For households without compatible devices, NBC said hybrid set-top boxes combining satellite reception and internet streaming would be introduced.
The commission added that the DSO initiative would also support local content creation, with 40 per cent of channel slots allocated to independent and regional producers.
It said plans were also underway for local production of five million set-top boxes annually, a move expected to generate more than 20,000 jobs.
Music streaming platform Spotify has introduced a new verification system, “Verified by Spotify,” to help users identify authentic human artists and distinguish them from AI-generated music content.
Spotify
The company disclosed that the new verification badge, represented by a green checkmark on artist profiles and search results, would be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Spotify said only artists who meet specific authenticity requirements would qualify for verification.
According to the company, eligibility criteria include consistent listener engagement, compliance with platform policies, and proof of an active presence beyond the platform, such as live performances or verified social media activity.
“In the AI era, it is more important than ever to be able to trust the authenticity of the music you listen to,” Spotify said in a statement.
The company added that more than 99 per cent of artists actively searched by users are expected to be verified at launch, covering hundreds of thousands of musicians across multiple genres and regions.
Spotify’s move comes amid a rapid rise in AI-generated music on streaming services.
Music platform Deezer recently reported that approximately 44 per cent of daily uploads on its platform are fully AI-generated, while Apple Music has also recorded growing uploads created using artificial intelligence tools.
Spotify stated that profiles primarily dedicated to AI-generated music or virtual personas would not be eligible for the verification badge.
The company said the policy forms part of broader efforts to improve transparency and build user trust on the platform.
In addition to the verification badge, Spotify is also rolling out expanded profile details for all artists, including release history, touring activity, and career milestones.
The company described the feature as similar to “nutrition facts” for music, offering listeners clearer insight into an artist’s background and credibility.
Spotify noted that the initiative is part of wider measures to address growing concerns around AI in the music industry, including impersonation, spam uploads, and reduced visibility for human creators.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have jointly sued the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over what they described as an “arbitrary, unconstitutional, and unlawful” threat to sanction broadcast stations and presenters.
The development was disclosed in a Sunday statement signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, deputy director, and Onuoha Ukeh, general secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
According to the statement, SERAP and NGE challenged a recent directive by NBC, warning presenters and journalists against “expressing personal opinions as facts,” “bullying or intimidating guests,” and failing to maintain neutrality.
The statement reads, “SERAP and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have filed a lawsuit against the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over the arbitrary, unconstitutional, and unlawful ‘Formal Notice’, which threatens to sanction broadcast stations and presenters for allegedly ‘expressing personal opinions as facts, bullying or intimidating guests, or failing to maintain neutrality.’
“The NBC had recently threatened to sanction broadcast stations and presenters who ‘express personal opinions as facts’ or ‘bully and intimidate guests,’ claiming it had ‘identified a sustained increase in breaches of the 6th Edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code across news, current affairs, and political programmes.’”
In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/854/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos State, SERAP and NGE asked the court to determine whether the various provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code relied upon by the NBC in the directive are inconsistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and the country’s international human rights obligations.
According to the statement, the groups disclosed that Femi Falana (SAN), human rights lawyer, would lead a team of senior lawyers to represent SERAP and NGE in the lawsuit.
SERAP and NGE asked the court to declare that the provisions of the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code used by the NBC are vague and constitute a fundamental breach of press freedom guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights standards.
The statement added, “SERAP and NGE are asking the court for a declaration that the provisions of the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code used by the NBC are vague and overly broad and constitute a fundamental breach of freedom of expression and media freedom guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights standards.”
The groups also sought an interim injunction to restrain the NBC, its agents and other authorities from imposing sanctions on broadcast stations and presenters based on what they described as “unlawful provisions of the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code”, pending the hearing and determination of the motion.
“SERAP and NGE are also seeking an order of interim injunction restraining the NBC, its agents or privies, whether jointly or severally or any other authority, from imposing sanctions on broadcast stations and presenters based on the patently unlawful provisions of the 6th Edition of the Broadcasting Code, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed simultaneously in this suit,” the statement concluded.
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