Broadcasting
NBC Boss Tells Court Has No Case Against Us in N2.5Bn DSO Trial
Ishaq Kawu Modibbo, director-general of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Pinnacle Communications Ltd, and two others, on Monday told Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo- Giwa of the Federal High Court Abuja, that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), has no case against them.
The defendants made the submission through their various lawyers while adopting their written addresses in respect of the no-case-submission they filed challenging the charge instituted against them by the ICPC.
The defendants are facing prosecution over the N2.5bn released to Pinnacle Communications under the approval of the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, under the Federal Government’s DSO project.
Adopting his no-case-submission dated 16 December 2019, Kawu’s (1st defendant) counsel, Abdullahi Mustapha SAN, pursuant to sections 302 and 303 of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, urged the court to discharge and acquit the 1st defendant of all the 3-count charges levelled against him by the State.
Mustapha submitted that the State was unable to make a prima facie case against the defendant and therefore cannot be asked to enter defence.
Kawu’s counsel said none of the 9 witnesses called by the prosecution was able to establish the ingredients of the offence to warrant the 1st defendant to enter defence.
The 1st defendant’s lawyer posited that the burden of proof lies on the prosecution to discharge, adding that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses were full of contradictions and doubts.
More so, Mustapha submitted that failure of the prosecution to call the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed to testify being the person that gave the approval for the release of the fund was fatal to the case.
“A vital witness in this case was not called and the court was gracious to give ample time for the State to call the Minister as witness but they failed.
“The onus lies on the State to call the Minister as a witness because he gave the approval for the release of N2.5bn grant for the Federal Government’s Digital Switch Over project.
“As we speak my lord, the Minister has not come out to deny giving the 1st defendant the approval, he has not queried the 1st defendant, he has not said anything other than applauding the achievements of the defendant as DG of NBC.
“My lord, for the Minister not to refute the approval, and not telling the court that he was misled nor say anything to the contrary, shows a big gap.
The counsel told the court that the controversial minutes of meeting of the NBC Management board was not signed and adopted.
Therefore, Mustapha urged the court to sustain his no case submission, and discharge and acquit the 1st defendant.
Similarly, counsel to the 2nd and 3rd defendants, Alex Izinyon SAN, urged the court to uphold his no case submission dated December 17, 2019.
Izinyon said the prosecution failed to prove the essential ingredients outlined in sections 302 and 303 of ACJA, adding that the onus lies on the prosecution to prove its case and not the other way round.
He pointed out that PW4 and PW9 said there was no complaint or petition against the defendant but in the cause of investigating ITS, they stumbled on the N2.5bn released to Pinnacle Communications (4th defendant).
“PW9 said the Minister said he was misled. The Minister is the mouthpiece of the Federal Government. It is not in the mouth of a technocrat to interpret the Whitepaper on DSO project.
Also, Izinyon noted that the prosecution did not make any move to correct the contradictions in the evidence of the witnesses.
He therefore urged the court to hold that the prosecution has failed to prove its case against the defendants, and that they should be discharged and acquitted.
The 4th defendant represented by Ama Etuwewe SAN also urged the court to uphold Pinnacle’s no case submission just as he adopted the submissions of counsel to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants.
Etuwewe said the prosecution did not controvert the fact that the 4th defendant is a critical stakeholder in the DSO project of the FG.
Reacting, the prosecution counsel, Henry Emoreh urged the court to dismiss the no case submission of the defendants, insisting that he was able to make a prima facie case against them.
He said there were no contradictions in the evidence of the witnesses, and that he has been able to link the defendants with the offence.
“It is not in dispute that the Minister of Information gave the approval, but if the defendants so wish, they can call the Minister to give evidence, the prosecution counsel said.
After the adoption, the judge fixed March 26, for ruling.
Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) has established six committees to help strengthen and modernize the country’s broadcasting industry.
The committees will focus on content creation, skills development, digital transformation, sustainability, policy and commercial opportunities
The initiative aims to support industry growth and improve collaboration between broadcasters, regulators and media experts
The official launch recently, was led by Tony Akiotu, president, BON and attended by media professionals, program directors, former journalists and heads of specialized media organizations.
The event brought together several prominent figures in Nigeria’s media industry, including veteran broadcaster and trainer Bimbo Oloyede, Tony Uyah of M4S TV, Kingsley Uranta of Channels Television, Ismael Sani of Platinum TV and Ibrahim Shehu of Trust TV.
Together, they are expected to help drive innovation and support the growth of Nigeria’s broadcasting sector.
According to Akiotu, the committees are intended both to help shape industry policy and to provide a forum for dialogue between BON and broadcasting experts.
Akiotu said the ad hoc committees were intended to strengthen BON’s work and ensure that the umbrella body for Nigeria’s broadcasters played a more direct and meaningful role in developing the country’s broadcasting sector.
The six committees reflect the sector’s main priorities. The first focuses on collaboration and innovation to promote content creation.
The second is dedicated to training and talent development, while the third focuses on industry sustainability by improving the sector’s long-term financial viability.
A fourth committee will focus on digital transformation and work with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on regulatory issues.
The remaining two committees will oversee public policy advocacy and the development of sports and commercial rights to help broadcasters increase revenue and attract more investment. Together, the committees are expected to guide BON’s efforts to modernize and strengthen Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
The committees, chaired by members of BON’s General Assembly and supported by the organization’s Secretariat, have an initial 12-month mandate that may be renewed if necessary.
They are required to submit a progress report within three months and implement approved recommendations within the following six months.
The arrangement is intended to ensure close oversight and the timely implementation of their work.
Akiotu also reminded committee members that Nigeria pioneered television broadcasting in Africa and urged them to carry out their work with greater effectiveness and efficiency.
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) says it is investigating about 34 tertiary institutions over allegations that they failed to refund students whose tuition fees were paid twice under the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The Managing Director of NELFUND, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr, disclosed this during an interview on Arise Television.
Sawyerr said the agency had deployed a five-member investigative team, including operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and internal auditors, to examine the allegations.
According to him, the investigation was prompted by numerous complaints received from affected students.
“As of right now, there are 34 institutions that we are looking at closely with respect to this issue,” he said.
Sawyerr explained that the double payment issue arose because President Bola Tinubu directed that the student loan scheme commence in the middle of an academic session instead of at the beginning.
He said the decision compelled many students to pay their tuition fees to meet registration deadlines while awaiting approval of their loan applications.
“What happened is that a lot of schools got double payment; some from the students and some from us,” he said.
“The refund process is entirely out of our hands. It is the recipient of the double payments that is obliged to make refunds to the students.”
The NELFUND boss noted that many students had borrowed money from family members, friends and other sources to pay their tuition with the expectation of receiving refunds once the loans were disbursed.
He said while some institutions had promptly refunded affected students, others had failed to do so.
“Some have been very good at this. Others haven’t been so good at it,” Sawyerr said.
“I reserve judgement on the intentionality around it because, for some of them, they just didn’t have the process to make refunds.”
Sawyerr disclosed that NELFUND was exploring a tokenised payment system that would enable students to authorise tuition payments directly to their institutions, thereby reducing the likelihood of duplicate payments.
He said the agency deliberately chose not to disburse tuition loans directly to students to minimise the risk of fund diversion.
“Paying the funds to the students could really lead to the temptation for them to divert and do other things,” he said.
The managing director, however, acknowledged that NELFUND lacked the statutory powers to compel institutions to refund students or prosecute officials found culpable.
He added that many frustrated students had submitted complaints not only to NELFUND but also to anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Sawyerr also expressed concern over increases in tuition fees by some institutions following the introduction of the student loan scheme.
He said NELFUND had declined to pay institutions that increased their tuition fees beyond acceptable levels.
“Some schools, because they get paid easily, started to put up their fees. We refused, point blank, to pay institutions who had hiked their fees beyond a certain level,” he said.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to investigating every reported irregularity and strengthening the implementation of the student loan programme through continuous monitoring and internal reviews.
Broadcasting
Obi, NDC Presidential Candidate Faces N50Bn Defamation Claim over Alleged Podcast Remark
Abayomi Arabambi, national vice chairman (South-West) of the Labour Party, has demanded a public apology, a retraction, and N50 billion in damages from Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), over an alleged defamatory statement made during a podcast interview.
The demand was contained in a letter issued by the law firm Neplus Ultra Attorneys and signed by Anderson U. Asemota, Peter O. Asimegbe, and Stanley C. Eziefulle on behalf of Arabambi.
According to the letter, the legal dispute arose from comments allegedly made by Obi during the interview, where he reportedly stated that Arabambi “does not have an address.”
Arabambi’s legal team described the statement as false, malicious, and defamatory, arguing that it portrayed their client as a faceless individual without legitimacy, credibility, or standing in public life.
The lawyers further claimed that the interview was widely circulated on television stations and digital platforms, exposing Arabambi to public ridicule and damaging his reputation.
“Our client has had a known residential and business address, maintains professional and political affiliations within Nigeria, and has never been a person whose whereabouts or identity were unknown,” the letter stated.
The legal team maintained that the alleged publication caused embarrassment and harmed Arabambi’s public image and political standing.
As part of their demands, the lawyers called for an unreserved public apology to be aired on national television, published on Obi’s verified social media platforms, and carried as full-page apologies in national newspapers.
They also demanded the payment of N50 billion as compensation for the alleged injury to Arabambi’s reputation, dignity, political standing, and public image.
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