The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has begun investigating allegations that the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Binyerem Ukaire, withheld files containing payments due to agencies under the ministry.
The development occurred barely two days after Premium Times reported that funds approved by President Bola Tinubu for the operations of several federal agencies had not been processed.
The affected agencies are Nigerian Television Authority, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria, News Agency of Nigeria, National Orientation Agency and the National Broadcasting Commission.
The funds had presidential approval but were allegedly held up at the ministry, sources familiar with the matter say.
Sources said Ukaire is reported to have refused to process the payment files after heads of the affected agencies refused to meet the demand to give detailed presentations on their ongoing projects and how they were utilising the funds.
But some agency officials and industry stakeholders have reportedly questioned the demand, saying it ran counter to standard civil service protocols governing the relationship between supervising ministries and their parastatals.
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They pointed to a circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation which, they said, barred supervising ministries from directly dabbling in the finances of agencies that are accountable to their governing boards and supervising ministers.
The row has since raised concerns about the long delay in the release of the approved funds.
Heads of Agencies, Perm Sec, ICPC Questions
Media reports said the ICPC subsequently invited Ukaire and heads of the affected agencies for questioning, as part of an investigation into the circumstances of the delayed payments.
Investigators questioned why the files had not been processed despite reported presidential approval, sources said.
Those familiar with the development said neither Ukaire nor the heads of the agencies were detained after the questioning.
The anti-graft commission’s investigation is said to still be ongoing. Meanwhile, the controversy apparently has gone into a new phase with heightened public attention.
Ukaire has reportedly approved the affected payment files and submitted them for further processing and disbursement.
Heads of some of the affected agencies, reached on Saturday, confirmed that the files had been transmitted and were now waiting for the final release of the approved funds into their respective accounts.