The House of Representatives Committee on Communications has raised an alarm over the leadership controversy at the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) since the exit of Engineer Ernest Ndukwe, the Commission’s pioneer Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

The alarm came on the heels of the emergence of two persons, each claiming to be the Acting Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission. It could be recalled that one Stephen Bello was named the Acting Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission at the expiration of Ndukwe’s tenure while lately a second person, Bashir Gwandu was last week named as occupying the same position.

The Committee has also moved against telecom operators, who appear to have in recent times ripped off mobile telephone subscribers through various lottery promos rather than focusing on their core business of transmitting clear communication signals to subscribers on their networks.

Chairman, House Committee on Communications, Honourable David Salako, who disclosed these over the weekend said that the Committee has already petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili on the succession crisis at the NCC.

Salako said that the intervention of the Committee was geared towards ending the confusion over who was in charge of the regulatory agency of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria. He said that the petitions became necessary after the two persons claiming to be Acting Executive Vice Chairmen attended a meeting convened by the Committee at the National Assembly.

THISDAY learnt that at an interactive session between the House Committee, the NCC and telecom operators last week, Gwandu presented himself as the Acting Executive Vice Chairman and much later, Stephen Bello also showed up at the meeting claiming the same portfolio of the organisation.

The double representation, THISDAY gathered, was a result of high level boardroom intrigues and political scheming that enveloped the Nigeria Communications Commission at the twilight of Ndukwe’s tenure.
Before Ndukwe served out his term, our source revealed, the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication conducted interviews to select a successor. Although three candidates emerged from that exercise, the authorities appear to have tactically jettisoned the outcome the interview for some inexplicable reasons.

As Ndukwe stepped out, Bello was named Acting Executive Vice Chairman, but was soon asked to proceed on terminal leave on the excuse that he was already sixty years of age and no longer eligible to be in the public service.

Sources at the NCC told THISDAY that some highly placed persons at the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications were interested in who succeeds Ndukwe and were merely playing ping pong with Bashir Gwandu and Stephen Bello to create the necessary environment to bring in an anointed candidate. However, this could not be independently confirmed as at press time.

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Communications, the NCC and telecom operators have resolved to ban lottery promos involving operators and mobile phone subscribers till further notice. Henceforth, mobile phone operators are prohibited from embarking on any business not covered by the licence issued to them by the Nigeria Communications Commission.

Back to News Index