The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has denied a media report it was instructed by the Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami to pay N300 million subvention to Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The telecom regulator, who made the denial in a statement signed by Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Henry Nkemadu unequivocally states that the media report is mere falsehood.
An online publication had reported that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gave N300 million to Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), but in the statement, the Commission states in order to put the records straight, no agency of the Federal Government gives subvention to another agency.
It added that, by extant laws of the government, every agency makes its budget and gets approval for appropriation from the National Assembly and such budgets are spent according to the appropriation of the National Assembly.
“Our budget doesn’t contain any allocation for subvention let alone granting same to a sister agency,” Nkemadu declared in the statement.
According to him, “we cannot create a provision in our budget for another agency to implement. Subventions to all agencies are done by the Federal Government with resources domiciled in the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). Even salaries to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) come from there.”
He clarifies that NITDA as an agency of government also draws its budget and spends the same to execute its own programmes as it deems fit.
He also noted that since the advent of the new administration, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has always encouraged a working relationship and close synergy between all the parastatals under the purview of the Ministry and not cross-funding of any of the parastatals.
The Honourable Minister has also facilitated support at the highest levels of government to programmes and activities of the Commission, especially in facilitating meetings with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on issues of Right of Way (RoW) for expanding the telecommunications infrastructure and declaring telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).