The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has exonerated the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami of any involvement in the withdrawal of office space from Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM.
The Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri had earlier this week accused the Minister of forcefully evacuating the Commission from the NCC’s Communications and Digital Economy Complex located at Mbora District, Abuja.
But in a statement today signed by its Director Public Affairs, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, the NCC takes full responsibility, reiterating that exigencies were responsible for office withdrawal from NiDCOM.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, was never involved in the offer to the office space, nor in the withdrawal of the offer for the same office space. The Minister should not, therefore, be brought into the issue,” Dr. Nkemadu said in the statement.
According to Dr. Nkemadu, the decision to withdraw the offer of office space from NiDCOM was purely of the NCC, the custodian of the office complex, explaining that the office space, which was unconditionally given, in the first instance, to NiDCOM, was informed by exigencies and change in priorities within the NCC, which led to the taking back of the office space earlier allocated with intention of finding a suitable replacement for NiDCOM.