Buhari withdraws GOTV Licence Over 2.5 Billion Scandal

The Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has nullified the licence granted to Details Nigeria Ltd, homeowners of GOTV.
Weetalknaija Blog gathered that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) headed by Modibbo Ishaq Kawu, granted a three-year licence to Details Nigeria Ltd.
However, Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, nullified the licence citing irregularities as his motive.

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According to a report by Daily Independent newspaper, the event got here following the N2.5 billion scandal involving the NBC which the Independent Corrupt Practices and different associated Offences Commission (ICPC) had investigated.
The report stated the scandal pitched the parastatal’s Director-General and his backers within the presidency towards the Information Minister.
It was discovered that the connection between the minister and the NBC DG soured significantly when the ICPC investigated the N2.5 billion scandal.
The paper stated the ICPC swung into motion final month and tried to arraign the NBC DG in court on Friday, March 8, however he was absent in court as his attorneys stated he was sick and on admission on the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in Kwara State, north-central Nigeria.
According to the report, the minister of data struck once more Weeks after ICPC’s makes an attempt to arraign Kawu in court, nullifying the three-year licence which Kawu’s NBC had granted Details Nigeria Ltd, homeowners of GOTV.
In a letter of March 29, 2019, the data minister wrote: “The decision to resume the GOTV licence for 3 years negate the place of the white paper on the DSO (Digital Switch Over), making it not solely unlawful however a willful disrespect for our legal guidelines and nationwide establishments.

Recall that the Ministerial Task Force on the DSO, which I chair, had particularly dominated that each one Pay Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) corporations would now not be allowed to self-carry and must go to one of many two licenced Signal Distributors for that operate.
That decision was made based mostly on the federal government white paper which places sign distributors answerable for transmission and separates them from content material suppliers.”