YNaija Analysis: The FG owes Emeka Mba an apology – here’s why

The current Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, announced that the N10 billion seized by the EFCC will be returned to the commission, because it is money realised from the sale of spectrum bandwidth from MTN to finance the digital switch over.

Why does this vindicate Emeka Mba?

Previous attempts to meet the DSO deadline never materialised due to lack of funds, but during his time as DG, Mba got creative about solutions and got the funds through the sale of that spectrum, which was duly approved by President Jonathan after MTN made the highest bid.

Part of the funds realised were used to provide guarantees to the manufacturers of Set-top Boxes (STBs), and the rest of the money was transferred to the EFCC in compliance with the directive on the Treasury Single Account given by President Buhari in September 2015.

It was on the strength of those moves that the digital switch over commenced in Jos in April, at an event attended by Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Communication.

By that time, however, Emeka Mba was long gone, departing the NBC under a cloud of corruption allegations, none of which had any basis. He spent a week in EFCC detention in January, and his accounts have been frozen for months and months, causing him untold hardship.

And for what? For daring to do something beyond giving speeches and approving salaries, in order to unlock huge value in the country’s television space and create a lot of badly needed jobs.

There has been a lot of debate around the rule of law and due process in the fight against corruption, and there are many who think these concepts can be dispensed with in order to catch corrupt people. Aside from the fact that no conviction has been secured yet, which tells its own story, to put even one innocent man through what Emeka Mba has been through is one person too many.

It sets a horrible example going forward. It means that service to your country could just as easily end up in personal disaster if you fall on the wrong side of the government of the day, for whatever reason. It puts our best brains people off offering themselves for public service.

That’s why the presumption of innocence is important, and should not be left to the whims of whoever happens to be president or EFCC chairman. For the inconvenience and the dent to his reputation, Emeka Mba deserves an apology and damages, but he will not get that. The minimum that should be done is for his accounts to be unfrozen immediately, so that he can get on with his life.

He is at least due that much.

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