THE Nigerian government has been urged to probe one of the embattled directors at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) who was seconded from the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly staying more than the stipulated time.
A non-governmental organisation, the Forum for Concerned Citizens (FCC) made the call on Friday in a release, adding that there was a need to establish the year she was seconded from the ICPC to the NCDMB, as well as who authorised the secondment and if the secondment went through a due process.
FCC, in the statement, said: “We have been wallowing in a deep drowsiness on the issue of the publication made on February 21, 2025, which severally mentioned one Fatima Bashir Mohammed, who was seconded from the Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, about 10 years ago to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, and is still working there.
“This of course calls for some equivocation on the basis that a seconded personnel from one federal civil service agency to another federal service agency or ministry, must at most not exceed four years.
“However, the case of the said Fatima Bashir Mohammed is a case that requires investigation on the following grounds:
“What year was she seconded from the ICPC to the NCDMB? Who authorised the secondment? Did the secondment go through a due process? Our investigation report shows that she resigned some years ago from the ICPC to the NCDMB.
“That how did she regularise her employment and working status in the NCDMB? Where does she get her salaries and remuneration? Is it the ICPC or NCDMB? We are also aware that any such secondment would have passed through a due process of gaining an authorisation from the Head of Service of the federation of Nigeria, but we are yet to see that authorisation.
“Therefore, how did she get into the NCDMB employment? If she is still being seen as a seconded staff, she should be made to face a panel of enquiry as to why her secondment has stretched up to a decade.”
Earlier in February, SaharaReporters reported that the NCDMB boss, Felix Ogbe faced allegations of approving the diversion of public funds from the Nigerian Content Development Fund’s US dollar account at the Central Bank of Nigeria into questionable contracts.
The amount of N7.7 billion ($4.7 million) was allegedly misappropriated without the necessary approval from authorised levels as stipulated in the relevant procurement protocols and policies, SaharaReporters learned.
According to sources, the Executive Secretary endorsed three requests made by Fatima Bashir Mohammed, who purportedly leveraged her previous role at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in Nigeria (ICPC) to authorise payments to a consulting firm, S.B Capital Partners & Advisory Limited, owned by Stephen Bawa.
These payments significantly exceeded the approval limits, even for the Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB).
The sources stated that the approving authority for such amounts is the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
