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Minister of Communication, Mr Adebayo Shittu, has set up a committee to investigate allegations of breach of public service rules, Public Procurement Act, 2007 and perceived financial recklessness in the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
According to a Leadership newspaper report, the minister was said have been angered by the non-adherence to a letter with circular number PS/MCT/014/Vol. 1/56 dated August 14th, 2015 and signed by a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Tunji Olaopa, who queried alleged breach of rules by the Director-General of the NITDA, Mr. Peter Jack on sundry allegations.
A source close to the minister further claimed that there was another petition by Information Technology Law Practitioners Association of Nigeria and signed by its President and Secretary, Fredrick Uyabeme, and Olumide Aboyade-Cole respectively.
The association had alleged fraud and administrative impunity against the NITDA DG in its six-page memorandum on the activities of the agency and annexures attached as exhibits 1-12 in its petition which was also sent to the anti-corruption agencies.
Olaopa had in the said letter to the DG titled: “Reported Breaches in NITDA”, a copy of which was made available to journalists, stated that, “It has come to my attention that there are several anomalies going on in your agency which touches on the following: breach of the public service rules as it pertains to recruitment and secondment of staff; breaches of the Public Procurement Act 2007; and non-implementation of board directives and no recourse to the ministry in the absence of your board.”