ANYIM, MINISTERS ON THE WARPATH •OVER POLICE SECURITY FREQUENCY ALLOCATION

As the Federal Government battles to defeat insurgency, the top echelon of government is embroiled in controversy over the communication frequency allocated to the Nigeria Police for the CCTV security camera operating across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The frequency in question had for some time now pitched the National Communication Commission (NCC) and the Nigeria Police against each other.
The commission had, in the spirit of privatisation, published adverts requesting interested bidders to show interest, a move which the police decried and described it as unacceptable.
Checks, however, showed that the NCC had, indeed, concluded the sale of the frequency to an energy mogul, Chief Emeka Offor. Even at that, the police authorities had raised the alarm over the danger the sale of the frequency posed to national security, as the national police will be left without a dedicated communication frequency.
The matter reached a head recently, following reports that the CCTV camera installed by a Chinese company in Abuja were not working.
Conflicting reports followed the CCTV saga, as police sources linked the crisis to the issue of control over the communication frequency.
Investigations showed that the frequency in question linked the controversial CCTV system with the communication rooms.
It was gathered that when the controversy over the sale of the frequency reached the Presidency, a small committee comprising some relevant ministers was set up to advise the president on the issue.
The committee was reported to have concluded and advised the president not to approve the sale of the frequency to a private citizen.
The controversy reportedly took a new dimension recently, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, had waded into the matter, urging that the sale of the frequency should go ahead. The former Senate President is said to have reached out to the vice-president to ensure that the sale goes ahead.
“The SGF wants to overrule the mini-committee. He is insisting the sale should go ahead. This is meeting resistance from some ministers and even the office of the vice- president,” a source close to the matter said.
Sources in SGF’s office, however, confided in Sunday Tribune that Anyim was only standing by a legal agreement already reached between Offor and the NCC after due process was complied with.
“This is a matter between NCC and Offor. It has nothing to do with the SGF. SGF only wants all parties to stand on the side of the law and due process”, an official at the SGF office said.
A different story, however, emerged from those linking the SGF to the planned sale, alleging that Anyim’s interest in the matter was more than meets the eye. They insisted that Chief Offor is Anyim’s friend and so could not be said to be neutral in the matter.
Source: Tribune