Radio Nigeria Involve In N187 Million Advert Debt Scam

The Auditor General of the Federation, AuGF, has indicted the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, also known as Radio Nigeria, for allegedly failing to recover over N187 million in ad arrears.

Following the appearance of its Director General Mansur Liman before the Senate panel and unresolved issues, the Auditor General’s probe against the radio station was upheld by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts.

Senator Mathew Urhoghide (PDP Edo South), the committee’s chairman, upheld the corporation’s query until the advertisement schedule that caused the debt is made accessible to the Senate.

The query reads: “Financial records maintained at Ibadan zonal office (FRCN Ibadan) revealed huge unrecovered advert debts of ₦120,099,666.88 (One hundred and twenty million, ninety-nine thousand, six hundred and sixty-six naira, eighty-eight kobo) owed to the Corporation as at December 2016, as a result of services rendered on credit to some companies by the zonal office.

“This is contrary to the provisions of Financial Regulations 224 and 230 (2009) which stipulates that all services rendered by government must be paid for immediately on completion of the service and where possible, payment may be made in advance; and where payment is outstanding, a system of follow-up by means of reminders and final demand should be made.

Unrecovered advert debts of ₦67,842,011.50 (Sixty-seven million, eight hundred and forty-two thousand, eleven naira, fifty kobo) which were in respect of services provided on credit to some companies by the Lagos Operations of the Corporation were being owed to it as at December 2016; and majority of them have been outstanding for more than five years.

“Requests for the companies’ files and evidence of following due process before rendering the services as well as agreements between the Corporation and the purported debtors were not honored.

“Majority of these debts have been outstanding for more than five years.”

But the Director General of FRCN while responding to the query claimed that the outstanding debts came as of bankruptcy of the companies which led to change of business name .

Liman added that when the FRCN approached the new companies to pay the debt, they declined on the ground that it was not part of liabilities inherited although N28million has been recovered so far from the debtors.

He said the services of a legal outfit has been engaged to recover the debt.

But when the chairman of the committee demanded for advert schedule of the debtors, the Director-General failed to present it for the panel to see.