Ladan Salihu Still In Office Despite Fraud Evidence

Despite evidence of massive fraud according to Journalist investigation, details of substantial abusive financial practice carried out by Ladan Salihu, head of Radio Nigeria, appointed by GEJ is still in office going about his business.

Ladan Salihu was appointed director general of the federal radio corporation of Nigeria by Goodluck Jonathan in February 2014 – and he is still enjoying his top job under Muhammadu Buhari despite evidence of massive frauds that even led to protests against his appointment by the staff of radio Nigeria.

Investigation by the press revealed shocking details about Ladan Salihu’s biography, which is full of cases of abuse of power, theft, fraudulent alteration of official documents and other things incompatible with embracing the top position in public service – yet, he enjoys his post to this date.

It turns out that in 2008 Ben Egbuna, the then director general of radio Nigeria set up an administrative panel to probe allegations of massive fraud allegedly conducted by Ladan Salihu, who was embracing then the post of the zonal director of Kaduna zonal station of radio Nigeria.

The report of the panel concluded that Ladan Salihu allegedly stole money released to him for the coverage of the 2007 Hajj.

While four reporters were approved for the coverage, he hired only three of them, stealing $3,400 from their allowances. Besides that, Ladan Salihu failed to account for $13,800 he received as team leader for the Hajj coverage.

He was also indicted of selling a medium wave antenna owned by the federal radio corporation of Nigeria for N700,000 without approval of the board of the corporation or the minister of information which is violation of the corporation’s financial instructions. 

However, the matter was hushed up and no punishment followed, as Ben Egbuna retired from his post during the time of investigation.

His successor at the post of the director general of radio Nigeria, Nuhu Yusuf, set up a new panel in 2009 which uncovered new cases of Salihu’s mismanagement: this time he forged the FRCN receipts in the sum of N9,620,000 to Katsina state government for airing of different programmes.  

Despite the investigative panel strongly recommended to take Salihu off his job in view of his misconduct, instead of it he ironically replaced Nunu Yusuf at the post of the director general of the FRCN in 2014 by then president Goodluck Jonathan. 

In response the staff of the radio Nigeria petitioned Jonathan questioning merits and integrity of their new boss. After Muhammadu Buhari was sworn-in as the new president of Nigeria, staff of the radio raised the same concerns of the “need to remove officers with leadership deficit in leadership positions in ministries, departments and agencies”, citing Salihu as one of those who should be removed from his post immediately. However, no response followed to this date. 

Former boss of the FRCN, Nunu Yusuf and several other retired and present workers for the corporation claimed that Ladan Salihu enjoyed impunity because he had patrons in the previous government.

The former minister of information, Labaran Maku, former governor of Katsina state, Ibrahim Shema, and the former vice president Namadi Sambo were willing to tolerate Salihu’s mismanagement in return for doing any “dirty job” to help GEJ remain in power beyond 2015. However, this never happened but Ladan Salihu still embraces his high post at the FRCN. Ladan Salihu wasn’t available for the press to respond the above mentioned allegations of misconduct referring to being too busy. 

Three months ago the All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to a statement credited to the out-going President Goodluck Jonathan, in which he alleged that the President-elect, Muhammudu Buhari will probe him and his minsters. 

The APC revealed that Buhari will not probe Jonathan because he will not be “bogged down by endless probes.”