The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arrested Emeka Mba, the Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission over an allegation of N15 billion fraud.
Mr. Emeka Mba was arrested on Monday morning in Abuja and taken to the EFCC’s headquarters where he is currently being interrogated.
Last week, some detectives stormed the headquarters of the NBC, ransacking computers and files in the Finance and Account unit.
During the operation, some key Accounts staff where taken away.
Sources said the arrested officials made confessional statements to the EFCC implicating Mr. Mba and some top officials of the NBC. When contacted, the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said he was on an official assignment in Lagos and had not been briefed.
Prior to his appointment by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Emeka had served for seven years between 2005 and July 2012 as Director General of the National Film and Video Censors Board, whilst at the NFVCB he undertook ground-breaking work in restructuring the Nigerian film industry.
Emeka was for a short while Managing Director of Phillips Media Entertainment Ltd, a specialised media entertainment consulting service of Phillips Consulting Nigeria, and was for eight and a half years, Regulatory Affairs Manager for Multichoice Nigeria, responsible for Regulatory Strategy and Policy. He was also responsible for Development of Local Programming Policy, and helped conceive and facilitate the launch of the continent’s first satellite movie channel “AfricaMagic” on the DStv bouquet.
Prior to the launching of Africa Magic, he operated and managed the technical and programming aspects of the Multichoice Nigeria MMDS Cable platform in several cities across Nigeria. On leaving Multichoice in 2003, Emeka established Questech Media, a media technology and entertainment consulting firm based in Lagos, providing specialised consulting service dedicated to bringing world class expertise to Nigerian and African companies engaged in digital media technology, and media and entertainment sectors.
Emeka has extensive experience in the media and communications fields, and is currently studying law from the External Programme of the University of London. Mr. Mba holds a B.Sc. Mass Communication, and an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) diploma in Media & Entertainment Management from the IESE Business School of New York. Emeka hails from Enugu State.
He is married with three children, and widely travelled. He has attended several courses and training programmes in Nigeria and abroad, often times as a speaker on African media, communications technology, and entertainment industry initiatives and future development.