Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Bayo Onanuga, has denied allegations of fraud made against him by some unions in the agency.
A group known as Concern (sic) NAN Joint Union accused Mr Onanuga of diverting funds from the agency to his personal use.
Onanuga, in a letter to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Sunday, said he was ready to face the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the petition.
The NAN boss said the unions behind the petition were born illegally out of four unions in the agency.
“I was shocked to read the allegations levelled against me by NAN Joint Union, an illegal creation of the four unions in the agency,” Onanuga said.
“More shocking was the description of my tenure by the signatories to the letter as ‘the worst’ and I ‘the most corrupt manager in the history of the agency.’ The descriptions are the most uncharitable, most wicked about my three-year tenure.”
He urged Mr Mohammed to call the signatories of the petition to a meeting on Monday so he could confront them with facts.
Onanuga said: “The lies are designed to block my re-appointment. I wish them good luck. I believe the petitioners are afraid of impending reforms in the Agency and are doing everything possible to thwart efforts to make NAN compete favourably with its peers.”
Onanuga, who was formerly Managing Director of Lagos-based PMNews and The News, also said “the faceless group that calls itself CONCERN (SIC) STAFF OF NAN, accused me of sabotage, alleging that my PMNEWS breaks news before NAN.”
He continued: “This is again groundless. PMNEWS subscribes to NAN and had been a subscriber for many years. PMNEWS also gets its news from a variety of sources.”
