Voice of Nigeria inherits Badeh’s Abuja property
…The building located in Wuse 2 is now the headquarters of VON
Our correspondent
The nation’s external broadcast medium, the Voice of Nigeria on Wednesday took over a five-story building belonging to former Chief of Defence Staff, late Alex Badeh.
The house was handed over to VON management led by Osita Okechukwu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Located at Plot 1386, Oda Crescent, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, the building belonged to the former Chief of Defence Staff, late Alex Badeh.
The EFCC while handing over the property said building will become the corporate headquarters of VON, which until now, was squatting in its ‘parent’s house’, the ministry of information, popularly known as Radio House.
The secretary to the commission, Ola Olukoyede, while representing the chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, said that the property was recovered from a “fraudulent Nigerian” who had stolen from the common wealth.
Olukoyede said EFCC has been able to go after him and recovered this property and President Muhammadu Buhari had directed it should be given to federal government agency, adding that the commission has done the right thing by handing over the property to VON.
According to Olukoyede, the final forfeiture of the building to VON has clearly shown that the administration of President Buhari is very serious about the war against corruption.
“It will also send a signal across to the critics who will never see anything good in the war against corruption that this war is real and it has come to stay.”
“Whosoever has stolen common wealth of Nigeria, EFCC will go after them and we will recover the property for the use of all Nigerians,” Olukoyede said.
In his reaction after the presentation the Director General of VON, Osita Okechukwu, thanked the management of EFCC for the gesture.
He said VON has become a major beneficiary of one of the fruits of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-graft war, courtesy of the EFCC.
“Without EFCC’s stringent war against corruption, VON could have remained a squatter, 28 years after relocating to the Federal Capital Territory.
“It pained me that since 1991 that VON relocated to Abuja, it remained a tenant, till now. This is sequel to what we call an accident of fate; accident of fate for the fact that what is called the Yar’Adua Centre was the original plot of land in the master-plan of Abuja, that was allocated to VON,” he said.
