By BASHIR ADEFAKA
A misleading report by an online medium (not The DEFENDER), with an headline: “REJOINDER TO SPECIAL REPORT: 2 Weeks Before End of Buhari’s Tenure, Special Assistant Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire Paid a Restaurant N147.1m to Build Classrooms in Lagos. A Lot Was Amiss”, has been debunked.
The report had painted a picture of misappropriation against the former deputy governor of Lagos State while in office as aide to immediate past Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on SDGs, mixing a lot of untrue materials with what appeared to have truly happened and thus misinforming the public.
But the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGS) in a swift rejoinder by Desmond Utomwen, Adejoke’s Media Assistant, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER Thursday’s morning, Media report was laid bare as a complete distortion of true situation.
Aside the need to set the record straight so innocent readers, who might not actually understand the crux of the matter, might not be misled, the office said it would not have dignified the piece with a reply.
“This is to state clearly that the reports carried a distorted account of the procedure and shows the ignorance of the writer on how things operate in Government institutions.
“We wish to state categorically that the information contained in the said publication are inacurate and very likely a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the issues with the intent to embarrass the Office of the senior special assistant to the president,as there was no *Issue of Fraud or abuse of process* on the said project.
“OSSAP-SDGs categorically refutes the allegations and
has been transparent on this project of the construction of a Skills Acquisition Centre and a block of classrooms in Ajeromi, Lagos State & many of such projects.
“According to records provided by the company during the bid process, the company in question is duly registered with valid incorporation and tax documents with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.
“The allegation of it being a mere restaurant is equally from the figment of the imagination of the author, as the TIN of the company will expose if such anomaly exists
“The project was executed by a team of professionals with the necessary qualifications and expertise in construction and engineering. The structures were built in accordance with specifications and industry standards, as confirmed by photographic evidence and GPS coordinates provided.
“The decision to relocate the project from its original site in Ajeromi was necessitated by the insufficient space at the original location, to ensure the successful completion of the project.
“Contrary to the claims in the report, the project was executed as specified, and the block of classrooms and skills acquisition centre were completed and commissioned for use.
Photographic evidence with GPS coordinates are available to substantiate this fact.
“In conclusion, we assert that the report is marred by inaccuracies,as the award of the contract followed due process and was not arbitrary.
“For transparency& accountability, the OSSAP-SDGs is prepared to provide necessary documents or evidence to support our position. We also welcome further inquiries and investigations to address any lingering doubts,” the OSSAP-SDGS said in the statement.
See more photos below:
