Sunday, 11 September 2011 00:00 Editor News - National
THE report — “WikiLeaks: Okonjo-Iweala Ferried $50 Million Jobs To Brother” — which was published by Sahara Reporters has been described as baseless fiction that is “totally devoid of even a semblance of truth.”
A statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to Coordinating Minister for the Economy/Minister of Finance, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, which was made available to The Guardian yesterday, the reference to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala in the story lacked substance and credibility.
“The story,”according to Nwabuikwu, “is based on two sentences in the alleged Wikileaks cable allegedly uttered by an unidentified person alleging that Dr Okonjo-Iweala “steered” contracts worth $50m to her brother for “consulting work in 2004.
“First, the minister has no brother called Jon-Jon, as the alleged “brother” is identified in the story.
Second, no brother of the Minister was awarded any such “consulting” contract as alleged.
“Third, as Minister of Finance in the Obasanjo government, Dr Okonjo-Iweala earned a name as a high-performing public servant of impeccable integrity.
“Fourth, this “revelation” obviously refers to a previous allegation about one of her brothers, which was thoroughly investigated and discredited because it was found to have originated from vested interests. It is shocking that something that was discredited so long ago is being rehashed.
“It is clear that this is another ploy by vested interests, who are desperate to stop her from contributing to the realisation of an improved Nigeria . They will fail again.
“It would, therefore, be extremely unwise to give credence to such a flippant statement by an unknown and unconfirmed source. The story is simply a“tale by moonlight” account by an unknown source about something that never happened.
“A similar report by Pointblanknews, a disreputable online website quoting a disreputable “former” presidential candidate, also made the totally laughable claim that Dr Okonjo-Iweala was “fired” by former President Olusegun Obasanjo because she benefitted from the historic debt deal with the Paris Club, which she contributed so much to achieving. The allegation makes it clear that the vested interests are not only desperate but very unintelligent as well.
“ It is a fact of history that when Dr Okonjo-Iweala resigned from the Obasanjo government, the administration eulogised her for her high competence and professionalism because she did justice to every single assignment she was given.
One of the many reasons Dr Okonjo-Iweala enjoys such a high standing internationally is the fact that she has been thoroughly investigated and cleared by the most respected security agencies in the world.
“With Okonjo-Iweala what you see is what you get. Anything else is fiction,” Nwabuikwu concluded.
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