Abuja-Kaduna road contract: Umahi demands apology from Daily Trust over alleged falsehood

Minister of Works Dave Umahi

Minister of Works David Umahi

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has demanded apology from Daily Trust Newspapers over claims that he awarded contract for the completion of a section of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road dualization to an obscure and inactive company, Infoquest Nigeria Ltd.

Umahi, in a press conference held on Tuesday attended by the State for Works, Mohammed Bello Goronyo, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, Engr. Folunso O. Adebiyi and key directors of the Ministry described as mischievous, insensitively misleading and injurious the statement credited to him in the publication by the newspaper.

Specifically, the Minister was quoted as saying in a statement by Uchenna Orji, his spokesperson that he was wrongly quoted to have said that Infoquest Nigeria Ltd secured a “No objection” of N252.89 billion from the Bureau of Public Procurement ( BPP) for the rehabilitation of a section Abuja- Kaduna- Zaria-Kano road in the publication by Daily Trust.

Contrary to the claim in the newspaper, Umahi said the Ministry of Works had no business relationship with Infoquest Nigeria Ltd, but another company Infiouest International Limited

Umahi added that Infiouest is corporately active and is absolutely in compliance with all legal requirements and regulations set by the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

“He berated the mischief created by the publication as a deliberate orchestration by a cartel to malign the Ministry, undermine the efforts of the Renewed Hope administration in revolutionizing road infrastructure development and demarket the company that has proven capacity in road construction.

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“He demanded from Daily Trust Newspapers a public apology to the Federal Ministry of Works to be published in at least 5 national dailies for unjustifiably publishing falsehood against the Ministry of Works.

“The Honourable Minister also alluded to the mischiefs and deliberate misrepresentation of facts contained in the sponsored publications made in several national dailies by Julius Berger Plc recently on the reason why they reneged in their contractual obligations in respect of the section of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road they were handling before it was determined.

Umahi also alleged that there have been a coordinated onslaught of falsehood, blackmail, gang-up by adversaries to the policy of government just because of the Ministry’s insistence on a new order of value for money, quality assurance and best practices in project pricing and execution.

He urged the public and the press to join in this desirable fight against national sabotage by some contractors.

Also, the nister of State for Works was quoted as saying in the statement that he was delighted by the proactiveness and resoluteness shown by the Ministry in decapitating the intentions of those who made the false publication against the Ministry which according to him was intended to distract the Ministry and undermine its confidence before Nigerians.

Goronyo was further quoted as calling on media operators not to allow themselves to be used by the fifth columnists to publish unfounded reports to undermine the Renewed Hope agenda but should always crosscheck their information with the appropriate authority so as to let out only the truth to the public.

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