The former chairman of Ajaokuta Local Government, Aloysius Okino has described as not only embarrassing, mischievous and irresponsible, a statement credited to the Director General Media to Governor Yahaya Bello, Kingsley Fanwo, to the effect that the he connived with one Ahmed Sherifat to collect her late sisters salaries for upward of four years.
The former council boss wondered how a trained journalist like Fanwo could jettison the rules and tenets of his profession just to play the cards of some certain persons to justify the screening exercise, saying that this is most unfortunate.
In a statement yesterday in Lokoja, the former chairman said “My attention has been drawn to a press statement emanating from your good office to the effect that I connived with one Ahmed Sherifat to collect salaries from the Local Government for 4 years.
“This is most embarrassing and shocking in view of your experience in journalism and the long held tenets of verifying or hearing the other side before going to press.
“For your information, the two names mentioned are not my political associates, the said Ahmed Sherifat is not known to me neither do I know her late sister, further more i couldn’t have connived in anyway with a staff to take salaries when I, as Chairman does not prepare vouchers that are audited before payment.
“I have taken my time to investigate your irresponsible assertion and found out that the so called Sherifat Ahmed holds an appointment letter dated 1st January 2007, one would wonder how she got appointed on a public holiday, you will note that I was not in office then as well. It is on record that I never replaced my late uncles, how then can I connive with the wife of a well known political foes whose father was a finance clerk when the said appointment letter was issued.”
“From your statement this has been going on for 4 years while the totality of my time in office is no where near 4 years!
He wondered that of what benefit is the poor girl salary to him as Executive Chairman who earn a higher salary compared to the girl in question.
He cautioned that government officials must be mindful of using damaging words against people in their attempt to justify the ongoing screening exercise so that it won’t jeopardize the good intentions of Governor Yahaya Bello.
