Abuja, NIGERIA — The immediate past Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu has reacted to the viral publication alleging that he diverted University of Nigeria, Teaching Hospital, UNTH N400m kidney transplant centre to private purse.
In a press release by Media Adviser to the Senator, Uche Anichukwu described the publication as malicious.
“The attention of the Office of the former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, CFR, has been drawn to a malicious, fake social media post, which claims that the lawmaker diverted N400 million meant for constructing and equipping a kidney centre at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, as well as for training some doctors overseas to man the facility.
“This is a lie from the pit of hell meant to destroy Ekweremadu and drain whatever public sympathy and goodwill the lawmaker and his embattled family enjoy in the present circumstance.
“Instructively, the evil post failed to disclose the budget year, the Senator’s, company’s, or any other person’s account that it was paid into. How is it possible to release a whooping N400 million in the name of an agency without the agency doing any work?
“How is it possible to release budgetary provision of an agency to an individual or even a company without the knowledge of the agency as narrated in the post?
“We also wonder what manner of kidney centre could be constructed, fully equipped, and doctors to man it trained overseas, all at cost of N400 million at public procurement rate as claimed in the post.
“Besides, this is not in the character of Ekweremadu and his politics of development. Not only do we know as a matter of fact that you cannot name two lawmakers, who have impacted the lives of their people positively in the history of Nigeria without naming Ekweremadu, his humanitarian efforts are also well known among his people.
“With 700 full university scholarships, 3,200 bursary awards, in addition to support to over 6,000 widows, free medical treatment for over 30,000 people suffering from eye-related problem, micro credit to over 20 cooperative societies, among others, by the Ikeoha Foundation; and with a good number of people he gave a new lease of life by personally sponsoring their overseas medical trips, we state with every sense of modesty that Ikeoha has paid his dues.
“It is therefore brutally wicked for someone to claim that a man, who ran into stormy weather in the process of saving the life of his daughter, and doing so as legally as he knows best, including writing to the UK High Commission (we do not know of any person, who writes another country to inform them he is coming to break their law), is paying the price of Karma.
“If this person is serious about his claims, let him put down his name, the exact year that the purported project was approved (a few years back in no year), the name of the Chief Medical Director of the UNTH at the time, the evidence of the account (personal or corporate) that the government paid the money into, etc.
“Indeed a discerning reader, who finds these information missing in the malicious post would readily know that the nameless, faceless author is out do mischief. We challenge whoever this author is to respond to these questions.
“While we wonder why this peddler of falsehood chose to do so at a time the Senator is not in a position to defend himself, we equally wish to remind him that Karma he/she mentioned is a two-edged sword, which does not also spare anyone, who wilfully go out to destroy another man with unfounded allegations.
“Besides, life is a long distance journey, and only God knows what lies ahead of every man or woman. Those who are in a hurry to compose the dirge of another man; those who are in a haste to conduct the funeral of a man with life still in him; and those who jubilate over the travails of another man had better be careful, for you never know.”
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