Ex-Minister Demands Retraction Of Allegations Against Her

… Threatens lawsuit

Former Minister of state for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu has demanded a retraction of the allegations against her. The Ex-Miniter also said, if the retractions were not made and published she would take a legal actions against the defamators.

An online publication had alleged that the Former Minister went away with vehicles worth over N200 million and that she had also made the present pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to suffer accommodation problems.

The online publication also alleged that the former Ministers aides had refused to vacate their offices and accommodations.

But reacting to this, the Ex-Minister said there was no any iota of truth in the allegations.

She said, “My attention has been drawn to an online publication made on the 22nd of June, 2023,with the above caption claiming that I failed to relinquish my official vehicles after exiting the office. Apparently authored by one Toyin Adebayo , it further claimed that the accommodation challenge some FCT pilgrims faced a couple of days ago while on Hajj Pilgrimage in the Holy Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was occasioned by my purported hijacking of the FCT slots. It then went on to allege that two of my aides failed to vacate their offices even after my exit.

“Ordinarily, I would have concentrated on my Hajj devotion out here in the Holy Land, but for the benefit of all unassuming and fair-minded readers, I have decided to set the records straight. All official vehicles used by me during my tenure were relinquished upon my exit as a Minister and in line with standard procedure.

“Secondly, the allegations of the hijack of FCT pilgrims slots are baseless because the official procedure adopted by organs responsible for pilgrimage affairs is not conducive to it. Our preparations and ratings in the FCT Pilgrims Board while I was in office received positive acclaim and commendations in the preceding years. After my departure from office, my influence on the operations and its success is limited. Even then, I had to go out of my way to insist a better accommodation be provided when I became aware of the challenge faced by some of the Pilgrims.

“Lastly, I wish to state categorically that I do not have any aides still in the FCTA. The letter of appointment issued by the FCTA to Special Assistant on Special Investment Programme (SIP) has termination date in August 2023., while the Special Assistant on Climate Change is in fact a staff of FCTA who I engaged from within the system as a cost cutting measure while in office. Both are employees of the FCTA, not mine.

“I am, therefore, at a loss as to what could have motivated the author and her co-travelers to embark on this unfounded and mischievous misadventure. Nonetheless, I must first extend an invitation to the author and her sponsors to retract this piece of defamation and tender their open and unreserved apology to me and my family through medium they spread this malicious propaganda, or they will have to accept the invitation to stand before the law.”