Dogara denies involvement in ₦1Billion UBEC contract, asks publisher to apologise

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives has threatened to institute legal action against publishers of WikkiTimes over a report that accused him of involvement in a ₦1billion Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) contract.

Dogara, in a letter to the Publishers of WikkiTimes Media and Publishing Limited, demanded an immediate retraction of the story and a written apology within three days from the date of the receipt of the letter or risk legal action.

The online news medium alleged that the UBEC released the sum of ₦97million to three companies for the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms in Dogara’s constituency, Bauchi State as part of his ₦1billion budget for constituency project three years ago. It said that Quickfix Property Limited, Delta Force Limited, and Maridiq Nigeria Limited received the money.

But the former speaker in his statement stated that: “Your disingenuous publication purported to elicit information from some named persons one of whom is one Mr. Gideon Gambo, whom your spurious publication claim is an uncle to our client and NUT Chairman of Bogoro Local Government. Your publication went on to recklessly quote the said Mr. Gideon Gambo, a fictitious uncle to our client as saying that:

“It is very glaring that nowhere in your ignoble publication other than the sensational headline did you trace the release of the sum of 1 billion naira to UBEC for the construction of Model schools which UBEC undertakes at 250 million naira and have constructed same in many states across the country.

“Since you have categorically failed to state whether the purported sum of 1 billion naira was released and to whom, how therefore did you arrive at the conclusion that our client in conjunction with UBEC has squandered a nonexistent sum of 1 billion naira? It is crystal clear that you have left no intelligent person in doubt as to the fact that your mendacious publication was just meant to defame our client.

“As though the foregoing was not enough, you went on to personally state that the proposed ICT centre in the community has been converted to an APC warehouse used by Dogara. The building which has an APC Logo, the political party of Dogara, is behind his house.”

Our client finds it shocking that you went to great lengths to starkly defame him without a shred of evidence and had to resort to base conjecture and suppositions. In sharp contrast to what your unfounded publication would have the world believe, our client has no uncle dead or alive that bears the name Mr. Gideon Gambo in which by virtue of your publication is the acclaimed principal of Gwarangah Secondary School and chairman of NUT, Bogoro L.G.A.

“Consequently, the projects could not have been undertaken. It is also noteworthy that contrary to the letters of your defamatory publication, no project was ever listed in the budget for Junior Secondary School in Gwarangah,” he said.

The Publisher of the WikkiTimes, Haruna Mohammed said that the report was credible and factual. He challenged the former lawmaker to seek redress in the court of law, saying “We stand by our report.”