North East group alleges campaign of calumny against ex-Perm Sec Dikwa
By Sumaila Ogbaje
The Northeast Concerned Citizens (NECC), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has raised alarm over what they described as campaign of calumny against one of their sons, Dr Muhammad Dikwa, a retired permanent secretary.
This is contained in a statement by the group’s National President, Amb. Umar Mohammad, on Sunday in Abuja.
Mohammad said that the allegation that scavengers carted away 4 Million dollars from 76 million dollars cash haul stockpiled in Abuja apartment by Aisha Odariko and the ex-permanent secretary was untrue.
The group said that if the allegation of money being piled up in a residential building was true, the narrative presented had strongly suggested that the writer could be among the so-called scavengers who perpetrated the robbery operation.
According to him, the medium could be using the story to divert attention from the authorities’ investigation.
“Secondly, it is suspicious how the writer arrived at the conclusion that Dr Dikwa owned the claimed stockpiled loot or had an affair with NDIC Manager Aisha Odariko based solely on the statement provided by her driver.
“The said driver was found by the police to have led the criminal gang in breaking into a residential property in Apo District of Abuja.
”The publisher unwittingly displayed the clear political motivation behind this report when it listed Dr. Dikwa’s achievements.
Mohammad said the report failed to mention the name of the security agency responsible for investigating the alleged stockpiled looted public funds.
He added that the purported scavengers were now at large, having escaped from prison custody.
According to him, the story is rife with inconsistencies, leading one to suspect that this is indeed corruption fighting back.
“Otherwise, we see no reason why an incident that they alleged occurred in 2020 is now being repackaged and circulated.
“Many Nigerians can attest to the extent of the loopholes regarding ghost workers and other forms of massive public corruption within the civil service, which Dikwa’s initiatives had addressed in Nigerian public institutions.
“Throughout his career as a civil and public servant, Dr Dikwa has not been indicted for any form of corruption, and no money was reported missing under his watch.
Consequently, he has received numerous national and international service awards in recognition of his excellence.
“Through this medium, the Northeast Concerned Citizens implore the online medium to retract this false, malicious report and refrain from willfully damaging the character of our sons who have served this nation with dedication and perseverance.
“It is imperative that Nigerian media regulatory agencies and the government intervene to prevent such irresponsible use of the media,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Isaac Aregbesola
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