By Laraba MUREY
The immediate past Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, FCT Council, Emmanuel Ogbeche, has described as laughable and baseless, claims of his alleged involvement in a plan to divert N40million from the Council.
Ogbeche, who was responding to an online report of an alleged scheme to defraud the Council of funds from an upcoming lease renewal, said the accusations was a futile attempts at tarnishing his hard earned reputation.
The former Chairman in a signed statement on Saturday, pledged to file a defamation suite against the authors of the report.
Part of the statement reads, “Late this afternoon, September 13, 2024, my attention was drawn to a vexatious but laughable and poorly written story in an obscure internet site, youdonhear.org, with this phone number, +234707 281 3090 alleging my esteemed self, being involved in a N40m scandal over upcoming lease renewal in the Nigeria Union of Journalists, FCT Council.
“The fabricators of the piece, aimed at maliciously defaming, and causing injurious falsehood against my person and office, hope to instigate public disaffection, opprobrium and lower my esteem before right thinking members of the public, cause the Cross River State Government to relieve me of my appointment and portray me in bad light before the media community at home and abroad.
“According to those behind this puerile attempt at blackmail, “It has been revealed that the former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mr. Emmanuel Ogbeche (sic) is allegedly set to collect N40 million being part payment of the lease contract from a certain Mr. Owan (sic) who is the Union’s tenant at the unions council (sic) located in Utako, Abuja.
“Those behind the absolute falsehood further claimed I was removed from office “following allegations of graft and incompetence” and was given soft landing with a transfer to Abuja. Nothing could be farther from the truth. My redeployment to Abuja is a matter for posterity.”
Ogbeche vowed to deploy the full extent of the law in tracking those behind the falsehood.
“For those behind this gross mischief, they are unaware of the workings of technology, therefore, are persuaded in their little or no imagination that they are invincible. The law will find them, and the full weight of the Cybercrimes Prohibition, Prevention Act 2015 will be put to the test within the coming weeks.
“For clarity, I am unaware of these grave allegations. I served the NUJ with integrity and accountability and left with my head held high with several awards and recognitions within and outside the union.
“When I took over as Chairman in 2019, the NUJ FCT was near-bankrupt, not just in financial terms, but general goodwill. My young executive met N3, 700 in the account with overarching debts and salary arrears. The Council had no functional secretariat, rather a descript and abandoned building and a lingering court tussle over its adjoining rundown building hitherto occupied by Standards Chartered Bank.
“In about a year, the Fresh Start Team, which I led, re-wrote the history of the council to the applause and admiration of many. We completed the NUJ secretariat, paid off all the salary arrears, recovered the Standard Chartered Bank building without spending a dime and embarked on an aggressive welfare package and professional trainings for members.
“It remains on record that the FCT Council undertook the single largest Covid-19 intervention amongst the 37 councils of the NUJ in the country.
“It is, therefore, curious that any individual(s) will have the audacity to make these scurrilous allegations if I did not sully my hands when I was fully in charge, is it when I have left that I will struggle for a lease payment which I have no authority or control over?
“It should be stated that the NUJ FCT has no tenant known as “Mr. Owan.” I do not know him, have had no contact with the said “Mr. Owan,” or his privies or agents.
“Those who have decided to embark on this ill-advised, ill-fated and no brainer endeavour just over the upcoming Council elections in December will have themselves to blame because there is no hiding place for them from the long arm of the law.
“As a major stakeholder in the Union but not actively engaged as I am fully concentrated on my appointment as Special Adviser, Media, to His Excellency my Governor, I am still consulted by those who mean well for the Union and have offered my counsel with honesty and foresight. I am not unaware of the attempts by certain individuals to railroad me into supporting the aspiration of a particular aspirant who is fixated on pecuniary gratification of those given to mercantile lure.”
He thanked all those who have expressed worry and reached out to him and assure them that the matter will run its full lawful course, no matter how long it takes.
