By Hammed M. Bello
The permanent secretary in the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory (MFCT), Mr. Deji Omotade, has written the FCT minister, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, denying media reports that he petitioned President Obasanjo on the alleged questionable manner the minister was running the affairs of the ministry.
Mr. Omotade also denied that he wrote the petition that implicated two former ministers of internal affairs over the national identity card scam on the basis of which he was said to have been promoted permanent secretary from his position as director in the ministry.
The letter, dated October 12, 2004, with reference MFCT/PS/2004.1041/116 and signed by Mr. Omotade, and made available to Abuja Trust, also shows that it was copied the head of the civil service, the family of the late Chief Sunday Afolabi and Dr. Mohammed Shata, both former internal affairs ministers and Alhaji Husseini Akwanga, former permanent secretary in the ministry.
The letter, a reaction to two newspaper articles (not Daily Trust) entiltled: “Fresh Troubles For el-Rufai,” and “Forces Against el-Rufai,” informed the minister that the articles were of the view that certain fifth columnists whose interests stand to be jeopardised by the present reform efforts in the ministry under el-Rufai, were bent on frustrating and undermining the reform efforts by sabotage and petition against the minister.
The permanent secretary, the letter said, was specifically irked by allusions by the articles that he wrote a petition to President Obasanjo on el-Rufai’s alleged fraudulent award of contracts, appointment of consultants without due process and allocation of large parcels of land to friends, aides and relations.
“I must say that the contents of these articles are quite unwholesome, malicious and calculated to tarnish my image and drag my good name in the mud. Indeed, it was designed to assassinate my character and portray me as being disloyal to you,” the letter said, adding: “as a permanent secretary, it is not my duty to petition my minister, but to support him to realise his mission.”
The permanent secretary also denied opposing the minister’s reform programmes, saying he could claim that the structure currently in the ministry regarding establishment of the FCT executive committee was his idea and challenged the “authors of the articles to produce copies of the petitions he was said to have written against the minister.
The letter also said Mr. Omotade was promoted permanent secretary for over 15 months before the ID card scam broke out and could not have been compensated for blackmailing anybody.
“It is therefore a blatant lie to allege that I was promoted permanent secretary on the basis of the petition,” the letter quoted Omotade as saying.
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