From Ahmad SAKA,Bauchi
An online news platform WikkiTimes has on Sunday insisted that its story detailing how the former speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara and the Universal Basic Education Commission squandered a N1 billion school projects is true, accurate and credible.
The investigation revealed how N1 billion constituency projects nominated by the former speaker to build model schools in Bauchi South Federal Constituency was mismanaged.
Haruna Mohammed Salisu, its publisher said “We have come across viral publications suggesting that WikkiTime had published a ‘libellous’ report against the former speaker. Although we are not officially served any letter by any purported law chamber, I feel we need to put the records straights.”
The report, according to the publisher, is factual, credible and accurate. “We stand by our story,” he said.
“It’s within his prerogative to go court if he feels our story is a misrepresentation of facts.
“But let me also reiterate that before our story was published, we contacted Yakubu Dogara and gave him enough time to respond but he ignored numerous calls and text.”
The publisher said that WikkiTimes would not retract the story as demanded by Mr. Dogara “because it’s indeed very laughable for a credible medium such as WikkiTimes to retract a painstaking investigation backed by facts.
“We know that Dogara nominated the N1 billion school projects and there is open and available evidence in the public domain that can justify this for any reasonable person to see. We equally know that it was based on Mr. Dogara’s consent that the contracts were awarded. Therefore, he ought to supervise the projects and ensure they were diligently executed.
Haruna said that “he cannot cry wolf when it’s apparent that he’s categorically failed to do his work. Our story remains, and we will be happy to meet Mr. Dogara in court.”
