Mr Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has denied that the Minister awarded N5 billion in contracts.
He criticised the accusation that the contracts were awarded to local contractors as incorrect and devoid of facts.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, Olayinka described the assertion as unfounded and urged anyone with evidence to submit official documentation proving such contract approvals.
He explained that in December 2023, a bill for approximately N10 billion was given to the minister as unpaid payments for projects completed by local contractors before Wike took office.
“The category of these projects was referred to as “Shopping” or “Minor Procurement.”
“In the same Dec. 2023, payment of more than N5 billion was approved by the minister and was made immediately.
“In Jan. 2024, an additional payment of more than N5 billion was made, fully clearing the N10 billion outstanding,” Olayinka stated.
He further stated that three months later, another bill of more than N15 billion was submitted, again under the Minor Procurement category, prompting Wike to question who had approved such contracts.
“How can you claim to have carried out jobs worth more than N15 billion within three months, without the minister’s approval?
“How can you accumulate more than N15 billion in debts on contracts within that period?
“From N15 billion to N8 billion and now N5 billion, the question is, on whose authority were these contracts awarded?” he queried.
He stressed that the questions must be answered, insisting that the issue lay in accountability, not speculation.
“Those are the questions they have to answer first,” he said.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")