Ex-Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has asked the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to retract his allegation that the former stole N2bn meant to the repairs of Port Harcourt International Airport runway while in office.
Fani-Kayode said failure to do so will result in a legal action against the former governor of oil rich Rivers State.
In a letter to Amaechi, Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Wale Balogun noted that “For malicious reasons, you elected to misrepresent our client in public glare by deliberately inducing false, dishonest and untrue comments in the minds of right-thinking members of the society”.
“More worrisome is the fact that you were conscious of this falsehood, in consequence of which you systematically and intentionally failed to admit yourself to caution, but resolved to pollute the main stream for unsuspecting persons to drink of this fabrication which was actuated by bad faith reprisals and dishonourable intentions.”
Balogun issued a 14-day ultimatum to Amaechi to retract his comments “failure of which will leave our client with no preferred alternative than to seek redress in court”.
Amaechi, had stated that ex-Governor, Peter Odili made the payment as part of the state government’s contribution towards the success of the project.
He said, “Fani-Kayode, when he was Minister of Aviation, Dr Peter Odili’s government gave him N2 billion naira to fix the Port Harcourt International Airport run way that was closed for two years, but he went away with the money.
“It’s not in the record of Aviation, I’m the Minister of Transportation, I have that record it’s not there. There is no record anywhere that the Rivers State government gave the then Aviation Ministry N2bn to fix the Port Harcourt airport.”
Amaechi explained that the sum was part of Rivers State contribution to the repairs of the runway that had then collapsed.
In his reaction, Fani-Kayode said he wasn’t given any money by Rivers State Government.
“It was my predecessor office that was given a loan by Rivers State Government and the money was not paid to Aviation it was paid to FAAN.
“Professor Aborishade was Minister at the time not me and the money was paid into FAAN’s account and about N350m was set out of it before I became Minister
“By the time I got into office, there was N1.6bn left in the FAAN account and they told me about it.”
On how the money was utilised, Fani-Kayode said, “We gave Julius Berger N1.5bn which was 50 per cent paid for the runway and they did the work.
“The runway was complete before I left office and was commission about a month after we left office, we left N132m in FAAN account.”