The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has expressed displeasure over a spurious story publication by an online platform (not The Nation), which described the programme as a cesspool of corruption.
The Interim Administrator of the PAP, Major General Barry Ndiomu (rtd), therefore called on publishers of the unsubstantiated and unprofessional report, PMEXPRESS and writer Aisha Abubakar to publish a retraction within seven days for be prepared for a legal battle.
On the 3rd of January 2023, the author of the unsubstantiated story, one Aisha Abubakar alleged that some staff members of the Finance and Audit departments of the PAP were involved in mind-boggling corrupt practices through what she called “advance payment” despite the new Interim Administrator’s concerted efforts to stamp out corruption in the system.
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In a statement by Mr. Thomas Peretu, PAP said: “We hereby state that the story entitled, ‘Presidential Amnesty Programme Still a Cesspool of mind-boggling corruption’ is nothing but a figment of the author’s imagination.
“It also violates simple journalistic ethos of fairness. From all indications, the misguided reporter is on a mission to dent the image of the programme.
“We are at loss to understand what the writer means by Advance Payment (AP) and how it is being used to perpetrate fraud in the system, more so when the reporter failed to substantiate her bogus claims with verifiable evidence of corruption in the programme.
“The story is diversionary and totally at variance with the good traditions of journalism, and a deliberate attempt to rubbish the current puritanical disposition of the leadership of the programme as explained by the presidency and its finicky in its commitment to due process in the awards and execution of contracts where adequate attention is meticulously paid to details.
“We challenge the reporter or her co-travellers to provide proof of her claim with facts and figures of such ‘mind boggling’ underhand dealings.
“We hereby, demand an unreserved public apology from the reporter and the PMEXPRESS for misleading the public.
“Otherwise, the management of the PAP may be constrained to take a legal action to redeem its image.
“The author of report and the PMEXPRESS are hereby given seven working days from Thursday 5th January 2023 to retract the story, and render public apology to PAP or be faced with a legal action.
“In the meantime, we enjoin the public to discountenance the said report because it lacks merit and does not represent the real picture of activities at the PAP.”