The Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi’s special adviser has said that the well-intended decision of the management of Federal Ministry of Works to shift a press briefing earlier scheduled to hold on 28th May 2024 due to unforeseen circumstances was misrepresented.
In a statement released by the Minister’s aide, Barrister Orji Uchenna Orji on Tuesday over trending posts emanating from some reporters, published online and on some conventional media platforms, reported that the Minister walked out on journalists at a Press Briefing which he said was not deliberate.
Umahi was reported to have abruptly exited the conference room where the correspondents who had waited for over 50 minutes were gathered, asserting that the press was nonexistent.
The report stated that upon his arrival at 2:50 p.m. and after reciting the national anthem and pledge, the Minister said, “There is no press here. The press conference is not held again when the press is ready”.
The Minister’s aide who in a statement noted that the decision of the Management of the Ministry to reschedule the press briefing to a more convenient date was in good faith and was communicated to the audience of all present.
According to him, “My office took further steps to apologize and appeal to the reverred journalists who agreed with me that the inconveniences caused by shifting the press briefing to another day was not deliberate.
“I must also invite to the altar of development journalism, the insignificant few who decided to go sensational by choosing unrelated caption to attract the interest of readers, just to smear the reputation of some of our celebrated leaders”, Barrister Orji said.
He made it known that the relationship between the Federal Ministry of Works and the Journalists is unwavering, seeing each other as partners in the development of the dear nation while called on the General Public to disregard the trending post as the figment of the immagination of the anonymous reporters.