Rejoinder: Nigeria at brink of another civil war, nation dragged down by 419 scams – Intelligence report
We publish below unedited a rejoinder to the above titled story which was published on ghanabusinessnews.com.
The rejoinder was written by Mr. David M. Pohl, lawyer for Mr. Laolu Saraki.
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On behalf of my client, Mr. Laolu Saraki, I issue the following rejoinder to certain statements made by Ghana Business News:
On February 18, 2010, Ghana Business News published an article entitled “Nigeria at brink of another civil war, nation dragged down by 419 scams – Intelligence report” on www.ghanabusinessnews.com. This article contained several irresponsible, spurious and false allegations regarding Mr. Saraki, citing as a source the “Netherlands-based UltraScan.”
Mr. Saraki rejects these serious allegations. They are in sharp conflict with his values and have no basis in reality. Mr. Saraki served his country when appointed by the Late Umaru Yardua and was retained by his successor, President Jonathan Goodluck, in recognition of the impressive contribution he made.
As Special Assistant to Mr. President, Mr. Saraki liaised with him daily and was responsible for scheduling appointments with Heads of States and Dignitaries, International Governmental Bodies, Foreign Emissaries, Parastatals, NGOs, multinationals and individuals. Mr. Saraki also attended the Federal Executive Council and Council of States, the two highest bodies in the country.
In connection with his appointment as Special Assistant to Mr. President, Mr. Saraki
underwent standard vigorous security screening and vetting by the Nigerian Secret Service in coordination with other International Security Organisations.
Mr. Saraki is currently CEO of Ensoles, an environmental consultancy firm he co-founded. Mr. Saraki’s family is also regarded with the highest respect worldwide. His father, The
Waziri of Ilorin, was the former Senate Leader. His brother, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is the current Governor of Kwara State and his sister, Gbemi Saraki, is a Senator of the National Assembly of Nigeria.
We request that Ghana Business News acknowledge that the above referenced-allegations lack substantiation and take appropriate remedial action, including retraction of the article and its removal from www.ghanabusinessnews.com and other sites on which it appears.
Source: David M. Pohl
Lawyer for Laulo Saraki