The minister of works, David Umahi has denied reports that he walked out on journalists during a meeting at the ministry’s conference room on Tuesday in Abuja.
The minister 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.
Upon his arrival at 2:50 p.m. and after reciting the national anthem and pledge, Umahi said, “There is no press here. The press conference is not held again when the press is ready.
“The permanent secretary and other directors should follow me to my office. The press is not existent.”
Reacting to the reports, the minister’s Special Adviser (Media), Orji Uchenna Orji, in a statement, described the reports as a misrepresentation of facts, saying that the shift of the press briefing was due to unforeseen circumstances.
He added that the working relationship with journalists is very robust.
“It is to be 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.
“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 commend very highly the teeming members of the fourth estate of the realm who understood the explanations made by me on the exigences that caused the deferral of the press briefing by the management of Federal Ministry of Works.
“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.
“For the records, the relationship between the Federal Ministry of Works and the Journalists is unwavering as we see each other as partners in the development of our dear nation.”
The minister urged the public to therefore enjoined to disregard the trending post as the figment of the immagination of the anonymous reporters.
