Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi, the immediate past Postmaster General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), has dismissed claims that his removal from office was due to fraud, vowing to fight what he calls misinformation and damage to his reputation.
“My attention has been drawn to an ugly and sinister piece of publication making the rounds on account of my replacement as Postmaster General, a position I held since December 2019 until the announcement of my suspension and subsequent replacement,” he said in a statement yesterday. If all proper procedures have been followed, the appointment or replacement of a public official should not come as a surprise.
“However, I am compelled to make this statement because desperate attempts are being made to link my hard-earned reputation of more than six decades, more than three of which have been in excellent and patriotic service to the country, to some unidentified and unsubstantiated fraud.”
“I have made the decision to vehemently oppose any strand of misinformation or damage to my reputation, all in an ungodly attempt to find justifications for some unwholesome actions where none exist.”
“It should be the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy’s responsibility to explain the reasons for the replacement, not for anyone in the media or other channels to assist him with insinuations to justify the replacement.” When it comes to allegations of fraud, however, there are government agencies tasked with investigating and proving such allegations. I’ll take the risk of saying that I’ve acted honorably.”
“For now, I choose to remain silent in the buildup to events that have occurred over the last two months or more leading up to this stage, to allow the appropriate authorities, if they so choose, to officially make public the reasons for the replacement,” Adewusi continued.
“While it is not my intention to join issues with anyone, I am bold enough to say that I gave my all to NIPOST, using my God-given talent that I had previously used in even greater responsibilities.” I was tethered to a dying horse.
“When I took office, I brought with me innovative ideas that could help NIPOST get back on track with modern, best global practices.” I approached the assignment with the necessary patriotic zeal, determined to keep one of our country’s undeniably sinking national institutions afloat.
“However, it is a tragedy that some forces are bent on burying agencies that, if revamped, could add value to the national economy, create more jobs, and be ready to compete with their peers in other parts of the world.”
