Date: 2016-04-29

The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, has said that there is no iota of truth in an allegation making round that he was recently invited by President Muhammadu Buhari over the Ilorin-Jebba express road contract stressing that the act is extremely condemnable.

While reacting on Thursday through the National Secretary of Shehu Alimi Foundation for Peace and Development, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona , the emir noted that such negative act is capable of causing undesired havoc in the country.

According to him, "I have never taken contract either for myself or any other body or group of people from the federal government in my life. I have always maintained high level of integrity and honesty in my career as a judicial officer until I relinquished the position as Presiding Judge in the Court of Appeal in 1995 and I still maintained my stand as the Emir of Ilorin."

"At no time have ever lobbied for contract from the Federal Government or any of its agents. The allegation is not only reckless but it is also extremely damaging to my personality as a highly placed traditional ruler in the country. I was never invited by the President neither was I invited by any of the anti-graft agencies."

Speaking further, Alhaji Sulu-Gambari stressed that "When the Minister for Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), visited Kwara State recenly on road inspection tour, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria that he is, I expected that he will come to the palace on courtesy visit but I was later told that he has gone.

"Nigerians should be well informed that the resumption of work on the road by the contractor should be regarded as the federal government's commitment to the welfare of the citizenry as promised during the electioneering campaigns."

The emir therefore advised Nigerians to disregard the rumour aimed at scoring undue publicity by the author as well as targeted at damaging the age-long and hard-earned reputations garnered over the year even as he urged interested persons to visit the concerned ministry for further clarifications.