Phone company changed story after online protest –British journalist Simon Osborne, the British journalist, who reported that the Federal Government ordered 53 customised gold-plated iPhone 5S mobile handsets valued at N682m from a company based in the United Kingdom, has said he will stand by his story. In an exclusive online interview with our correspondent on Thursday, Osborne said he is “annoyed’’ that the Chief Executive Officer of Gold and Co, Amjad Ali, “changed his story’’ after an online protest had greeted the development from Nigeria. Osborne who writes for The Independent newspaper in London argued that Ali “stated clearly’’ that the order for the phones came from the Nigerian government as part of the memorabilia for the nation’s 53rd independence anniversary from Britain. While explaining the circumstances that led to the denial, the British journalist said he pressed Ali for further clarification, after some persons claiming to be spokesmen for the government challenged him (Osborne) over the report. He said the CEO, however, changed his story. He said “Ali stated clearly that the order, as described, came from the Nigerian Government. He did not say who, or which department had made the order. I saw denials on Twitter from people purporting to be spokespeople for the (Nigerian) government. “I emailed Ali to ask for his response. He then said the order was not from the government but from an individual. I sent a correction to our website (the story was online only). They did not deny the report. The company (Ali) only changed his story. This annoyed me, naturally.’’ When asked if he still stands by his initial report about Ali’s claim, Osborne said, “Absolutely, Yes.’’ However, Nigerians who reacted to the news with widespread condemnation, say they are surprised with the somewhat spate of denials that greeted the development. They said since FG denied the report, it should do the polity more good by unmasking the identity of the individual who was said to have made the order. A reader on punchng, Taofeek, asked Nigerians to take advantage of laws in the UK, which permits freedom of information, to ascertain the individual who actually made the order as being claimed by the company. He wrote, “Anyone can request this information from the UK to determine who the person is. We must get to the root of this issue.’’ A Facebook user, Israel Ogbonima, dismissed the government’s rebuttal of the report, saying that the track record of the FG has shown that it should not be trusted with whatever it says. “We have had thousands of this type of denials in the past only for it to turn out to be true. Why did the report not mention Ghana, South Africa, or any other African country?’’ Ogbonima asked. On punchng, another reader, Toby, wrote, “Since we have government officials that are champions in telling us lies, one finds it difficult on issues like this to trust the government. Nigeria government officials will deny anything – even sleeping with their wives. “Thank God they are not blaming the opposition for this. I hope this story is not true. If it is, the government should be given an award as the most insensitive government in the history of Nigeria.’’ Also arguing in this direction, one reader with the name Fula wrote, “Dem say Patience no sick o, but she return come testify for owambe thanksgiving say she die but God have mercy and return her to life. Na this obodo Nigeria we dey that time ooo.’’ But a former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, appears to have a different view. She said in a post on Twitter that it was unusual for private citizens to place orders of that kind with the Nigerian coat of arms. She tweeted, “Private citizens cannot place orders with the Nigerian coat of arms. So, there is need for clarification, really.’’ When the news of the denial by the company came to her, she challenged the FG to sue it for slander. “Sounds like an after-thought to me. Otherwise, the FG should definitely sue that company for slander.’’ One Femi Pedro commenting on punchng described the swift denial by the company as a play to protect its business relationship with the Nigerian government. He said, “No sensible businessman will expose his client in such sensitive manner in order to gain more attention. That will generate credibility issues. A lot of such clients crave privacy. This is not printing, spare parts, or music promotion business. “But I believe The Independent of London is a reputable newspaper, though, like all of us, it is not infallible. But to date there hasn’t been any such scandal against it. It is not enough to say it is a lie, the FG must disprove them. Sue them if you dare; after all, it will be a good payday for Nigerian government in the court.’’ 
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 03:55:34 +0000
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