The Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen has denied media reports that he deliberately declined to appear before the Senate Committee on SURE-P invitation, claiming that he was out of the country on official engagements.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Tony Ikpasaja on Thursday, the Minister explained that "the Senate committee on SURE-P invited the him to appear before the Committee on 3rd October, 2013 vide a letter dated 18th September, 2013 but was later postponed to a future date to be communicated to him (Onolememen) with another letter dated 27th September, 2013."
Onolememen further added that he was part of President Goodluck Jonathan's delegation to Israel on pilgrimage and State visit from October 23 to 29.
The minster said he was already out of the country when another letter was dispatched to the ministry on October 23, for the rescheduled SURE-P committee meeting and as such, he was not aware of the said meeting.
The statement read partly: "The Honourable Minister of State who should have attended the meeting in his absence was also out of the country on official assignment in his capacity as the supervising minister of National Planning.
"It is for the above reasons that the Honourable Ministers were not able to honour the invitation of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on SURE-P and not deliberate as has been widely reported in the media."
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