Osun State Government has denied a media report published in a national daily (not THISDAY) of November 3, 2012.
The report alleged that a certain South-west state, in collaboration with some embassy staff from Ukrainian Embassy, and an unnamed tertiary institution, were involved in a $50,000 visa scandal.
A statement from the law firm of Yinka Muyinwa, on behalf of the state government, stated that there was no time any official of the state government or its agent was involved in any alleged $50,000 visa payment to any Ukrainian embassy official or its agent for the purposes of procuring visa either for her students or officials.
The state government described the statement and story as a deliberate attempt to strain the excellent cordial relationship existing between Osun State and the good people of Ukraine.
The statement explained that “having studied the story, we are of the belief that there was no other state government from the South-west that the alleged story was referring to other than Osun State, which has been having an existing cordial relationship between the Government of Ukraine and Osun State Government, through an exchange programme in education and other areas.”
It statement added that, “it was based on this understanding that the government sends her medical students to Ukraine to further their studies.”
It wondered why “an existing programme which has been ongoing will now result to scandal, in which $50,000 was alleged to have exchanged hands between the officials of the state government and the embassy officials.”
It described the story as “unsubstantiated and has no basis in the ethics of noble journalism, which demands for proper and balanced story before going to the press. We hereby state that the alleged $50,000 bribery scandal is false and lack fair substance.
“We regret any inconveniences and embarrassment the report might have caused Ukrainian Embassy while Osun State Government is studying the remedies available to her under the law without same having any effect on the future of the Student concerned,” the statement concluded.