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| Sijibomi Ogundele, CEO, Sujimoto Construction Limited |
In a
statement released in Lagos, the billionaire made it very clear that he did not
have any disagreement with the honorable member which could have resulted in a
fistfight, saying, “I Sijibomi did not attack nor had a
fistfight with Hon. Olumide Osoba. Chief Segun Osoba and his family have
accepted and treated me like a son. For more than ten years, Chief Osoba has
been a father, supporter, an adviser, and inspiration, to me and my business.”
The
statement noted in part, “Defamation comes at a cost, and
we will not pick the bill for such recklessness. All the media houses that have
ignored sound journalistic integrity and replaced facts with gossips, will soon
realize that a billion naira off their balance sheet, will be the cost for
defamation. It might take one, five or ten years, but we are positive that
those reporters, who have shunned journalistic ethics for immediate
gratification, will soon feel the full wrath of the law.”
The
real estate billionaire noted that he has been a longtime friend with Olumide
Osoba, saying, “Olumide and I have been friends and
brothers for over a decade, and he is a very honorable man with strong
integrity. We have both been there for each other, morally and financially. As
humans, it is normal to have disagreements, but not to the extent of publicly
trading blows. Honorable Osoba and I had not been in direct contact for almost
three years and when I saw him at a function, I approached him in the spirit of
the season.”
Ogundele
noted that during the course of the conversations and the activities at the
venue that a fight might have broken out but that it had nothing to do with
him. “To reiterate, I never had a fight with Hon Osoba.
I never laid a hand on him nor have I ever portrayed myself like Anthony Joshua
as ridiculously described by vindictive newsagents. His younger brother and my
friend Tobi Osoba were witnesses to the events. Additionally, close friends
such as; – Akin Onitiri, Maurice Khawan, Victor Ovia, Tive Ibru, and Doyin
Alatise were present. The CCTV footage at the space can corroborate against
this false and unsubstantiated media report which I find very distasteful,”
he said.
As CEO
of a fast-growing company, Ogundele explained that corporate decency is of
utmost importance to him and his company. As a successful corporate player, the
statement avowed that Ogundele is very aware of his public conducts while it
worried that many families have been destroyed, businesses and brand equity
built over the years have been shattered irreparably; bonds of friendship and
relationships are broken as a result of fake news promoted by the supposed
referees of information – the media.
It noted
further “as a company, we refuse to be easy prey or a
hapless victim of cyberbullying from morally bankrupt individuals or
organizations. Our company was founded on the principles of integrity, hard
work and diligence. Without any help from a rich aunt or powerful uncle, we
have maintained a high level of consistency and integrity. The bearers of fake
news have no regard or boundary for persons or authorities. However, we at
Sujimoto do not have the appetite or tolerance for such excessiveness and we will
use this opportunity to show fake news peddlers that Nigeria has effective
media laws and a workable judicial system.”
The
statement went further to note that “we received calls
and messages from clients and I have had to explain and assure them that the
inspiration towards entrepreneurship and leadership supersedes any art of
public misdemeanor”. Noting further that it is important to put on record that
the purported news report by different blogs and news agencies are “false,
malicious and seemed to have been financed by our detractors, with the
intention of bringing my reputation to disrepute.”
The
statement explained that it strongly expect that the management of these media
houses, as a matter of necessity, will not only pull down the malicious fake
reports but also conduct due diligence to fish out the reporter and editorial
team responsible for such falsehood, and bring them to justice; to uphold the
integrity of journalism which is founded on the tenets of truth, fairness, and
justice. (Vanguard)
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