Jimoh Ibrahim, in a press statement issued on Monday, said his attention had been drawn to false information circulating on the internet about Air Nigeria and a purported invitation to him to deliver a lecture on anti-corruption in the United Kingdom.
He said the statement was false, adding that at no time did any person or organisation invited him to deliver any lecture on corruption in England.
Ibrahim said the only invitation he received was from the Nigeria Police to deliver a lecture in Lagos, two weeks ago, adding that he had informed the state Commissioner of Police that he would be represented by the General Counsel of Energy Group, who prepared the paper and was fully authorised to deliver it on his behalf.
He pointed out that the police, in return, sent a plaque to him in appreciation of the gesture.
Ibrahim warned “jobless people, who have nothing to do to return to university classrooms for proper education, since their degrees have expired.”
He further alluded to the fact that governments of various countries and Harvard Law School students had invited him in the past to give lectures, adding that only last year, he delivered a lecture in Chicago, United States, at the African-American Business Roundtable, which was co-sponsored by the government of the United States and government of several African nations.
Ibrahim said “I bought Air Nigeria with my money,” adding that it was left for him to do what he liked with it.
“It is not a crime to sell my shares or stop it from operations,” he said, adding that he had no apologies for those shedding crocodile tears.
The Energy Group GMD posited that if the so-called critics could not criminalise him, they should be bold enough to initiate civil proceedings against him and “get themselves disgraced.”
Ibrahim, who noted that he had not acquired up to 50 per cent of assets held by Bill Gates, said the world still owed him a lot of assets to acquire and advised the public to disregard such fake allegations being sponsored by businessmen who could not withstand competition.
He said as of last count, the Energy Group of Companies had over 10,000 people on its payroll all over the world.
[Tribune]