I am a gentleman, I did not use soldiers to harass anyone – Obanikoro

Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, has described as untrue allegations that he used soldiers to stop the development work in Ilubirin, as alleged by the Lagos State Government.
Obanikoro in a statement issued on Thursday by his personal assistant, Ikenna Ezekwe, said he, as a Minister lacks the constitutional power to deploy soldiers.
He described himself as a complete gentleman who ordinarily will not seek 
any form of military aide for security reasons, adding that the military details he had now were foisted on him by virtue of his position as a Defense Minister.

“The unfounded but imaginatively contrived reports of the use of military personnel to intimidate political opponents, remains as described, an unfounded but deviously conceived attack on a person perceived by his political detractors to be the most formidable threat
in the lead up to a round of elections, he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is probably one of the most charismatic and approachable political figures in the South West.
“But for his present office, he has no need for a security detail. It has to be noted that the Honourable Minister is not responsible for deploying military personnel either in his detail or in operational circumstances.
“More importantly he has no mandate to give soldiers or any military personnel orders. The Nigerian military is too professional to become tools in a game of political brinkmanship.
“The reference to the Honourable Minister’s unscheduled visit to the Ilubirin site as the act of a meddlesome interloper proves the point that he is a committed stakeholder.

“There is absolutely no truth in the assertion that work on the site was disrupted by the military detail that accompanied him.
“It must be emphasised that the very serious environmental, statutory, legal, and ethical issues raised by the Honourable Minister have still not been addressed by the relevant parties.
“The Honourable Minster wishes to assure all well meaning and discerning Nigerians, and especially Lagosians, that he will never betray the trust that has been reposed in him by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In the same vein, Senator Obanikoro is mindful of his antecedents as a proud, passionate, and patriotic Lagosian,” he stated.