By CHARLES IWUOHA

A former commissioner for information and Orientation in Ebonyi State, Senator Emmanuel Uzor, Onwe has dismissed claim that he received N25 million from Governor Francis Nwifuru for media consultancy.

A social critic in the state, Chika Nwoba, had alleged that Onwe and six others have been appointed media consultants by Governor Francis Nwifuru and offered N25m as the service fees for the 2027 general elections.

Onwe described the allegation as false and urged the people of the state to disregard it.

He spoke as the Chairman during this year’s Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Ebonyi State Press Week, saying that he is not employed by the State Government neither was he given N25million as a media consultant contrary to the allegation.

He disclosed that he is defending some of the policies of the Nwifuru administration and criticising the ones he dislikes on a personal impetus.

According to Onwe, “I am not been employed by the Ebonyi State government, I have not been given or offered to be giving N25million or any such amount at all.

“I do what I do on a personal impetus. I was not asked by any functionary of government; Governor or Deputy Governor or any other government officials to mount the studios of radio and stations within and outside Ebonyi to defend some of the elements of government achievements and to criticize some of the elements of policies I do not believe is necessary for Ebonyi State at this time.

“Nobody paid me to do that, nobody asked me to do it, nobody called me to duty to do that and I will continue to do that on my own zeal, not being invited.

“Nobody has given me any letter of appointment, nobody invited or open discussion about appointing me to do anything for Ebonyi State government or for the governance.

“But I still insist that in the area of education, the governor of Ebonyi State has performed so creditably that it must be recognized and applauded and where he is getting it wrong, we must recognize as I do that Ebonyi State doesn’t need to operate a commercial airline at this time.

“The priorities of Ebonyi State are too long, the opportunity cost of building an airport and operating an airline should be in the area of health, in the area of education and other priorities.

“If 300 students are being sent to overseas for Masters and PhDs by the Ebonyi State government, I can’t think of anything worth reporting.

“Now, they are criticising it on the basis that the beneficiaries may not return back to the state or that it is concentrated on geographical location in the state”, he said.