By PROVIDENCE OBUH

Women in Oil Initiative (WIO), yesterday, debunked allega- tions from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, portraying it as scam.

The group has called for an apology, therefore saying the issue of gender inequality was one of the cardinal points of the millennium development goals, MDGs.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Chairman, New Nation and founder, WIO Initiative, Mr. Charles Dukwe, said the initiative was borne out of the President’s call for private sector and Nigerians in Diaspora to complement government policies with innovative solutions as the way forward for the country.

Dukwe described the allegations to be shocking, saying, “I was appalled as I watched you talk about this initiative. Should you have made the least of enquiries, you would have known that we have never presented this initiative as speaking for the President, but always as a private sector response to his policy.

“Should you have exercised a few minutes due diligence, you would have known that we have brought more public awareness to the 35 per cent affirmative policy than all government efforts combined.”

Mr. Dukwe, who  left Nigeria for university education in the United States of America,  said: “I brought in so many innovative private sector ideas that can bridge the development divide between our dear country and the United States of America and began to take these ideas to the most important segments of the society for the masses at the grassroots.”

Meanwhile, WIO with a vision to empower women to impact on their immediate societies, curbing prostitution and need for gender equality in Nigeria, has staff strength of about 5,000 and over 40,000 women subscribed to its initiative.

It would be recalled that Abati had said in a statement: “There are probably a thousand of one of such scams because that is precisely what it is. It is a scam and they may be lessons put there like this particular case, using the President’s name in vain, duping people and claiming that they have the President’s approval.”