By Laide Akinboade

Abuja—Ministers of  Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and his junior counterpart, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, yesterday denied rumours of any ongoing rift between them since they assumed office.

In what would be viewed as an impromptu media parley with both Ministers at the venue of the presentation of the sector’s road map, ‘Education for Change: A Ministerial Strategic Plan 2016-2019’, both ministers insisted they were and would continue to be great friends.

Adamu accused journalists of being responsible for the rumours which he maintained were targeted at generating headlines that would increase the sales of newspapers and    also pull media traffic to the various media outfits in the country. He said:  “This is the creation of journalists. I don’t think there are any two ministers in this country who are working as closely as Tony and I are doing because we have never disagreed.

“Tony and I, I don’t think I have seen public servants who don’t have any personal agenda. If you don’t have any personal agenda, you will never have quarrel with anyone and I think our duty is to try to move the education sector forward, that is all,”.

On his part, Minister of State, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, urged journalists to desist from cooking up stories, with the belief it could create nonexistent problems between himself and his principal, Mallam Adamu. Commenting on his absence during the launch of the National Education Quality Education Assurance Handbook on August 9, he said:  “The press should stop inventing imaginary things.

“The day in question we have had another appointment with Nigerian breweries and Nigerian breweries is an outfit that conducts the best teachers’ Maltina award. ‘’By  10am   they were supposed to be in the office and I had to receive them. I cannot be in two places at the same tim,e so the press is uninformed.’’

On his purported letter of resignation to the Presidency through the SGF, Anwukah furiously told journalists:   “This is absolute nonsense, it is stupid. There is no such thing that existed, I never did.

“We are all Nigerians press or no press. ‘’I hate stupid insinuations, no matter where it comes from, the press or otherwise. The press should please mind its dutiful responsibilities. I sent a letter to who? Get me a copy of the letter from where.