PRESIDENCY: CANCELLATION OF BILL GATES’ VISIT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ALAMIEYESEIGHA’S PARDON

The
Presidency Tuesday described as false a statement credited to the Melinda and
Gates Foundation that the billionaire software guru, Bill Gates, will not be
visiting Nigeria as a result of the clemency granted to the former governor of
Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President
on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Gates had instructed his foundation
to inform the presidency, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and other notable
Nigerians that his scheduled visit to kick-start the campaign against polio had
been cancelled.

But Abati said the statement was fictitious and was not in any
way related to the Gates Foundation.

Abati, who said he was in touch with the foundation, denied that
it issued any such statement calling off the visit of Gates, but that it had
been re-scheduled for a later date as some of the members of the ensemble that
were to travel to the country with him will not be available at the time earlier
slated for the visit.

He explained that the foundation expressed its feeling that the
visit of the billionaire had nothing to do with the prevailing political
situation in the country since Gates was a frequent visitor to the country who
will continue to do so well into the future.

Abati statement read: “I have read the report in some sections
of the media insinuating that Mr. Bill Gates has cancelled his planned visit to
Nigeria because of the recent pardon granted some Nigerians.

“I am in touch with the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation and I
can say that this report is not true and that it exists only in the imagination
of the writers.

“The foundation said Mr. Bill Gates’ travels are often dependent
on the schedules and availability of many other people and partners and that in
this particular case, because these other people and partners will not be
available at the time he is presently scheduled to visit Nigeria, they have to
reschedule the visit.

“They also said the rescheduling has nothing to do with politics
and it has nothing to do with any domestic situation in Nigeria. That Gates has
visited Nigeria many times in the past and he will continue to visit Nigeria
because his focus is working with Nigerian government and partners in Nigeria
to eradicate polio.”

The president’s spokesperson
added: “Nigerians should note that President Jonathan and Mr. Bill Gates have
met several times in the past and the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation is one
of the major partners working with Nigerian government to ensure that polio is
completely eradicated by 2015 which is so etching President Goodluck Jonathan
is committed and which he has drawn attention to all the time, an issue on
which Nigerian government has done quite a lot.

“What we will like to reassure people is that those who are always looking for
opportunity to pull down the country should realise the fact that this country
belongs to all of us and that nobody will gain anything by trying to pull down
the country,’’ he noted.

He also advised that ‘‘Nigerians should do everything possible to promote their
own country regardless of whatever differences that may exist among us: ethnic,
religious, sectarian, whatever.’’