Presidency denies ordering 53 gold-plated iphones for independence celebration

ABUJA — The Presidency has denied media reports that it ordered 53 gold-plated iPhones to celebrate the country’s 53rd independence, saying the report is not only misleading but false and mischievous.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said the report was part of attempts by political opponents to discredit the Jonathan administration.

The statement reads: “We consider the reports in a section of the media claiming that the Nigerian government had ordered customized gold iPhones from a Dubai-based company to mark the country’s 53rd independence anniversary in October as not only false and misleading, but utterly mischievous.“It is
instructive that despite the refutation of the story by the company, which ought to have laid the mischief to rest, a number of politically-minded news media continue to insist on promoting the blatant falsehood. We deplore their antics as yet another attempt to use any trick or means possible to discredit President
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Jonathan’s well-meaning, hardworking and focused administration.“It is certainly a matter of public record and knowledge that since his assumption of office, President Jonathan has ensured that October 1 independence-day anniversaries are low-keyed, without any pomp or pageantry. Ironically, even this prudence generated criticisms from a cynical and opportunistic segment of the public which alleged in 2011, and again in 2012, that the President was either too scared to celebrate or that the government was broke.