Ghanaian Newspaper, The New Statesman Retracts Story On Springfield, Okyere, Tenders Apology

A Ghanaian newspaper, The New Statesman has retracted and
apologized for a defamatory and libelous story it published on September 25,
2015, against Springfield Energy and its CEO, Mr. Kevin Okyere, where it
sensationally tried to link the duo to corruption in the Nigerian petroleum
sector.

The New Statesman, which gave wings to the defamatory report
in Ghana and Nigeria, in a retraction published on the cover page of the
October 16 edition and subsequently on page 2, regretted that the previous
report it ran was inaccurate saying, “Apart from the fact that Springfield did
business with the NNPC in Nigeria, the News Statesman has no evidence that
Springfield’s dealings with NNPC were not legitimately secured…”

Springfield Energy is an oil and gas company with operations
in Ghana and Nigeria.

Mr. Okyere and his company had sued the newspaper and its
publisher, GAB Productions Limited, for GH¢30 million ($7.5m) for libel, at an
Accra High Court on September 30.

The duo also threatened to sue other newspapers for
publishing unsubstantiated reports linking them to corruption in Nigeria.

It is however unclear whether the plaintiffs would
discontinue the suit.

The full text of The New Statesman’s retraction reads:

“RETRACTION: REPORT ON KEVIN OKYERE, SPRINGFIELD

The new statesman wishes to retract in full its report of
Friday, September 25, 2015.

“THE HANDSOME GHANAIAN MILLIONAIRE AND NIGERIA’S BEAUTIFUL
$20BN EX-PETROLEUM MINISTER”.

The new statesman, as its readers are fully aware, has been
consistent in highlighting for its mainly Ghanaian readers efforts by the new
Buhari government to tackle corruption in Nigeria. Much of such publications
have focused on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its former
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

In the course of our investigations, much of which was based
on reports already circulating in the Nigerian media on her controversial
handling of the ministry, names were mentioned of people with alleged influence
around Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and in just two of the many numerous reports
(specifically The Premium Times and little known the capital) the name Kevin
Okyere, a Ghanaian businessman, came up.

Our checks further revealed that Kevin’s company,
Springfield, which is a player in the petroleum business here in Ghana, managed
to secure oil-lifting deals in Nigeria under the Jonathan government.

We must however, stress that none of the publications about
Kevin Okyere or his company, Springfield, made any categorical allegation
linking him to any corrupt dealings, either in Nigeria or Ghana. And our own
publication did not say that Kevin Okyere or Springfield took part in any
corrupt transaction in any of the two countries they are known to operate in
Ghana and Nigeria.

Indeed our report on Kevin Okyere and Springfield went on to
say that the successful young Ghanaian businessman became “an object of envy
within oil circles in Nigeria”, and added, “many others reduce the targeting of
the successful Ghanaian deal-maker as one of pure envy.”

Apart from the fact that Springfield did business with the
NNPC in Nigeria, the News Statesman has no evidence that Springfield’s dealings
with NNPC were not legitimately secured and made no such categorical claim in
our publication.

We have since published a rejoinder from Springfield in
which they completely denied doing anything illegitimate in either Nigeria or
Ghana.

We are hereby rendering a full retraction and unreservedly
regret any inconvenience which our said publication might have caused
Springfield and its CEO, Kevin Okyere.”