The Ministry of Mines and Steel development has debunked claims that it spent ₦700 million to build and update a website.

A statement issued on Sunday by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mohammed Abbas described the claim as ‘wantonly disingenuous’ and said it had become necessary for the ministry to address the misrepresentation and set the records straight.

In 2016, N795,234,275 was listed as ‘website update’ under the Ministry’s budget but following a public outcry, they issued a statement at that time that it was a clerical error from the budget office.

The controversy was however reignited last week when Kayode Fayemi, the Minister of Mines and Steel made a joke of the misrepresentation at the unveiling of the Integrated Automation and Interactive Solid Minerals Portal (IAISMP) which is a component of the expenditure.

“It is important for me to state that what the Ministry has acquired with the said sum of money is an integrated IT infrastructure which comprises two datacentres, an off-site recovery centre, civil and environmental works on the centres, running of the centres till the end of the first quarter of 2018, training of over 225 officials locally and internationally amongst other cost components of the entire infrastructure and programme, “Abbas said in the statement.

He added that having come from a tradition of commitment to service, the Ministry would continue to be open to checks and present itself as well as its activities to public scrutiny so as not to undermine the reputation and confidence reposed in them by Nigerians under any guise.