Amaechi denies Wike"s financial allegations

The immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, has denied the allegations levelled against his administration by the new governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.

Nyesom Wike and Romiti Amaechi

Amaechi has also urged the new governor to keep his eyes on the ball by protecting lives and property and making deliberate efforts to assuage the pains inflicted on the people in the most violent elections in the country.

Reacting to Wike’s Monday media briefing where he made numerous allegations, the former Commissioner for Information under Amaechi’s administration, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said in a statement yesterday that Wike’s allegations are the same ones for which he set up a commission of inquiry to investigate.

The former governor said he would like to believe  Wike that his commission of inquiry is not a witch hunt but added that Wike’s actions and body language speak differently.

On the  N150 billion owed Ministry of Works’ contractors, Amaechi said he had inherited a state that was comatose and in dire need of infrastructure due to years of militancy and criminality that had forced government and business in Rivers State to a standstill.

Amaechi said by the time he was leaving office, he had completed 90 per cent of the Phase 1A of the Rivers State Monorail, completed two major interchanges, two flyovers, 25 bridges, and five shore protection projects.

The former governor said he also completed 890 kilometres of the on-going 1,424 kilometres of road projects across the state.

“There are over six land reclamation/shore protection projects at Andoni, Opobo, Buguma, Abalama, Olumbie/Owukiri Island, and Oba-Ama-Okrika with over 1,140,000kilometres completed. Out of the roads completed, some of these were federal roads for which the Rivers State Government was owed N108billion,” Amaechi said.

He also alleged that Wike as Minister of State for Education was among those who prevented former President Goodluck Jonathan from paying the Rivers State Government back these funds.

“It is on record that other states like Akwa Ibom and Abia received repayment for the federal roads they constructed. As at when Governor Amaechi was leaving office, the debts owed the contractors in the Ministry of Works, which were for ongoing road projects totalled N44,942,354,44.10,” said the statement.

On the N15 billion owed to Zenith Bank, Amaechi noted that he told the people in his valedictory address all the loans owed to various banks.

He reproduced the excerpts of that speech: “Today, Rivers State is the least indebted state with a loan portfolio of N17.7 billion to banks owed as follows: agriculture loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria – N2 billion; Zenith Bank Plc  – N15.7 billion.”

According to him, the repayment for the loans was via an irrevocable standing order, adding that it would have reduced as at today.

Reacting to the sale of power projects, Amaechi noted that Dr. Peter Odili’s administration had made substantial investment in electric power-related projects with the aim of mitigating the malaise of inadequate power supply.

He identified the projects to include Omoku and Trans-Amadi 1, as well as transmission and distribution interventions.

The former governor said on his assumption of office, he had recognised the importance of improved electric power supply in the socio-economy regeneration of the state.

He further stated that when he assumed office, of the 350 megawatts  total capacity generation assets invested by the state, only 70MW, or an equivalent to about 20 per cent was available.

With enthusiasm, he said he ramped up the efficiency to 77 per cent availability including injecting another 360MW Green Field Generation Project at Afam, of which 180MW have been commissioned and is in commercial operation.

The former governor also stated that all civil servants received their March salaries while payment for April salaries had commenced by the time the administration was winding down.

For the avoidance of doubt, Amaechi also reproduced his valedictory speech in this regard: “As at today, we have commenced the payment of April salaries and parastatal pensions. We have made the requisite provisions and expect all salary payments to be concluded as funds are received.”

He also stated that the waste management contractors were being owed N1.6 billion amounting to four months of arrears as at when he left office, adding that the instruction for the payment of N488 million was with Zenith Bank as at the  May 27.

He further disclosed that the three foot ball clubs- Sharks, Dolphins and Rivers Angels were in arrears of seven months by the time he left government.

Before leaving office, Amaechi said he had approved the payment of seven months arrears to the team but that this was held back along with approved payments that the banks did not pay.

He recalled that there were funds available for this payment but alleged that Wike had directed all banks doing business with his government not to honour its payment instructions.

“Until revenue receipts began to thin down from the federation account, the Rivers State Government was paying N50 million every month as welfare package for the teams,” Amaechi added.  With regards to  pension arrears,  he said his administration inherited pension arrears of over N4.5 billion.

By the time he was leaving office, Amaechi said he was owing three months of pension arrears to the main stream and two months of parastatal pensions.

Reacting to Wike’s allegation that there were no handover notes, Amaechi said there was no truth in this as all commissioners and heads of MDA’s submitted their handover notes to the Secretary to State Government, who forwarded same to the Head of the State Civil Service as is appropriate.

Amaechi further stated that he also directed the then Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Tele Ikuru, to be the liaison between the outgoing adminsteration and the incoming one.

Also reacting to the forceful repossession of Lexus Jeep from Semenitari’s house, the former commissioner stated that she found it strange that Wike alleged that that she was contacted by security agencies and challenged the governor to provide proof of such contact to buttress his allegation.  She also expressed shock that Wike conveniently failed to acknowledge that it was an  eight- year old car and that it was not factory proofed.

Meanwhile, Wike has said the empty treasury and the huge debts inherited from his predecessor forced him to approach commercial banks for a N10 billion bail out.

He accused his predecessor of selling off 70 per cent of the state’s power assets for $200 million.

The governor said the report of the commission of Inquiry into the activities of the past administration will determine whether or not to drag it’s officials before the relevant anti-graft agencies.

Speaking  Monday in Abuja, Wike said the situation he met on assuming office was more serious than reported.

“I met zero naira. Can you imagine there was no diesel to run the generator in Government House.

There was nothing on ground to work with because they looted every kobo they could lay their hands on,” lamented the governor.

Given the grim situation occasioned by the several months’ salaries owed pensioners and civil servants, said Wike, he had to devise an ingenious way of using the monthly Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to get a N10 billion at a negotiated 16 per cent interest.

The loan, explained the governor, has been able to pay off several contractors owed by the previous administration to enable them complete abandoned road projects.

“Government is a continum. Some petty governor would have said, ‘after all, this is not my project; let me start a fresh one in my name.’ But I said, ‘no! We have to complete the abandoned projects so that our people can begin to benefit,” said Wike.

He denied sacking 344 lecturers of the state polytechnic, describing the report as part of the orchestrated propaganda against his administration.

The governor said the 344 persons were hurriedly employed after he won the governorship election, and had not even been documented.

“You can only sack somebody who has been employed. No governor has the power to sack any civil servant. Please tell those claiming I sacked them to bring proof of employment and even one-month pay slip,” challenged Wike.

According to the governor, close aides and appointees of the outgone administration engaged in a looting spree, and that a particular instance involved a former female commissioner who bolted away with a Lexus 570 bullet-proof jeep.

He accused the former governor of doing everything to sabotage his swearing-in, including seizing the official ceremonial Land-Rover jeep. “We had to go and borrow from Ondo State,” said the governor.

Amaechi denies Wike"s financial allegations