Amaechi withdrew $302,400m in four months without document of transaction

THE Rivers State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Emma Okah, on Monday dismissed the claim by the former governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, that Governor Nyesom Wike was embarking on a witch-hunt and attempting to malign his (Amaechi) person.

Okah described as mischievous a situation where the former governor would term the probe of his administration as a witch-hunt..

Amaechi had accused Wike of embracing a fraudulent witch-hunt of his administration few days after the governor set up a judicial commission of inquiry to probe him.

But Okah maintained that there was nothing wrong or immoral for an administration that received and managed about N3tn on behalf of the people of Rivers State to explain some of its actions suspected to be fraudulent.

“The people have the right to know. The Nyesom Wike administration is merely protecting the people’s interest by inquiring into how public resources were wasted, stolen or misappropriated by the past administration and every lover of democracy and rule of law should not complain, blackmail the state government or divert attention from that,” the commissioner said in the statement added.

Okah explained that the simple thing Amaechi needed to do if invited by any commission of enquiry was to state his own side of the story and tender documents to buttress his case, adding that there was nothing to fear if his hands were clean.

The commissioner also said that certain things must be clarified by the Amaechi government, noting that the state could not close its eyes to some grave allegations of corruption against the Amaechi government.

“Is it proper for Amaechi to sell off 70 per cent of the Rivers State Government’s interests in the state’s four power stations (Eleme, Omoku, Afam and Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt) at the cost of $302,400m and the entire money was withdrawn between December 2014 and April 2015 without any document of transaction or payment into any government account.

“Who owns the Bureau de Change Company that received the money and who authorised the receipt and where is the money?

“Is it a witch-hunt for Amaechi to pay out $39m to his cronies for the purpose of building the Karibi Whyte Mega Hospital and till today, not a single block is standing?” he queried.

Amaechi withdrew $302,400m in four months without document of transaction