THE
face-off between Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and Rivers
State Governor Nyesom Wike over alleged N82 million spent in hosting
Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka to a birthday dinner has deepened.
Amaechi hosted Soyinka to a birthday dinner while he was the state’s helmsman.
Wike’s camp said yesterday that his
administration would write to Prof. Soyinka to return the money, if he
was given any cash during the birthday bash.
The governor, through his Commissioner
for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, claimed
details of the N82 million was made available to the state police
command, adding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
would be involved.
But Amaechi, through his media office in
Port Harcourt, said his administration never misappropriated N82
million in hosting the Nobel laureate.
The minister warned Wike as well as his
“coterie of court jesters and attention-seekers” to desist from
peddling lies, making false allegations and criminalising legitimate
government transactions in their desperate bid to discredit his person
and reputation.
The former governor asked his successor
to go to court, if he had any case of fraud or misappropriation of the
state’s funds against him.
The N82 million allegation by Wike and
his people, according to the Transportation minister, is aimed at
“distracting Rivers people from the incumbent governor’s massive
electoral fraud, which different tribunals and appellate courts
confirmed, as well as Wike’s gross incompetence and abysmal performance
in Rivers State”.
Amaechi’s media office said: “Wike must
stop these silly distractions. Rivers people are not interested in his
lies and witch-hunt. Rather, Rivers people want to know what will happen
to their children that he stopped and cancelled the funding of their
scholarships abroad. Rivers people want to know why the Rivers State
Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) set up by law, is no longer
functioning. Why, instead of quality education, a standard set by his
predecessor (Amaechi), grasses and weeds have taken over the beautiful
schools built by Amaechi.
“Rivers people want to know why the
standard health facilities and services put in place by the Amaechi
administration are rotting away. Not this petty rambling.
“Rivers people want to know why Wike’s
government does not care about the security of life and property, as
violence and criminals have taken over. Rivers people want to know why
it feels as if there is no government in Rivers State, and this is
despite the billions of naira accruing to Wike’s administration and the
tens of billions of naira borrowed.”
Amaechi warned the governor against
dragging the names of respected Nigerians, who had made the country
proud globally and known internationally to be honest and forthright
like Prof. Soyinka, into his attacks.
His media office urged the governor to go to court to prove his allegations.
the nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment