The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that the former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi is angry because he (Wike) uses a Rolls Royce.
Wike apoke during an appearance on Channels Television’s programme Politics Today on Friday.
His comments came while responding to questions about the performance of the ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The comments were a direct rebuttal to Amaechi’s recent assertion during a separate interview that his wife was “almost an industrialist.”
Dismissing the claim, Wike said: “His [Amaechi’s] anger is that he saw me using a Rolls-Royce — and so what? It was not given to me by a contractor; a contractor gave him [his own], and that is a bribe. He took from a contractor, but I will not do that. He [Amaechi] is one of the most corrupt people.”
Wike also called on the Federal Government to release the long-awaited forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which was ordered to investigate years of alleged financial mismanagement within the agency.
The minister alleged that the audit report had been deliberately withheld to shield individuals who may have been implicated in fraudulent activities. “Let President Bola Ahmed Tinubu do us a favour and release the report of the forensic audit of the NDDC,” Wike said. “Mr President should help Nigerians.”
The forensic audit, which was commissioned in 2021 under the Buhari administration, was intended to examine the financial transactions and project implementations of the NDDC from its inception in 2001 to August 2019. It aimed to uncover instances of mismanagement, diversion of funds, and project irregularities that had plagued the commission for nearly two decades.
Wike further accused Amaechi’s wife of benefitting from government contracts during her husband’s tenure as governor, alleging she held a monthly contract to train women in the Niger Delta region. However, he did not provide documentary evidence to support the claim.
Wike also made bold claims regarding the contents of the forensic audit report, asserting that his allegations would be substantiated by the findings. “Let them release the document. If what I am saying is not in the document, I will resign as the Minister of FCT. I don’t worship the office,” he said.
Additionally, the minister cast doubts on Amaechi’s academic credentials, claiming the former governor failed to graduate from Rivers State University. “Amaechi went to Rivers State University, but he couldn’t pass,” Wike alleged.
While the back-and-forth between the two former governors highlights deep political rivalry in Rivers State, Wike’s renewed call for the release of the NDDC audit report brings into focus longstanding allegations of corruption within the commission.
The NDDC has been at the centre of several high-profile probes in recent years. In July 2020, a House of Representatives committee investigating the commission was thrown into controversy after the then-Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, alleged during a hearing that lawmakers were among the primary beneficiaries of NDDC contracts.
Pressed for evidence, Akpabio claimed: “We have records to show that most of the contracts in the NDDC are given out to members of the National Assembly.”
The hearing was further marred by drama when the then acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Professor Daniel Pondei, collapsed while being questioned by the lawmakers after over an hour of grilling.
The controversy also triggered a war of words between Akpabio and former NDDC Managing Director Joi Nunieh, who accused the ministry of interfering with the commission’s operations. Nunieh testified remotely via Zoom, making explosive allegations of corruption and abuse of office.
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