GHEN GHEN!!!
The controversy concerning Rivers State’s treasury took a different dimension on Saturday when Governor Nyesom Wike disagreed with his predecessor’s insistence that he left N7.5bn cash in the state’s coffers.
Former Governor Rotimi Amaechi had, in a statement, said a total of N7.5bn cash was left behind as the balances for the state’s internally generated revenue account with Skye Bank; the Federal Account Allocation Committee accounts with Zenith Bank and Access Bank; and the state’s Reserve Funds in First Bank.
But Wike, on Saturday, dismissed Amaechi’s claim and asked why students under the state’s scholarship scheme were not paid their tuition fees and other allowances.
According to the governor, a fraction of N7.5bn would have saved the final-year students abroad the trauma of standing the risk of being sent back home from their various foreign universities.
Wike, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Opunabo Inko-Tariah, recalled when he had to send the sum of N713m to various foreign universities for Rivers students’ tuition fees and other allowances.
He said, “If he (Amaechi) is saying he left N7.5bn, why did he fail to pay Rivers students studying abroad under the state government’s scholarship scheme, apart from the fact that pensioners were owed between six and eight months’ pension arrears?
“The former governor has been inconsistent in the amount he said he left in the treasury. On one hand, he would say he left N7.5bn, and in the next breath, he would say he left N10bn.
“But we have been consistent in saying we met an empty treasury with huge debts to pay. Civil servants, footballers (Rivers Angels and Dolphins) and contractors were owed. But we thank God that we started paying them after we settled in. We have made our point and we are consistent about it.”
However, Amaechi disagreed with Wike, saying it is wrong for the governor to measure the non-payment of students and contractors with his claim that he (Amaechi) left funds in the state coffers.
Amaechi, who spoke through his former aide, Mr. Tony Okocha, said, “Wike should know that anything about government is about procedures and processes. That students abroad were not paid does not mean that there were no funds in the state treasury.
punch report
They have been speaking thru their aides,to settle this once and for all,they should be quoted directly via a press conference.
Of course we knew it was a lie.
ReplyDeleteA bogus claim.
Who would believe Amaechi??
Hian.
The man should be probed oh Jare.
Knowing the kind of man he is, he would try to talk his way out of it and end up exposing himself.
Who asked him how much he left behind? He spilled that by himself, which of course was a lie but bringing the torch to himself.
His cane is being soaked in kerosene.
Olivia,kilode?.
DeletePls,he doesn't like money so he didnt embezzle money
Please this amount is too much to be left somewhere unnoticed. So who's lying? And why did they not pay the student's scholarship? Cos he's indirectly admitting they didn't pay. I remember the students cried out a while back that they were stranded o. Anyway both should settle their grouse. It'll never end, na fight to finish.
DeleteWike, if Amaechi is saying he left money and u r saying otherwise, y not publish the account statements from May 1st 2015 till May 29th 2015. In that way, we will know who is lying and who is not instead of throwing tantrums thru ur spokesmen.
DeleteWahala have started
ReplyDeleteTheir cup of kunu!
ReplyDeleteInteresting
ReplyDeleteWike should be careful in the way he handles this probe oooo. He might just find himself falling hard into the grave he is trying so hard to dig for Amaechi.
ReplyDeleteAmaeche or watever is dat ur name again is a disgrace, a betrayer, my happiness is to see resting in prison
ReplyDeleteThen you will remain unhappy
DeleteHappy Sunday everyone
ReplyDeleteAmaechi should just return his loot and seek forgiveness from his people.
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening,Rt Hon and my Governor. What we want is a peaceful and well governed Rivers State. It breaks my heart that these two friends,scratch that,extremely good friends have been reduced to this state because of politics and opposite ideologies.
ReplyDeleteRt Hon,Sir,I love it that you are calm now. Issues are addressed through press releases. Way to go,Sir.
My Governor,Sir,I love your doggedness. Please,take Rivers State to the greatest level of achievement.
WARNING TO LOYALISTS.
Take it easy with the mudslinging. Friends will always be friends. You people think if they meet at the airport or .....,they will start quarrelling about 7 & 10bn.?
Well said Irene, I see them reconciling and working together in the nearest future. Politics is very unpredictable.
DeleteYou reckon? Hmmm...we shall see
Delete@irene
DeleteYou think this fight is about politics? Its not...its about betrayal
If wike has really started paying students and workers, then its a really good start for wike.
ReplyDeleteYes oh, he has started oh, the huge debt Amaechi left in Rivers is something else.
DeletePoliticians and their wahala. How hard can it be to appoint an independent and reputable auditing firm to audit the state account and put the accusations and counter accusations to bed once and for all.
ReplyDeletePoliticians be tricking us since 19kokoro.
Even with that, the denials will continue. Afterall, nnpc was audited by a reputable firm and we are still hearing about billions missing
Deletethe drama continues
ReplyDelete#GODWIN™
Enough of this drama.
ReplyDeleteIs there no physical evidence of bank balances to prove your point Rotimi?
Wike should face front and stop looking back.
Why won't u support Amaechi? Mtchewww
DeleteThat money is even too much to be somewhere unnoticed. How can that kind of money disappear without trace? It's like saying I dropped 1k on the table, and someone will tell me no.. I can easily forget it. But if I put 1M on a table and it goes missing, I'll surely document and prove it with my life that it was placed there. So I don't understand this matter. Talking about huge sums like pennies.
DeleteHow can Amaechi claim to have left that amount of money and he was owing civil servants salaries? he couldn't pay international students on scholarship school fees and pensioners.... Smh
ReplyDeleteLast days in power are always higihaga.
DeleteWike might be saying the truth cos if indeed river state treasury had/left such amount,then y were pensioners,scholarship stdnts,civil servants being owed. Although he might be exaggerating a bit bout it being entirely empty.
ReplyDeleteBt bviously,amaechi left close to an empty treasure
Sure?
DeleteU guys shld grow up abeg!!! All dis back n forth tinz is rada annoying
ReplyDeleteAnu kwa?
DeleteAll the rep i had for rotimi has vanished sef...
ReplyDeletePls those living in the rivers, will u say what is on ground coupled with the plenty unfinished project, that u will say he has done well?
I dont even understand sef...is it that hard to govern a state with huge resources? Rivers gets more resources than ghana, togo and benin and with 100m usd left and yet, even d monorail has entered voicemail. The difference in allocation between rivers and akwaibom in the last 8yrs isnt much but we all know that akpabio delivered and was best performing gov but amaechi is just in the news owing plenty and talking much.
Tuscany,really?
DeleteCat and rat.........mcheeeeew
ReplyDeleteAmaechi, pay your debt!
ReplyDeleteIs he owing u?. Talk o make we know
DeleteTom and Jerry
ReplyDeleteWhen will the drama end btwn both of them
people on this blog who are not and do not stay in rivers state crying more than the bereaved maka why rubbish
ReplyDelete#thinkstraight
Make we dey look dey watch . drama of Africa
ReplyDeleteRegister now to start Earning money by freelancing and selling gigs on www.gimylancer.com
Why there is accusatn and counter accusation is because Ameachi wld not want to be probed that was why he went to court to get injunction.Had it been that he has not stopped d panel set by Wike to probe him d first place d pix wld have been clearer by now. D gud thing is that d court on d 21st ie friday said d probe can go on.
ReplyDeleteAmaechi should have done a tidy handover. he refused to cooperate with the transition committees or engage the transition process in any way. That was childish and irresponsible of him. it also leaves his record vulnerable to claims of gross abuse of power.
ReplyDeleteyou don't do handover through press releases ad press statements.
on the face of it, his last 18 months were dismal. he was hardly ever around and he was trying desperately to buy the favour of people like 'jagabon' and also to position himself amongst APC stalwarts.
Amaechi needs to proof or disprove this allegation by making public the receipts/account balances/balance sheet of Rivers State govt at the close of business. Let him show the people the documentation, b/4 the handing over to Wike.......but, it seems talk is cheap and to do otherwise, is: goodcause4trouble
ReplyDeleteWike said on 93.7fm viewpoint that Amaechi left 1.8b in one of rhe govt account.
ReplyDelete