21st June, 2015
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has accused his predecessor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of frittering away N800 million naira for the payment Indian consultants running Nne Kurubo Model School at Ebubu-Eleme.
Wike disclosed this in an interactive session with journalists in Government House.
He said because of government’s indebtedness to the Indian consultants, the Nne Kurubo Model Secretary School, the school was shut down.
Wike also alleged that Amaechi paid N9billion to consultants to award scholarship to Rivers state students overseas when the state has a Scholarship Board duly charged with the job.
He wondered how the former Governor could have run an administration driven by consultants without plunging the state into the debt it found itself.
Wike debunked the claim that Amaechi left N7 Billion naira in the state coffers.
He wondered why Amaechi did not use the money, if available, to pay Pensioners,settle the allowances owed Rivers students on scholarship,pay the workers of the disbanded TIMARIV and others.
Governor Wike also dismissed the allegations in the social media that former President Goodluck Jonathan paid him N108 Billion.
He said heard it but refused to respond because the allegation was spurious and unintelligent.
“People should should not think that Nigerians are unintelligent people to believe such tale as if N108Billion is such such money that can be paid without a trace.We must show some sense of intelligence. Was the money paid to me before I was sworn in Was it in cash? Did the former President have the power to sign out that kind of money?”Governor Wike quizzed.
On the N10 Billion naira loan he recently secured through the Zenith Bank he explained that the loan was tied to specific projects that were beneficial to the state but abandoned by the previous administration. The projects include; Ilabuchi road linking Eagle Island,the Law faculty at the Rivers University of Science and Technology, Akpajo/Woji Road, Rumuepricom-Rumuolumeli road and roads in Diobu,Eleparawon.