Barely a week after Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State threw a challenge at  anybody criticizing his administration of corruption and frittering away the wealth of  Rivers people an open public debate, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, the former Nigerian Secretary to the  State Government, SSG, and former Minister of Transport, has accepted the challenge.

Gov-Rotimi-Amechi

Amaechi threw the challenge in an interactive session during the Summit on Information,  Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, Dr. Sekibo has not only accepted the challenge, he  accused Governor Amaechi of deceiving Rivers people.

According to Sekibo who spoke to Port Harcourt-based radio station LOVE FM,97.7: “This is a  Governor who claims that he has saved over N100 billion naira in compulsory savings for  Rivers yet he is borrowing about N130 billion naira through the approval of the house of  Assembly where only one voice(legislator) opposed it.”

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Sekiboalso said that during the public debate, which would be anchored by professional  bodies like the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, and the Nigerian Institute of Public  Relations, NIPR, he was ready to confront Governor Amaechi on “facts and figures about how  his administration has mortgaged the future of the children of Rivers State.”

On the claim by Amaechi that his administration is being blackmailed because he has refused  to grant the demand by some individuals to share Rivers money, Sekibo said: “I challenge him  to call the names of such persons, the place and time. It is all lies. The so-called  request, if it is true, is a criminal offence. Why has he not reported such persons to EFCC,  Code of Conduct Bureau and other anti-graft agencies?”

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—Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt