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Amaechi’s criticism of projects in Rivers smacks of envy, malice, says Wike

By Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt 
27 November 2022   |   5:54 am
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, said that former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi’s criticism of projects inaugurated and flagged off in Rivers State smacks of envy and malice.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, said that former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi’s criticism of projects inaugurated and flagged off in Rivers State smacks of envy and malice.  

  
The governor noted that Amaechi having failed to account for the $308m proceeds of the sales of the state power plants by his administration lacks the moral right to speak on the affairs of Rivers State.
  
Speaking, yesterday, at the inauguration of the Rukpakwulusi/Eliogbolo internal roads, the governor, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said that Amaechi and Tonye Cole plot to plunder the state’s resources again would never materialise.

He said: “Why should we not celebrate when you sold our gas turbine at the cost of $308m. Convert it today at even N500, how much will it be? What can you show for the money? Certainly nothing.”
 
The governor urged Rivers people to be wary of the antics of the former minister who desperately wants Cole, his business partner to become governor so that they can continue to loot the resources of the state.
 
“All the gas turbines that Dr. Peter Odili bought, where are they today? So you think Rivers people are foolish to see that you are bringing the person, your business partner to come and be governor so that you will continue to loot where you stopped. It will never happen.”

 
He advised the former minister to perish the thought that there will be a re-enactment of the 2019-foiled attempt to use the army to rig the general election in the state in 2023.
 
Wike recalled that on May 27, 2015, while he was still governor-elect, Amaechi who was then the state governor had bragged at Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, that the incoming government will not have money to pay salaries and execute projects.
 
“So, today by the grace of God, we are not only paying salaries, we are not only paying pensioners, we are not only paying gratuities that he did not pay, we have gone beyond that to carry out projects which he failed to carry out. And so, we should celebrate it, let him know that nobody is God.”
 
Giving the project description, the Commissioner for Works, Dr. George-Kelly Dakorinima Alabo, explained that the project started slightly over 12 months ago and has been completed to scope.
 
“This project consists of 16 roads or streets. Some of them are long streets, others are short and all of these roads and streets are in Rukpakwulusi/Eliogbolo communities. The total length of the road is 6 kilometres and the average width of the drain is 6 metres.”
 
Former President, Nigerian Bar Association, Onueze Okocha, SAN, who hails from the area, commended Wike for the project.
 
“When I came to live in the village, it was a real village. This entire place was forest and farmland, but today it is a new layout. We thank the government of Rivers State for helping us recover some of our land that had been acquired by the Federal Government, in fact, the colonial government.”

Okocha said the land where both the Bori camp (army barracks) and the Air Force base are located in Port Harcourt belongs to his people.  According to him, “We expect them to pay us fair and adequate compensation.”

 

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