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Reinvest FG’s refund funds, be responsible with spending, APC Chieftain charges Wike

By Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt
04 June 2020   |   5:00 pm
The announcement of the refund of N78.9billion to the Rivers State government by the President Mohammadu Buhari led administration has continued to generate reactions.

Nyesom Wike PHOTO:Twitter

The announcement of the refund of N78.9billion to the Rivers State government by President Muhammadu Buhari led administration has continued to generate reactions.

A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, described the refund as a sincere and patriotic display, evidencing the commitment of President Buhari and the APC towards the development of states’ economies.

Eze in a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday in PortHarcourt, tasked the State governor, Nyesom Wike, to avoid reckless spending of the fund but to reinvest it into reviving most of the infrastructures in the State.

The APC Chieftain also tasked the governor to create job opportunities for the teaming youths in the State. He said a reasonable percentage of the refund should be channelled to building factories, mills and industries, stressing that thousands of jobs can be created from such initiative.

He said, “With a whooping N78.9b, Rivers people will no longer entertain any flimsy excuses to justify failures, Wike should translate the fund into developments and other critical sectors of the state’s economy.

The party Chieftain, however, commended the President for his magnanimity and kind gesture, while accusing former President Goodluck Jonathan of frustrating all efforts by the then former Governor Chibuike Amaechi led the government to get the refund for all Federal Government projects executed in the state under his watch.

He said the refund has vindicated that Amaechi did not embezzle Rivers funds as alleged by governor Wike when he assumed office.

Recall that the presidency on Wednesday promised to release N78.9b as reimbursement for several federal road projects executed by the Transportation Minister, Amaechi when he held sway as the executive governor of Rivers State.

Eze said, “While urging the governor not to see the fund as an avenue for reckless spending, we counsel him to reinvest the money into reviving the over 300 model primary health centres, 350 model state of the arts Primary schools and 24 international standard secondary schools built by Amaechi as well as most of the roads scattered all over the State screaming for attention.

“He should use part of the funds to pay Pensioners their dues and Salaries of Civil Servants in the State should be paid also”.

Some of the projects that attracted the refund are the Obiri-Ikwerre flyover along the East-West road, the 41.26 kilometre dualisation of the Airport-Isiokpo-Elele/Omerelu road, Eleme junction flyover among others.

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