Wike, APC trade words over alleged misuse of N3tr on ill-fated projects

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has accused his predecessor and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, of frittering over N3 trillion that accrued to the state under his administration on ill-fated projects.

The governor, who stated this at a retreat on strengthening capacity, efficiency and service delivery for sustainable development for top Rivers State government officials at Onne Multi-Purpose Centre yesterday, said since he assumed office, his administration had been working assiduously to revive the state after the immediate past administration failed to use the N3 trillion that accrued to the state for her development.

Wike said: “All of us are aware of the sorry state of things in Rivers State before May 29, 2015. Between October 25, 2007 and May 28, 2015, over N3 trillion accrued from all revenue sources to the state. Yet, they did nothing tangible with that money to develop the state. Instead, they squandered and diverted most of this money into private pockets through bogus and ill-fated projects.”

But in a swift reaction, the spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chris Finebone, has dismissed Governor Wike’s claim that Amaechi’s administration wasted over N3 trillion state resources on ill-fated projects.

He told The Guardian that Wike ought to be thankful to the immediate administration which its projects he had been completing. He accused the Wike government of lacking in a blueprint to develop the state.

Finebone, who stated that Amaechi could not complete most of the projects he started due to the dwindling revenue to the state before he left office, said that it is on record that Amaechi reconstructed most of the single lane roads in Port Harcourt into dual carriage roads.

He, therefore, advised the governor to stop quoting figures but should focus on the size of the projects.

Wike said that the visible projects initiated by former Governor Amaechi during his eight years in office include the Karibi Whyte Mega Hospital project, the Greater Port Harcourt project, the new Rivers State University project, the RSSDA over-seas scholarship scheme, the mosquitos eradication scheme, the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium project, the 500 primary schools project, the 23 mega secondary schools project, the ill-fated less than 1.5 km monorail project and the dualisation of some inner city roads.

He said: “However, none of these projects was realised before they left office despite spending billions and billions of naira on them.”