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As Amaechi Awaits Ministerial Screening
They came in their numbers. They came representing themselves and the state Executive Council of former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. They came united. They came to explain their actions and inactions. They came to tell their own story of their alleged recklessness and impropriety while in power as individuals and as a group.
They were the powerful men and women that called the shots under the last administration in Rivers State. Not all of them were indicted and required to refund various sums of money or be prosecuted according to the White Paper released by the state government on the Justice George Omereji–led Judicial Commission of Inquiry that investigated the sale of some state assets. But they came together because injury to one is injury to all and what affects all, affects one in the same degree sometimes.
Indeed, they made a lot of collective decisions, even though individuals were assigned to execute them. They came knowing that in the principle of collective responsibility, condemnation and commendation are also to be shared. They came knowing that how the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s administration is perceived cannot be different from how each of them will be seen as well.
When they came, they did not come like people who were being hounded or harassed. They came boldly. They came with the full compliment of their security details.
The turn-out was impressive and there could not be a better representation of the former members of the Rivers State Executive Council under Amaechi. A roll call of former commissioners who were present to brief the press at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt on Saturday, October 10, 2015 buttresses the point.
Leading the group was the former Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs Ibim Semenitari. Others were Sir Victor Giadom (Works), Sir Augustine Nwokocha (Power), Mr George Tolofari (Transport), Dr Chamberlain Peterside (Finance), Mr Mbombo Igwe (Sports), Mr Gogo Charles Levi (Budget and Economic Planning), Mr Emmanuel Chinda (Agriculture), Mr Joe Poroma (Social Welfare and Rehabilitation), Dr Ipalibo Hary (Employment Generation), Mrs Joeba West (Women Affairs) and Mr Ezemonye Ezekiel- Amadi (Lands).
The rest were Mr Samuel Eyiba (Local Governemnt Affairs), Mr Charles Okaye (Chieftaincy and Community Affairs), Mr Nabbs Imegi (Culture and Tourism), and Mr Dickson Omunakwe (Special Duties). Among them also was Mr Goodlife Nmekini, former Special Adviser to the governor on ICT
“This press briefing has become imperative following the recent spate of attacks on the former governor and allegations of corruption against the regime”, Mrs. Semenitari said, adding that the briefing was mainly intended to set the records straight in keeping with the tradition of maintaining a “transparent and accountable stewardship”.
Reading from a prepared script off her ipad computer, she restated the position of the group with regard to the Justice George Omereji judicial commission of inquiry as earlier espoused by Bar. Wogu Boms, former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to the effect that they believe that the commission was not only illegal but that both the governor, Chief Nyesom Wike and the chairman were biased and had predetermined the indictment of both the former governor and some otherS invited to give evidence at the sitting of the commission.
However, the former spokeswoman of the past administration said the former commissioners considered it worthwhile to “reiterate our position previously espoused on the matters raised by the commission” even though the same explanations were all contained in the handover notes they had submitted to the Secretary to the State Government and to the Permanent Secretaries of their various ministries, departments and agencies before finally leaving office.
Beginning with the monorail project down to the state reserve fund, she made spirited and detailed explanation of not only the financial transactions but also the conceptions, approvals and expected benefits of the projects and transactions to Rivers people.
According to the former commissioner, the decision to construct the Rivers monorail project was adopted by the Rivers State Executive Council during the first tenure of the Rotimi Amaechi government when the current governor, Nyesom Wike was Chief of Staff to the governor. She also alleged that the former Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru headed an Executive Council Committee that recommended the sole sponsorship of the project by the Rivers State Government when TSI Property nd Investment Holdings Limited pulled out of the project because of her inability to contribute her own 80% equity contribution in 2008.
She said “the first phase of the project (2.6km stretch) could be said to have been technically completed” at the time their government left office and wondered why the state government would still be requesting the sum of N33bn from the handlers of the project on the Agricultural Credit Scheme. She explained that while a total of N4bn was earmarked, about N3.1bn was disbursed to 380 mother cooperatives leaving a balance of about N900million, adding that proceeds from the sale of the power assets of the Rivers State Government amounting to N33bn was captured in the 2014 Budget as one of the sources of revenue.
“Once the funds were received into RSVG account, they were used alongside others from other revenue sources to finance various government projects and activities”, she said.
Explaining the situation with the 1000-bed (Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte) mega specialist hospital contract, Mrs. Semenitari said the sum of N4.6bn was released while work done by Clinotech (including material at site) amounted to N3.9bn. She debunked insinuations of unlawful enrichment and criminal conspiracy to convert public funds to private use against the former governor as far as this project is concerned.
In the same vein, she insisted that the N53bn in the Rivers State Reserved Fund did not disappear and that the account did not at any point in time harbour up to N96bn.
Aided by the former Commissioner for Finance, the chief information officer of the Amaechi administration said only the sum of N54bn was withdrawn in two tranches from that account.
“The fund had a Net Asset Value of over One Billion, Two Hundred Million (N1,200,000,000.00) only at the end of the administration in May 2015”, she said.
According to Mr. Emmanuel Chinda, former Commissioner for Agriculture, the Justice George Omereji Judicial Commission of Inquiry was nothing but a witch-hunt panel. “It is politics”, he said, adding that Governor Nyesom WIke was still engaged in political campaign to discredit political opponents in order to gain political relevance and acceptance.
But one thing is central to their defence of Amaechi’s government of which they were part of. It was to clear Amaechi’s name and prepare ground for his clearance and confirmation by the Senate as a minister, especially in view of the allegations of huge financial impropriety leveled against the former governor and some of his commissioners by the judicial commission of inquiry headed by Justice Omereji and the White Paper already released by the Rivers State Government is yet to begin.
Addressing the press penultimate Friday on the White Paper, Emma Okah, Commissioner for Housing, Rivers State, disclosed the intention of the government to prosecute former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Brigadier General Anthony Ukpo (rtd), a former Military Administrator of the state, and several other former officials of the state for allegedly misappropriating a total sum of N97 billion of public funds.
“The commission finds as a fact that the sale of 70 per cent equity from the First Independent Power Limited in Omoku Gas Turbine, Trans-Amadi Gas Turbine, Afam Phase I Gas Turbine and Eleme Gas Turbine, has been very difficult to justify. They have therefore recommended the review of sale of the power assets and the government of Rivers State has accepted that recommendation,” Mr Okah said.
He futher disclosed that “The commission recommends that the former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, along with his former Commissioners for Finance and Power, Dr Chamberlain Peterside and Augustine Nwokocha, respectively, should be held to account for their roles in the sale of the power generation assets of First Independent Power Limited and the disbursement of the proceeds there from.” He added that “Government accepts that recommendation and directs the office of the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, to promptly set in motion the appropriate machinery for the recovery of the proceeds of the sale of the gas turbines from the former governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and every other persons implicated in the commission’s report.”
Okah further stated that the Rivers State Government intends to recover the sum of N3 billion agricultural loan which was disbursed to agric cooperatives as grants under the supervision of Mr Emma Chinda, former Commissioner for Agriculture.
To Mrs Ibim Semenitari, former Governor Chibuike Amaechi “is a shining star and we are proud of him.”
But all the members representing the people of Rivers State in the National Asembly think otherwise. A Port Harcourt-based Integrity Group has also not relented in telling everyone that cares to listen, including the EFCC, the Senate and every other anti-corruption agency, the alleged mountain of financial sins of the former state chief executive. On the heels of all of them is the indictment by the Government White Paper on the Judicial Commission of Inquiry that was released on Friday, October 11, 2015 amongst others.
As Amaechi takes his turn before the Senate tomorrow, Tuesday, October 20, 2015 for screening as a ministerial nominee, he will be appearing clearly as the most challenged, most vehemently opposed and the most controversial nominee whether he succeeds or not.
