RSG Gets N45bn Allocation For July

Rivers State Government says it received the sum of N45billion allocation for the month of July from the Federation Account.

Governor Chibuike Amaechi who disclosed this yesterday in a radio interview in Port Harcourt, said the amount includes arrears from January to June 2011, as the state was receiving about half of its allocation.

The Governor explained that the state also got N5billion from its internally generated revenue for July and assured the people of the state that the present administration would continue to be prudent and responsible in the management of resources.

On the planned purchase of new aircraft, Governor Amaechi said the state is trading the old aircraft for a brand new one, which requires the payment of the difference to acquire.

“We are not just buying a new plane, we are trading  the old one for something new and I don’t see anything wrong with that, the governor stated , emphasising that safety reasons remain the propelling fact as the size of the air ambulance is easily affected  by the weather conditions, which could be dangerous.

The Action Congress governorship candidate in the 2011 elections in Rivers State, Dr Abiye Sekibo had tagged the Amaechi administration as corrupt owing to the alleged approval by the Rivers State House of Assembly for the Governor to buy a new aircraft.

But Amaechi said that the allegations credited to the ACN Governorship candidate in the April 2011 election, Dr Abiye Sekibo should not be listened to, because life is too precious to be  trivialised.

”If you look at the size of the plane and the current climatic conditions when you fly, you will see how dangerous it is for us to fly in that small-sized plane. We are not even buying a very large plane; we are trading it for an improved version.”

According to him, the state had three aircrafts but we have sold one to Cross Rivers State at $9million and we are using the money to build a minimum of 10 primary schools, I don’t see the need to have two aircrafts flying the governor, that’s why we sold one”.

Governor Amaechi used the opportunity to reiterate his resolve to lead a government that would abhor corruption and advised the opposition to get their facts correct before condemning government decisions that  would improve the standard of living of the people of Rivers State.

Chairman, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Prof Nimi Briggs (left) watching as Director-General, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, Prof Tijani Bande signs the visitors notebook, when members of the Institute visited RSIEC, yesterday. Photo: Chris Monyanaga