FG Not Ready To Fight Oil Theft – Amaechi …‘Rivers Not Broke’

The inability of the Federal Government to release to the Rivers State Government its surveillance helicopters has been one of the reason for the increasing oil theft in the region.

Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State and Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) who stated this last Friday in a chat with Journalists in Government House, Port Harcourt, said the seizure of helicopters of Rivers State Government was an indication that the Federal Government was not ready to fight oil theft in the country.

Governor Amaechi noted that the two helicopters owned by the state government were procured to monitor all the creeks and coastal areas in Rivers State.

According to him, the seized helicopters ensured surveillance of the entire state and have monitoring units at Airforce Base, the Police Headquarters and Government House, Port Harcourt.

“The idea was to monitor the creeks and coastal areas and ensure that oil theft and kidnapping were monitored closely by the security agencies”, he said.

He however regretted that the seizure of the aircraft have increased oil theft thereby reducing the revenue of the country.

The Chairman of NGF expressed sadness that the South-South region was losing out under the present administration while stating reasons he left his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressive Congress (APC).

According to him, “I left the PDP to APC in order to protect the asset and resources of Rivers State”, noting that Rivers State was gradually and virtually losing all its assets under President Jonathan.

He explained further that he cannot remain in a party that was gradually taking away the state’s wealth where he govern, adding that this informed his grievances with the Federal Government and reasons why he left PDP.

Amaechi recalled that during the tenure of late President Musa Yara’Adua, the Federal Government awarded a coastal road and raillines contract but regretted that the projects had been abandoned by the so called South-South president.

According to him, “the Coastal Road was to link Lagos to South-South states, while the raillines was to link the North to the South-South states. But a South-South President chose to abandoned it”.

“The President wants Rivers people dead hence he does not want to approve the water project for the state which arrangement have been concluded with the World Bank”, he said.

He also noted that four years after the United Nation Environment Project (UNEP) Report, the federal government was unable to release $1 billion for the clean up of Ogoniland.

“Most of our oil wells have been given to our neighbouring states, NLNG wanted to build another phase after all arrangements had been concluded, but the president insisted that the Brass NLG project should be completed before any other one will commence when investors were ready”, he said.

Governor Amaechi noted that he was fighting all these because he took an oath to project and serve the people of Rivers State, adding that since PDP can no longer protect the interest of Rivers State, he has to move away to a party that will protect the wealth of the state and the interest of the country.

Meanwhile, Governor Chibuike Amaechi says the state is not broke as peddled in some quarters by critics of his administration.

Addressing journalists under the banner of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at Government House, Port Harcourt at the weekend, Amaechi said the state cannot be broke due to its internal revenue profile.

He said, “…We are not broke because our internal revenue is still strong at an average of N6 billion per month”.

However, he pointed out that but for the financial diversion which the Federal Government has been engaged in since the year, the state would have witnessed more development.

Amaechi described the situation as challenging as federal allocation has dwindled since early this year saying, “We have fallen from N20 billion to N13 billion. Just this months, we received N16 billion.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) while affirming that the state was under immense financial pressure, added, “if we go back to N20 billion, I will be happy, but, we are not broke because internally generated revenue is at N6 billion on the average per month.”

He also revealed that the state wage bill will swell up to N9.9 billion if the salaries of the newly recruited 13,200 teachers are paid.

Governor Chibuike Amaechi has also explained that he has nothing personal against President Goodluck Jonathan, but that his fight was to improve governance and better the lots of the people.

“We are losing using a South-South President”, Amaechi observed “tell me what Rivers State has gained since Goodluck Jonathan became president”.

He pointed out that those politicians in the Grassroots  Democratic Initiative (GDI) are spent forces who plan to grab power, in order to loot public treasury, warning that majority of them are fighting for their pockets and not for Goodlluck Jonathan as they claim in public.

Kevin Nengia

President Goodluck Jonathan (middle), Minister of Police Affairs, Retired Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (right) and some leaders of the Apostolic Faith Church, during ‘Last Sunday of the Year’s Church Service’ at Apostolic Faith Church, Regional Headquaters, Jabi, Abuja, yesterday.