The Rivers Youth Front (RYF) commend our indefatigable Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, for taking the bold step to recover the Rivers State Government-owned Legacy 600 aircraft which was surreptitiously smuggled out of the state to Germany by the Rt Hon. Chibuike Amaechi-led administration in 2012.
We observe with disappointment that contradicting statements coming from some members of Amaechi’s cabinet then, regarding the intent and purpose of taking the aircraft to Germany, are pointers to the fact that there is definitely more than meets the eye concerning the intentions of Amaechi and his co-travellers.
For instance, in their efforts to exonerate their principal, the then Commissioner of Transport, George Tolofari, claimed that information about the Legacy 600 aircraft was captured in the handover note he probably prepared for himself because he cannot feign ignorance of the fact that the Amaechi administration never intended and indeed has not presented any official handover note to Governor Wike till date.
Tolofari’s claim is also countered by the revelation of another former Commissioner, Barrister Wogu Boms, who also served under Amaechi’s administration, that there was no handover note because they were confident of winning the governorship election matter in the court, but to their disappointment, Wike floored their candidate, Dr Dakuku Peterside, at the Supreme Court.
It therefore amounts to outright embarrassment to Rivers people for Tolofari, with his supposed pedigree, to present such a concocted story full of deliberate lies to the people simply because he is labouring to launder the already stinking image of his principal.
On the other hand, another member of Amaechi’s cabinet and Commissioner for Agriculture, Emma Chinda, tried in vain to sell another fabricated lie claimed that the Legacy 600 aircraft had “full documentation” before the administration allowed it to move out to Germany for maintenance in 2012, and kept there for three solid years without stating the cost of maintenance and how much was paid before the plane was taken to Germany.
In the midst of this brouhaha, former Chief of Staff to then Governor Amaechi, from 2012 to 2015, Chief Tony Okocha, has come out to the public to present his own side of the story on the movement of the aircraft.
In a statement titled “Re: Recovery of Rivers State Government-owned Legacy 600 Aircraft,” Okocha averred that on assumption of office as chief of staff, he applied for and got approval for the running of the aircraft.
Consequent upon this, the aircraft hitherto managed by the Rivers State Ministry of Transport, was surrendered and domiciled in the Office of the Chief of Staff. “To my surprise, while on the company of His Excellency, Governor Chibuike Amaechi, to the Airport on a fateful day, as I was wont to do, I discovered that the Legacy 600 Aircraft wasn’t at its usual parking space,” he said.
Fortunately, however, this piece of information which by any consideration, appears a more accurate account concerning the controversy surrounding the journey of Legacy 600 to Germany, has remained in the public space without contradiction or refutal by the Amaechi camp. And this account clearly attempts to corroborate the statement of Governor Wike that it was unconscionable for the Amaechi-led administration to have surreptitiously taken a state-owned asset to Germany and abandon same there, without any documentation.
We also recall that prior to the sudden disappearance of the aircraft that was later traced to Germany, Amaechi had sent a note to the then Rivers State House of Assembly requesting for approval for the sale of the aircraft and the proceeds to be used to purchase a new one.
Governor Wike, who led a delegation of Rivers leaders to General Atomics Aerotec in Munich, Germany, where the aircraft had been abandoned over the years, explained at a meeting with the General Manager, Business Development, General Atomics Aerotec, Markus Froetschi, that his administration in a bid to recover state assets, had through intelligence discovered that the Legacy 600 jet purchased by Dr Peter Odili’s administration was in Germany.
“When we came into office in 2015, we never had an idea that our plane was in your facility. It was a matter of asking questions before we got the information that Legacy 600 belonging to our State is in RUAG, before General Atomics. We tried to make contact with you and which you obliged. So, we want to sincerely thank you for not hiding anything from us, because it is the property of the state government,” he said.
From the foregoing, it is clear that the immediate past administration of Chibuike Amaechi owes Rivers people an explanation as to the intention and purpose behind the smuggling of Legacy 600 to Germany because even Froetschi told the state delegation led by Governor Wike that the aircraft was brought to Germany by the immediate past administration and abandoned since 2012.
We are surprised that the aircraft had been abandoned in far away Germany for several years. Their intention we cannot say for such, but it shows administrative recklessness, and worst of all, there is no proper documentation to show that they meant well for Rivers people.
Considering the brazen manner in which Amaechi’s administration sold state valuable assets to their cronies, it is obvious that the Legacy 600 may have been surreptitiously flown to Germany to be converted to personal use.
We, therefore, commend Governor Wike for taking the bold initiative to recover, repair and return the aircraft to Nigeria. We have no doubt that since he assumed office, Wike has demonstrated tremendous love and commitment to take our dear state to very high pedestal of infrastructural development. Indeed Governor Wike means well for Rivers people.
We join well-meaning Rivers people to condemn the shameful desperation displayed by Amaechi and his cohorts to cover up their ill-motivated and impoverishing activities such as this, the diversion of proceeds from the sales of some state assets including the gas turbines which, but for the pragmatic leadership of Wike, would have visited untold hardship on Rivers people.

By: Johnbull Ted
Ted, public relations officer of Rivers Youth Front (RYF), lives in Port Harcourt.