Immediate past governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has brandished his successor, Nyesom Wike. a liar for claiming that he (Wike) met an empty treasury.
Amaechi claimed that he left a balance of between N8-N10 billion for his successor.
Vanguard quotes a statement issued by the ex-governor’s media office where denied handing over an empty treasury to his successor.
The statement revealed that a total of N7.5 billion cash was left behind as balances in the State Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, account with Skye Bank, FAAC account with Zenith Bank, balances with Access Bank and funds in the State reserve fund account in First Bank.
The statement continued: “This is besides other balances in the state Government House account with Zenith Bank and other government MDA accounts, like the Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP. By the time you pull all these together, we are looking at readily available cash in the region of eight to ten billion naira left for the Wike administration.”
“It’s also pertinent to point out here that former governor Amaechi also left economic assets worth tens of billions of naira for the state. Just like cash, the assets store value. These assets that are scattered in diverse sectors of the economy were developed or built or procured with revenue that accrued to the state during Amaechi’s tenure. The assets belong to Rivers State, not Amaechi. Some of these assets are presently yielding revenue to the state coffers, and many can be easily and readily converted to cash, if the State so desires.
“It is therefore disingenuous and fraudulent for Wike to claim that Amaechi left an empty treasury in his bid to justify the N30 billion loans he collected under 30 days in office. Rather than this puerile and silly distraction of always pointing accusing fingers at Amaechi, Wike should come out to explain to Rivers people what he took the loans for, account for and justify every kobo that has been spent from the loans.”
Mr Opunabo Nko-Tariah, the media aide to governor Wike, however, described the claim by the former governor as another tissue of lies, stressing that if he left what he claimed how come civil servants, pensioners , footballers, contractors were owed by his government.
The present administration in the state also accused Amaechi of being responsible for the near expulsion of students on the state scholarship program oversea over unpaid fees.