Amaechi, has debunked the allegation that N53
billion was missing from the state Reserve Fund,
under his administration.
Amaechi had described the Justice Omereji –led
Panel of Inquiry, set up by Governor Ezebuwon
Nyesom Wike, to probe his administration, as a
last-ditch effort to blackmail him.
Amaechi, who spoke through his media office, in a
statement signed by Bekee Anyalewechi, said: "The
mischief is all the more evident, as the funds
referred to are funds from the Rivers State Reserve
Fund, which was duly approved by the Rivers State
House of Assembly, and whose expenditures were
duly captured and accounted for."
The statement, however, said that the ongoing mud
slinging against him was aimed at diminishing the
former governor's towering stature, as a statesman
and honest Nigerian.
According to the statement also, every expenditure
made of the Reserve Funds was approved by the
extant laws, adding that Amaechi also explained the
purposes for which they were used.
The statement read in part: "The attention of the
media office of former Governor Chibuike Rotimi
Amaechi, has been drawn to a statement credited to
the chairman of Mr. Nyesom Wike's invidious panel
of inquiry. The statement, credited to the panel's
chairman Justice Omereji of a missing N53 billion is
unfortunate and leaves much to be desired. The mis
chief is all the more evident as the funds referred to
are funds from the Rivers State Reserve Fund
which was duly approved by the Rivers State House
of Assembly, and whose expenditure were duly
captured and accounted for."
It continued: "Ordinarily, we might not have
responded to the mischief of Mr. Wike knowing that
having failed with his various desperate tactics to
stop the nomination of the Rt. Hon. Chibuike
Amaechi as a minister, he has embarked on this
last-ditch effort, which is his trump card in the hope
that it will diminish the former governor's towering
stature as a statesman and honest Nigerian. How
ever, in keeping with former Governor Amaechi's
ethos of transparent and accountable leadership,
we will again repeat the facts of the matter.
"Between 2013 and early 2015, revenue accruing to
the Government of Rivers State was cut in half due
to dwindling federal allocation to states. From about
an average of N20 billion, the state began receiving
between N9 and N10 billion. By the middle of the
first quarter of 2015, the state revenue dipped to as
low as N6 billion. Salaries alone stood at over N9
billion besides other expenses. Government had set
aside, the reserve funds as a rainy day fund and
had need to fall back to it to fund salaries and
projects. The details of the expenditure were very
clearly captured and this information, which was
already in the public domain was shared with the
incoming administration and the Omereji panel."
