Empty treasury: You’re lying, Amaechi tells Wike

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BY OUR REPORTER ON AUGUST 21, 2015

COVER, NATIONAL

Former Governor of Rivers State, Cheif Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has refuted claims by his successor, Nyesom Wike, that he left an empty treasury. Governor Wike had insisted that he met a completely empty treasury when he took over.

Only on Wednesday, while trying to justify why he took N30billion bank loans from Zenith and Access banks under 30 days in office, Wike had through his spokesman, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, told a radio station in Port Harcourt that he met an empty treasury. However, Amaechi has openly put a lie to Wike’s claim, saying he left billions of naira in cash and economic assets.

In a statement issued by his Media Office yesterday, Amaechi said N7.5billion cash was the balance in the 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.

“This is besides other balances in the 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 10 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 N30billion loans he collected under 30 days in office. Rather than this puerile and 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”, the statement noted.