Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations that he received the sum of N108 billion from the immediate past federal administration of Goodluck Jonathan.
The state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC had accused the governor of receiving the said sum as refund from the repairs of federal roads in the state.
But Wike in an interactive session with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Saturday said such falsehood should be discountenanced, insisting that he met an empty treasury.
He wondered when the money was released to him, adding that such funds are not difficult to trace.
According to him, “It is not possible that I received N108 billion. Did Jonathan (the immediate past President) pay the money into my account or gave me the cash?
He asked further, “Was I paid the money before or after I was sworn-in as governor? Did Jonathan have the power to sign money after President Mohammadu Buhari was sworn-in? I
“Is it possible that nobody can trace the money (N108 billion) if it was given to me? It is unfortunate. How people have trivialised governance. So such stories should be discountenanced.
On the sufferings of Rivers State students on government scholarship, Wike described the programme as a scam.
He accused the state government of using consultants when there was a scholarship board in the state, saying, “If the fees being paid is N2 billion, consultants take N900 million.
“Why use consultants to do jobs when you have a scholarship board? Now our children (students) are in foreign lands suffering. Their parents are crying why send our children abroad when you can pay their fees,” he noted.
The governor said, “We (government) must return things back to the way it use to be in order to achieve maximum benefit.
On the N10 billion loan approval recently granted him by the state House of Assembly, Wike said it was to finance major uncompleted projects in the state, saying his government had nothing when it came on board.
He added, “The State House of Assembly and the Judiciary have been shut because of the political crisis that bedeviled the previous administration. We gave N300 million each to these two arms of government to carry out repairs, adding a number of uncompleted roads and bridges would be completed.
On the issues of unpaid salaries, he said his administration inherited the problem but that members of Dolphins, Sharks and Rivers Angels Football Clubs have been paid, saying others would follow.
The governor insisted that he met an empty treasury, saying the Ministry of Works alone under Chibuike Amaechi was indebted to the tune of N200 million.
