The Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike said there is no truth in the alleged 108 billion naira money owed Rivers State and was paid by former President Goodluck Jonathan as speculated in the media.
The governor made the clarification in a media parley with journalists over the weekend, at Government House, Port Harcourt.
Barr. Wike stated that the allegation does not make sense and asked if they paid the money in cash or in cheque? And which of the account did they pay the money into, saying such was a cooked information.
On the 7 billion naira left by the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi’s administration, Gov. Wike said such imagination is madness as he met zero account when he took over the mantle of leadership.
“How could such an amount be in the account when Gov. Amaechi could not pay workers salaries, pensioners money, sharks, Dolphins and Rivers Angels were owed by the former governor?” he asked.
Explaining the purpose for the 10billion naira loan, Barr. Nyesom Wike told journalists that the loan became necessary because of the level of uncompleted projects, abandoned by the immediate past government and most of the uncompleted projects are very critical to the development of Rivers State, hence the loan is collected to finance them.
Governor Wike stated that most of the abandoned projects include Eagles Island/Ilaobuchi Road, at the cost of 208 million naira, the Abonnema Bridge with the cost of 152 million, the University of Science and Technology faculty of Law uncompleted and abandoned for the period of 15 years with the balance of N400 million naira, Nkpogu Bridge is N500million.
Explaining further, he said the sum of N30million naira was given to the judiciary for renovation of the courts, while the Rivers State House of Assembly was given N300million for renovation, as part of the money will be given to Federal High Court for renovation.
On the zero pot holes in Rivers State, Gov. Wike explained that Julius Berger and CC & ECC Construction Company will commence work immediately as 11 kilometers road will be given to Julius Berger while CC & ECC will take care of the Diobu axis of Port Harcourt.
The governor maintained that there are some very key strategic road projects embarked by the former administration that must be completed to ease traffic in the state such roads are the Woji-Akpajo road, and Rumuipirikom – Rumuomeni Road, projects which must be completed.
On the payment of the 10 billion loans, Gov. Wike said the state government will pay the loan in 20 months with 16 percent interest rate, while N500million naira will be paid monthly saying the loan is attached to projects.
On the sacked TIMARIV, Barr. Wike said government will investigate how much owed them with a view to pay because we have the responsibility to pay them but regretted that TIMARIV activities were embarrassing to the public and they were dubious.
He said they are creation of law and therefore can not be scrapped. “We did not say there is no TIMARIV again. Gov. Wike stated.
When asked about the Bori Polytechnic sacked lecturers, the governor said they were not working unlike the Rivers State University of Science and Technology counterpart that were sacked because of union activities.
He maintained that the Rector hurriedly employed them during the governorship election against the directive given to him since 2012 by the former governor, a process that took him three years which he hurriedly did during the governorship election noting that their case is different from that of UST.
The governor use the occasion to announce that soon water will be given to the people of Gokana and Abonnema.
Responding on the dissolution of local government councils in the state, Barr. Wike said he will follow due process since the case is pending in the court.
The former minister of state for education blamed the indebtedness in the state on too many consultancy jobs by the former governor. He also said, he will support the review of revenue formula where states should get more money than the federal government. ###
Pius Dukor
