The spoke person of the former Commissioners under the administration of Governor Chubuike Ameachi, Mrs. Ibim Seminitari said the report submitted by the Justice Omereji’s Commission of Enquiry was a calculated attempt to indict and tarnish the image of the former governor.
The Ex-Commissioners made their position known over the weekend at a joint press briefing by former State Executive Council Members.
Mrs. Seminitari who was the former Commissioner of Information and Communication who read the communiqué on behaves of others told journalist that from the onset, the commission of Enquiry was predetermine and conceived to pronounce Ameachi guilty before Rivers people and Nigerians, saying there is no money missing anywhere. She stated that the panel pronounced the former governor Ameachi guilty before they went into investigation, a situation where the Fundamental Human Right of Rt. Hon. Ameachi has already been infringed upon through media report.
The former Commissioners stated that in one of the sitting, Justice Omereji said “if the panel were a regular court he would have arrested those corrupt politicians and put them in jail” a situations were the former governor was already guilty and such a person can not in any way get justice.
She further explained that there was serious controversy over the Panel set up by Governor Nyesom Wike, over it illegality because the commission’s position has already been canvassed and predetermine, hence the joint press briefing.
On the approval of the monorail under Ameachi’s administration, Hon George Tolotari explained that the project was approved by the Rivers State Executive Council when the present governor Bar. Nyensom Wike was the chief of staff to governor Ameachi and that the former Deputy Governor Engr. Tele Ikaru was the chairman of the committee saying all the documents related to the monorail is with the present government as it was the public private partnership that failed not the monorail as it still on-going.
Answering question on the fraud of N96 Billion naira by the former governor and some of his commissioners, the former Commissioner of finance Mr. Chamberlin Peterside maintained that there is no time that the government then saves N96 Billion as alleged rather it was N56 Billion and the money was saved for the rainy day and when the federal allocation fall to N8 Billion monthly, the council collectively took a decision to withdraw the money through the approval by the Rivers State House of Assembly members to settle some challenges faced by the state especially payment of some key projects in May, 2014, the sum of N35 Billion and N19 Billion were approved and withdrawn respectively.
On the N4 Billion agric loan, the former Commissioner for Agriculture Hon. Emma Chinda stated that the administration under governor Ameachi decided to make the loan grant and the list of beneficiaries are in the ministry and the sum of over N900 Million is still in the account.
The Ex-Commissioners stated that former governor Ameachi was never invited by the Justice Omeriji Commission as they maintained that government asset like Pabod Stores, Risom-palm and Hotel Olumpia were only lease out for a period of time since they were moribund due to lack of maintenance and was not sold, while urging the government of Bar. Wike to take Ameachi to court if they so wish noting the commissioners did proper hand-over.
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