Worried by the millions of Naira the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike gives out to other State Governments, Rivers State Democracy Sustainable Group, REDSG has tackled the Governor.
Governor Wike is known for giving out hundreds of millions of Naira, to State Governments, especially those which Governors are his friends, and especially, in the months running to the Presidential Primary of the Peoples Democratic Party. An aspirant to the ticket, Wike lost it to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
At the last count, according to another group, Wike had, allegedly given out over two billion Naira of Rivers State money. One of the most recent was the N300m the Governor gave out to wives of Lagos State Government officials who invited him to their annual meet. On that occasion, he endorsed the APC Governor of the State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a second term in office.
He also had helped a number of States in distress, and recently, gave out 50 buses -25 each – to the State Chapters of the PDP in Benue and Cross River States.
On Sunday night, Benue State Governor revealed that Wike had given his State the sum of about one billion Naira.
But in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, signed by its Convener, Justin Chibuike, RSDSG, challenged Wike to tell the public if the hundreds of millions he gives out were captured in the State Budget passed by the State House of Assembly. The Group, also, accused Wike of giving out State assets to his allies and cronies from other States.
The statement alleged that between “2015 till date the State has received trillions of Naira from internally Generated Revenue, Federal allocations, Local and Foreign interventions and sales of Rivers State Government properties including the gas turbine Rotimi Amaechi acquired from Holland and Saipem.”
It challenged the Governor to speak up, and hand back Rivers assets to the State or they would make documents public.
“If the Governor does not speak to Rivers people and hand over their properties back to the state, all these documents will be revealed including sales agreements of these properties both locally and internationally.”
The RSDSG, obviously, a group sympathetic to the PDP, and angry at Wike’s role in what it sees as the destabilisation of the PDP lamented what it described as “the ridiculous excesses of the Governor in recent times against the party that has given him everything except being the presidential candidate of the party.”
Part of the statement reads:
“The party ( PDP) in its wisdom settled for the former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar for their best interest but the Governor has gone rogue against the Party and the Presidential candidate.
“We have realised that the courage to fight an unknown battle has been fully funded by the purse of Rivers State. The Governor in his bid to service the loyalty of the characters masquerading as fighters for justice in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resorted to throwing Rivers resources into the bellies of the fishes acting as militants in the PDP.
“Furthermore, the Governor of the State should explain to Rivers people if the monies that he doles out frequently to forces outside Rivers State are duly captured and approved by the Rivers State House of Assembly in the yearly budgets of the state.
“This is of importance because Rivers people have seen how the Governor went to Lagos State to endorse the APC Governor of the State against his Party’s candidate and in so doing donated the sum of N300m to the National women conference organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials(COWLSO) at the Eko Hotels and Suites.
“Also, we’ve seen, in disgust, how he attended the birthday party of his ally in Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu and donated the sum of N200m for no just cause.
“We’ve also seen recently the donation of 25 buses each to both Cross River and Benue states PDP.
“Rivers people are tired and can’t continue in this charade of the Governor in his utter wastage that has continually underdeveloped the State where there is serious unemployment and no human capital development or empowerment to enable the youths create meaningful opportunities for themselves to grow the declining State GDP and of course the rising inflation in our dear State.
“We’ve also seen how about seven international trips of these Governors of his are sponsored by the Governor at the expense of our State’s purse to hold secret meetings with political candidates in luxurious hotels for weeks in Europe that adds zero economic benefit to the State.
“It is quite unfortunate that a man who seeks accountability in his Party is involved in actions that negates the core values of a just course. The Governor swore an oath to be accountable to Rivers people and we are, by this notice, asking him to give accounts of his ridiculous spendings of State resources.
“We have uncovered properties owned by the state especially the Civil Service Quarters that is given to his friends and allies who are not Rivers people all to entice their support for his failed Presidential bid. We ask, what have the Civil Servants done to Wike that for seven and half years they’ve not experienced promotion of any sort and that the State Secretariate is kept in an unhabitable condition.
“The Governor in one of his many giveaways went to his kinsmen in Ogbumnuabali and doled out a mouth watery sum of N2b for doing nothing; absolutely nothing. Such a fund would have been directed to fixing the unhabitable condition of our State Secretariate because the Civil Servants in the State have seen nothing but neglect in Wike’s seven reckless years of mismanagement of state funds.”
“As a group we are asking the State Governor who is demanding for justice in the party to first serve justice to Rivers people because charity begins at home. He must explain to us for posterity sake. Good men can no longer remain silent in times like this.
“Rivers people and Nigerians daily have seen that the self centred gimmicks of Wike are only to grant easy access to a Bola Tinubu Presidency. In his attempt to demean Atiku Abubakar, Atiku has continued to enjoy public support based on the unjustifiable excesses of Nyesom Wike.
“Public opinions in the various States of those following the Rivers Governor and beyond shows that Atiku Abubakar is leading every other candidate as General elections gets closer. His wide acceptance has been censored and his presidency is now a reality.
“We, therefore, urge the Governor, Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike to immediately account for all Rivers State assets he has appropriated to himself and his cronies. If he dares not, we will one by one release the places and locations of properties he has forcefully annexed to himself and co-conspirators. Also, we will release documents of monies he has hidden through proxies for himself.
“The Governor must declare those properties to Rivers people for the purpose of transparency and accountability, else he runs the risk of facing a national disgrace.”
There has been no reaction from the State Government.
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