Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that leaders of the State would meet to decide on whether to commence criminal prosecution of the former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, over the alleged fraudulent sales of some valued State assets and diversion of State funds.
The governor said those whose fate would also be decided during the meeting, would include, Tonye Cole, Sahara Energy Ltd, and former Rivers State Commissioner for Transport, George Tolofari.
Wike, who gave this indication during a media parley attended by Rivers elders in Abuja, last Friday, said the Supreme Court judgment that dismissed Amaechi’s appeal to frustrate the investigation into activities of his administration, has vindicated the Rivers State Government.
He explained that on his assumption of office in 2015, the state government set up a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the activities of the former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s administration.
The judicial panel was mandated to investigate the sale of the 150MW gas turbine in Omoku; 360MW Afam gas turbine; 136MW Trans-Amadi gas turbine; and 75MW gas turbine in Eleme; Monorail Project; the sale of Olympia Hotel; and non-execution of the contract for the construction of Justice Karibi-Whyte Hospital after the Amaechi administration paid $39.2million to the contractor.
Wike said the judicial panel at the end of its investigation submitted its report and recommendations to the state government.
According to him, this necessitated the state government to come up with a White Paper Report.
Wike further said the State Government has been vindicated by the Supreme Court judgment because those indicted by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry were allowed to defend themselves, but some of them chose not to appear before the panel.
The governor narrated how the sum of $50million was diverted from the state account and paid to Sahara Energy Ltd., for an inexplicable reason. According to him, there was no evidence of any transaction indicating that the State was indebted to the company.
He said due to the corruption allegation leveled against Amaechi, he was not supposed to be cleared by the Senate to become a minister, but the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government prevailed on the lawmakers to gloss over the matter.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi-Awaji Ibani, said the apex court’s judgment was a victory for the government and people of Rivers State.
He charged those saddled with the responsibility to superintend over public funds to always bear in mind that the funds belong to the people.
Similarly, the former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Onueze C. J. Okocha (SAN), commended the governor for always defending the interest of the State.
He said leaders of the state would make a decision and give honest advise to the governor on the way forward.
