I Did Not Leave An Empty Treasury, Amaechi Argues

Former Governor of Rivers State, Cheif Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has refuted claims by his successor, Nyesom Wike, that he left an empty treasury.

Governor Wike had through his spokesperson, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, told a radio station in Port Harcourt that he met a completely empty treasury when he took over as governor of the state.

However, Amaechi has denied Wike’s claim, saying he left billions of naira in cash and economic assets.

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In a statement issued by his Media Office yesterday, Amaechi said N7.5billion cash was the balance in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) account with Skye Bank, FAAC account with Zenith Bank, balances with Access Bank and funds in the state reserve fund account in First Bank.

The statement read, “This is besides other balances in the Government House account with Zenith Bank and other government MDA accounts, like the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP). By the time you pull all these together, we are looking at readily available cash in the region of eight to 10 billion naira left for the Wike administration.

“It’s also pertinent to point out here that former Governor Amaechi also left economic assets worth tens of billions of naira for the state. Just like cash, the assets store value.

“These assets that are scattered in diverse sectors of the economy were developed or built or procured with revenue that accrued to the state during Amaechi’s tenure. The assets belong to Rivers State, not Amaechi.

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“Some of these assets are presently yielding revenue to the state coffers, and many can be easily and readily converted to cash, if the state so desires.

“It is therefore, disingenuous and fraudulent for Wike to claim that Amaechi left an empty treasury in his bid to justify the N30billion loans he collected under 30 days in office.” The statement read.

Amaechi said that rather than his (Wike’s) puerile ways of constantly pointing accusing fingers, Wike should rather come out to explain to Rivers people what he took the loans for, account for and justify every kobo that has been spent from the loans.

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