Who is fooling who in Rivers state politics? Rotimi Amaechi said, Is fighting Corruption in Goodluck Ebele Jonathans agenda at all? That is the question on the mouth of Nigerians as they go through some of his appointees as Ministers. The President has just named Nyesom Nwike as minister. A guy who is on bail; charged for Stealing N4.7 Billion of Rivers State Government funds by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in October 2008. Odein Ajumogobia, SAN - representing Rivers State - was Foreign Minister, until Monday, 30 May 2011, when President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved the Federal Executive Council, sacking all the ministers, special advisers and other aides. In addition to being an outstanding public servant who handled his official duties in an intelligent, cultured and disciplined manner, a colleague in the Office that happened to know Mr Ajumogobia personally told me he is exceedingly pleasant. Many Nigerians and foreigners sang his praises and they regarded him as the best Foreign Minister this country has ever had, But Goodluck Jonathan did not deem it fit to reappoint him. No problem with that, for as pointed out by Donu Kogbara, Presidents have to consider several factors before they make cabinet appointments. “And I’m sure that Jonathan, who is under a lot of pressure and has to juggle the competing desires of many different and powerful interest groups, had his reasons for not retaining Ajumogobia”. The Rivers nominee in place of Ajumogobia is Mr Nyesom Wike, the Chief of Staff to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Director -General of his re-election campaign. Wike’s nomination is the culmination of high wire politics that saw the initial nominee withdrawn from the Ministerial list. The president had written the Senate informing them of his decision to withdraw the nomination of Tonye Cole, who was supposed to represent Rivers State in the cabinet. Mr Cole is the managing director of Sahara Energy Resource Limited, a company he founded in 1996 with his friends, Tope Shonubi and Ade Odunsi. He is considered an oil and gas expert amongst the initial 34-man list of ministerial nominees the president forwarded to the Senate for confirmation last week. The reason for Mr Cole’s withdrawal was not given by the president’s letter. Mr Cole’s withdrawal is, however, believed to be on the orders of local politicians from his state, who had criticised his inclusion and have been campaigning for a replacement. I was told President Goodluck Jonathan promised Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi of two Ministerial slots. When eventually Jonathan turned around and said Rivers now have only one slot, Governor Amaechi insisted on the withdrawal of Tonye Cole and having his Special Assistant for the job. But who is Nyesom Wike? He was Rivers State Chief of Staff charged for Stealing N4.7 Billion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in October 2008. On Thursday, 9th October, 2008, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Mr. Nyeson Wike, the then Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Governor, with various counts of stealing N4.67 billion from the state’s coffers. Wike was arraigned before Justice Abimbola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gudu area of Abuja, charged with six counts of stealing, abuse of office and embezzlement of public funds. The first count accuses Mr. Wike of stealing N129 million, the second involves stealing N41.9 million, a third count accuses him of stealing N100 million, while the sixth count states that he pilfered N3.5 billion naira. EFCC officials arrested and detained Mr. Wike after he showed up at the agency’s offices accompanied by the secretary to the state government, Magnum Abbe. Mr. Abbe was also detained, but was later released on bail pending further investigations by the agency regarding financial scams perpetrated by state government officials using a state account domiciled with Zenith Bank in Port Harcourt. The charges against Mr. Wike reveal that N4.67 billion went through his personal bank account at Zenith Bank. A senior EFCC official told journalists the agency suspects that the funds were laundered by the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, through Wike’s account. Our president said he wants to fight corruption yet wants to work with politicians who are perceived as corrupt by the people. So said Mohammed Salihu in his ‘Is our president double-faced’? The case against Wike originated from two petitions from two groups. One from the “‘League of Democrats” in its petition drew the attention of the EFCC to the arrest of Governor Amaechi when he was speaker in December 2006, asking that the case be re-opened. A second petition was circulated in which Wike was alleged to have laundered more than three billion Naira. According to the report, “the chief of staff in connivance with an official of a new generation bank opened one of the accounts No. 6010916587 on March 27, 2008, with the fictitious name, ‘Harrison B. Princewill,’ adding that the account was being run by Wike. The report said that when the account was opened, the account holder did not provide passport photographs and information about the next of kin of Harrison B. Princewill. Just about the same time another account directly controlled by Wike in the same branch of the bank with No. 602500949 began to witness huge turnover such that between June 5, and July 3, 2008, N233 million passed into it. “On September 5, 2008, at exactly 3.30pm, Wike withdrew the sum of N300 million from his account and promptly disappeared into thin air,” the report revealed. Following these allegations, The EFCC arrested some key government officials in the state for corruption. Magnus Abe, the secretary to the state government, SSG, and Nyesom Wike, chief of staff, COS, to the state governor, both of them lawyers, were detained by the anti-graft agency. But Abe was later released October 8, while Wike remained behind bars. Also invited by the EFCC were Osimaka ThankGod Izoedu, the finance commissioner and Zida Famor, the accountant general, AG. Wike, who is the former chairman of Obio/Akpo Local Government Area of the state and national president of the Association of Local Government Council chairmen, ALGON, was discovered to have over N120 million in his private account. The EFCC was said to have constituted a crack team of investigators to question the governor over the N120 million which Wike, his chief of staff, claimed in his statement released to him for a building project. In his statement at the EFCC, Wike denied the allegations of converting his personal account to that of the state government account and that he was building a N150m personal mansion in Port Harcourt. Wike was said to have claimed that Amaechi, his boss, approved the release of N100million for the building of a staff quarter, meant for the chief of staff, and for which construction work is still ongoing. The petition against Wike alleged that he converted his personal account to that of Government House account. Like most EFCC investigations and prosecution, 3 years after the arrest and arraignment, the question yet to be answered is whether Governor Amaechi approved the release of N120million to Wike and if so, what was the purpose? Was the money a gift to Wike to build his personal house, or was it meant for the construction of staff quarters. There is also the question of whether it is possible for a private account to be converted into a government account by an individual who is not even a signatory to the said government account. Without providing the answer to these questions, Amaechi said his administration is not corrupt and blamed the entire saga on political opponents. The state government also headed for the courts to challenge EFCC’s action. Prince L.O. Fagbemi, SAN, and Ricky Tarfa, SAN, lead two other lawyers for the Rivers state government. Recall that around that period, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, also investigated the Rivers State House of Assembly, inviting the legislators over to Abuja to explain how they spent their constituency project allowance approved for them by Amaechi that year. Following presentations made to him by the speaker, Amaechi approved the release of over three billion Naira to the 32 legislators in the assembly for execution of constituency projects in their various constituencies in the state. Each of the lawmakers went home with between N100 million and N105 million. But Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja, then immediate past chief whip of the house, representing Opobo/Nkoro constituency, refused to partake in the deal. Rather he was said to have petitioned the ICPC over the alleged fraud. Last week the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Rivers State Chapter condemned the submission of the name of Mr Nyesom Wike, to the National Assembly as the ministerial nominee for Rivers State. A statement by the ACN, signed by the Acting Chairman, Chief Esuku Esuku and the Publicity Secretary, Jerry Needam, said the nomination of Nyesom Wike, an Ikwerre-man from the same ethnic nationality with the Governor for ministerial appointment is another insult on the sensibilities of other ethnic nationalities in the state. The statement chided Gov Amaechi for being myopic and extremely selfish by presuming that no other ethnic group exists in the state, stressing that all the juiciest and important political offices within and outside the state are currently occupied by one ethnic group. The ACN listed the political offices as that of the executive Governor of Rivers State, the Chief of Staff and well over 100 major positions. “For Amaechi to go ahead to nominate Nyesom Wike as minister on behalf of the state against all odds including the obvious imbalances of his administration simply suggests greater surprise packages coming for the already beleaguered Rivers people,” the statement noted. ACN maintained that the only way Amaechi can reassure that he means well for the majority of Rivers people is the immediate withdrawal of Mr Nyesom Wike as the state’s ministerial nominee for lack of mass appeal and support, warning that not heeding the call will engender mass protest by other ethnic nationalities in the state. According to the ACN, “it’s gross injustice, lack of vision and goodwill, faulty political calculation and direct affront on the people of Rivers to create the impression that all the Treasure Base of the nation can afford is the like of Nyesom Wike in the face of overwhelming surge of qualified and internationally acclaimed intellectuals in other ethnic nationalities in the state.” The party said it is another test of the patriotic spirit of the Amaechi-led government vis-à-vis his self-acclaimed transparent management of state resources, human and material.we advice Jerry Needam speak again in regards to the above..
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 07:31:07 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015