The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has described immediate-past Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi as a “total failure”.
Wike said that the people of Rivers have nothing to show for Amaechi’s seven years as transport minister.
The governor spoke on Monday at the formal inauguration of the reconstructed former Riv-Bank Insurance building in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
According to a statement by Kelvin Ebiri, his Special Assistant on Media, Wike spoke in reaction to comments by the former minister that the Rivers State Government refused to give state burial to late Chief Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, who was laid to rest last weekend.
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Wike stated that a man who has failed in attracting projects to his state should hide his face in shame and stop talking about Rivers politics.
“We have taken all your people. Nobody is in your party again. Why not manage and stay quiet; because of your poor leadership.
“Tell Rivers State people, as Minister of Transportation, what did you do for your people? Seven good years, all you were interested in was doing business with CCECC, doing standard gauge and the other gauge until now, we have not seen anyone in Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.”
Wike boasted that while he was a junior minister, he attracted the Faculty of Law to the University of Port Harcourt, and established the Oil and Gas Polytechnic in Bonny.
He said he also made grants available to Kenule Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic in Bori and Ignatius Ajuru University, while renovating several secondary schools in Rivers State.
“Tell us, as a grade A minister, what you brought. You think you can deceive Rivers State again?” the governor asked.
He explained that the state government stayed away from the burial activities because it was politicised and he did not want to be associated with such trivialities.
“I saw you people have brought politics to the man’s burial. I said, ok, let me withdraw myself. I don’t want to be involved in this kind of politics,” he said.
Wike stated that if people had gone to bury the dead, they would have focused on that mission of honouring the dead and not involved him in the talks around the event.
“Let me use this opportunity to say that I am very disappointed that the former minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi will still come to the state to talk about this government not giving late Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas a state burial.
“It is unfortunate. I asked him, when Chief Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas was sick, where were you? This state government committed so much amount of money to make sure Chief Alabo survived.
“I want to challenge anybody, we did not spend less than N50m to make sure our elder statesman survived. It was survival we wanted, we wanted him to be alive.
“When his late son had an accident, and was flown to London, this state government bore the cost of it. Go and ask people.”
Wike stated that as governor, Amaechi refused to honour Chief Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas while he was alive.
He said Amaechi declined to grant Graham-Douglas’s request for the elevation of the Abonnema traditional stool to first class and the construction of Abonnema ring road.
Wike said he granted the requests when he assumed office as governor.
“Amaechi, Chief Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas told you, please, help me and do the ring road in Abonnema so that when we have occasion, we will not be parked on one road. You refused to do it. I did it.
“When Chief Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas was alive, he told Amaechi, why not do this Trans-Kalabari Road. He did not do it. I am the one doing it. So, who is the man who loves Alabo and has made him happier?” the governor asked.
Commenting on the project, Wike said the building that was long abandoned was an object of a scramble by people who wanted to own it.
The governor alleged that Amaechi has been making concerted efforts to stall the fraud charges brought against him by the Rivers State government.
He said that even if his administration was unable to prosecute the former minister, the next government would accomplish the task.
Wike appealed to the Group Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, to consider buying the seven-storey office complex and use it as the regional headquarters of his firm.
He also called on other investors to consider investing in the property.
The governor christened the Re-constructed Ultra-Modern Seven Storey Office Complex, Senator John Azuta Mbata building.