Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike says his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi was more interested in awarding political projects to boost his personal ego than delivering services to Rivers people.
He stated this in a statement by the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim.
Wike said that a project like Justice Karibi Whyte Hospital initiated by the Amaechi administration was a scam because it gulped $39.9 million on paper as there is nothing to show at the proposed site.
The statement was in response to comments made by Ameachi, who is the current Minister of Transportation, at the burial ceremony of late Justice Whyte over the weekend.
According to the governor, the sum of N65 billion was spent on the 1.2 kilometers Monorail Project which was conceived as a white elephant project.
He said most of such political projects existed either on the pages of newspapers or were used to settle political allies.
The governor said that Amaechi and his political allies after siphoning huge sums of money from the state left behind uncompleted projects.
“Amaechi does not have the moral ground to talk about development in the State when he wasted so much financial resources on non existing projects.
“Go round the state, you will never see anything that looks like Justice Karibi -Whyte Hospital. It is a scam that never existed.
“Again, tell me what is the traffic along Azikwe Road that a 1.2 kilometers Monorail Project will be awarded for over 65 Billion Naira.
“When I came into office, I was told that it will cost about 30 Billion Naira to complete that project. If I have such money, I will build more infrastructure across the dtate.
“His Economic Advisory Council led by Prof. Nimi Briggs published a document. The records covered the activities of his administration from 2007 to 2014.
“On education, the council recorded that 485 primary schools were proposed for construction. Some existing old schools were demolished when they required rehabilitation.
“Work actually started on 478 schools but only 116 schools were completed across the State. Amaechi also awarded 15 Modern Secondary Schools for 15 Local Government Areas at over Four Billion Naira each. Only the Ambassador Nne Krukrubo School in Eleme Local Government was completed and functional before he left office”, he stated.
The governor noted that Amaechi was a self seeking leader who paraded himself as one that knows it all.
Wike said there wrre foremost schools that had produced prominent Nigerians in the state that should have been rehabilitated but he abandoned them to embark on the abandoned projects.
He stated that unlike Amaechi that “kills dreams and projects of other people”, he voted money to complete road projects his predecessor initiated.
The governor also berated Amaechi for saying that there is insecurity in Rivers State “when he is the one who determines heads of security agencies that should be posted to the state”.
“Rivers State is safer than any other state. See what is happening in Bornu, Kaduna and Plateau States where bandits have taken over their areas.
“When Amaechi was Governor, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC was chased away because of insecurity. But they are here now, constructing roads all over the State without fear.
“Amaechi’s hometown, Ubima is a place you have a large number of cultists that he uses. The heads of security agencies he influences their postings, come here and see the reality on ground that the State is safe,” he added.