Governor Nyesom Wike has urged Christians in Rivers state to pray for the federal government to return the $43m found in an Ikoyi apartment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Speaking during Easter church service at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church in Rumuepirikom, Wike said that the church has a responsibility to pray that God touches the federal government of Nigeria to return the money to the coffers of Rivers State because the money belongs to Rivers State government.
The governor said, “we need the prayer of the church because there is nothing that prayer cannot do. Pray that God should touch the Government of Nigeria, so that they will return the money to us. What we are interested is for the money to come back to us.”
He stated that contrary to the false propaganda being peddled by the embattled Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, he has not declared war on the Federal Government, but the Rivers state government was simply requesting the return of funds belonging to the state.
Wike said, “I cannot declare war on the federal government. Anybody bringing Buhari’s name, should leave Buhari and face his own problems. The issue is who kept the money at the Ikoyi residence. The money was kept there by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. No amount of blackmail, no amount of distraction will stop us from getting our money.”
The governor stated that between 70 and 80 percent of the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigns in 2015 were sponsored using funds sourced by the state under the leadership of Rotimi Amaechi.
He wondered why security intelligence works on opponents of the federal government, but when glaring corruption issues pop up like the Ikoyi case, where Billions of Dollars belonging to Rivers state have been found, the war on corruption is suspended and diversionary tactics adopted.
Vicar of Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, Rumuepirikom, Venerable Israel Omosioni prayed God to grant the request of Rivers people for the Ikoyi billions to be returned.
Omosioni said with the execution of projects across the state by Wike, additional funds will assist the governor to achieve more for the people of the state.