THE Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday submitted its report to the state Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, with an appeal to him to recover stolen funds belonging to the people, including the sum of N53bn taken from the State Reserve Fund.
The commission was set up by Wike to investigate the sale of valued assets belonging to the state by the Rotimi Amaechi administration.
The Chairman of the commission, Justice George Omereji, suggested that the state governor should swing into action and ensure that billions of naira belonging to the state stashed away in some places were retuned while those found culpable should be prosecuted.
Omereji, who spoke with newsmen after submitting the panel’s report, disclosed that investigation had revealed that the immediate past administration in the state had removed N53bn from the N55bn left in the State Reserve Fund between 2014 and May 2015.
He explained that the commission could not find any project linked to the withdrawal of the N53bn from the State Reserve Fund and added that the money was shared among the cronies of the past administration.
Describing the task given to the panel as enormous, Omereji also disclosed that the immediate past administration could not actualise the building of the Justice Karibi Whyte Hospital, even when a huge amount of money had been paid to contractors for the project.
He said, “There was the sum of N55bn in the State Reserve Fund. Between 2014 and May 2015, they (immediate past administration) were able to remove N53bn and we found out that the money (N53bn) was not used for the projects in the state. The money went to individuals. From the papers submitted to us, we also found out that the money was given to people they like.
“We went to the site of the Justice Karibi Whyte Hospital, we did not see anything at all. When I told the project contractor to come with us (panel) to the place, he said snakes would bite us.
“But I insisted that we should go there. Behold, by the time we went inside, we did not see anything. The whole billions of naira given to the man cannot be accounted for.
“We have recommended that those found culpable should refund the money. We even recommended that some people should be prosecuted.
Responding, the state governor vowed to implement the recommendations of the Omereji-led panel and maintained that his administration would not be intimidated by any person or group of persons.
Explaining that the report will not be like any other report, Wike assured that the state government would immediately swing into action with a view to looking into the commission’s recommendations and take necessary steps.
Reacting to the panel’s report, the former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, in a statement by his Media Office, described the allegation of a “missing N53bn” as “unfortunate and leaves much to be desired.”
The statement added, “The mischief is all the more evident as the funds referred to are funds from the Rivers State reserve fund which was duly approved by the Rivers State House of Assembly and whose expenditure were duly captured and accounted for.”
The statement said Amaechi would not have responded to the allegation but it would do so in keeping with Amaechi’s ethos of transparent and accountable leadership.
It explained that between “2013 and early 2015 revenue accruing to the state was cut in half due to swindling federal allocation to states. From about an average of N20bn, the state began receiving between N9bn and N10bn. By the middle of the first quarter of 2015 the state revenue dipped to as low as N6bn. Salaries alone stood at over N9bn besides other expenses. Government has set aside the reserve funds as a rainy day fund and had needed to fall back to it to fund salaries and projects.
“The details of the expenditure were very clearly captured and this information which was already In the public domain was shared with the incoming and the Omeriji panel.
Amaechi advised the incumbent governor to go to court and prove the “spurious allegations of corruption rather than spending resources he “left behind for the betterment of Rivers people by a prudent and thrifty government on frivolities.”
“We would counsel Mr. Wike to focus on the job at hand and try to make something of the few days he has before he leaves Brick House, per adventure he might yet make some positive impact on the minds of Rivers people.
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