Hot SourceBennett Oghifo
Judith, the wife of the former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has debunked a recent claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was paying her N4 billion monthly as funding for her Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) when she was Rivers’ First Lady.
In a press statement signed by her Media Assistant, Dike Bekwele, Dame Judith Amaechi said Wike’s claim had elicited calls and inquiry about the veracity of this story, describing it as “utterly baseless falsehood.”
The statement reads: “We would have ignored the minister’s ranting as it is a mere blackmail intended to undermine the reputation and integrity of Her Excellency and the ESI, but it is imperative to state the obvious in the interest of right-thinking Nigerian citizens.
“Mr. Wike made these allegations without any iota of decency, and with disregard to the precision of facts, rather to a mere vainglory in a bid to score cheap political goals. For the records, we wish to dismiss the allegations as untrue.
“The partnership, between the ESI and the NDDC are reciprocal, to jointly fund human capacity programmes and trainings for the teeming youths and women; supporting nano, micro, small and medium scale entrepreneurs, and its Entrepreneurial Development Center for youths and women of the Niger Delta Region.
“This partnership has been successfully executed since its commencement to the satisfaction of both ESI and the NDDC, with numerous youths and women within the Niger Delta region benefitting from the scheme for self-reliance and sustainability.”
Judith said “quite contrary to the falsehood concocted and diffused by Mr. Nyesom Wike,” the counterpart funding between the ESI and the NDDC is in public glare for scrutiny.
The statement continues: “It will be preposterous for Wike to allege that the ESI or Dame Judith Amaechi was indicted in the NDDC forensic audit report which has not been published to the Nigerian Public. It is both absurd, baseless, and a mere figment of Mr. Wike’s imaginations.
“The ESI enjoys a robust partnership and relationship with its development partners including the NDDC. Such relationship has provided interventions in critical areas of the region, including empowerment of the youths and women in vocation and skills required for middle -level manpower by corporate organizations in the Niger Delta Region. Again, the allegation of an indictment of Dame Amaechi and the ESI is only a subtle blackmail to score cheap political goals.
“We expect that Minister Nyesom Wike will remain patient to his prayers answered on the unpublished NDDC forensic audit report, than to engage and indulge in media trial on a Live National telecast.
“We therefore, challenge Mr. Wike to make public his version of the forensic audit report on the NDDC where either Dame Judith Amaechi or the ESI were indicted. In the likely event that Wike fails to provide such report, then we challenge Mr. Wike to actuate his boast and make bold to tender his resignation as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, forthwith with an unreserved apology to the Nation.
“Finally, may we advise Mr. Wike to stop bringing the country’s image to disrepute as his uncouth and uncultured attitude is capable of undermining and under-marketing the nation’s effort at attracting foreign investors into the country.”
