By: Felix Ikpotor
Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State has taken a swipe at the former Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside for allegedly lying that the state got seventy eight billion naira cash from the federal government as refunds for federal projects executed by the state government.
Wike who spoke at the flag-off of the Woji-Aleto-Elelenwo-Refinery Road project, yesterday said the state only received N52billion out of the N78billion Federal Government refund.
He explained further that out of the sum, N16billion has been given to the Rivers State University for upgrade of facilities.
According to him, the Federal government merely issued a promissory note which the bank is going to discount.
“I didn’t know he (Peterside) does not understand what they call promissory note. N78 billion was not backed up by cash by the Federal government. N78 billion was approved by Federal government, but not in cash. And so the bank has to come in to take it and discount it, because federal government is going to pay them back in the next four years. What Rivers state government got was N52 Billion out of N78 Billion. But, in principle, N78 Billion was approved, but was there any cash? No cash to back it up.”
Governor Wike said it was disingenuous for Peterside, whom he convincingly defeated in 2015 governorship election, to deny his administration’s glaring infrastructural achievements , such as construction of nine flyovers, schools, hospitals, roads, cassava processing factory among others.
He disclosed that under the previous administration in which Peterside served as Commissioner for Works, contractors were compelled to pay bribe and ironically starved of funds. According to him, this is why projects like the Rebesi-Trans-Amadi-Elelenwo road awarded to RCC, was abandoned by the previous government and he had to complete it.
“We signed an undertaking with them by giving them (RCC) an Irrevocable Payment Standing Order of collecting N1 billion every month from us. We paid RCC not less than N17 billion to complete that road. It was not awarded by us. It was the previous administration, they awarded the job and took away their profit and that project was left like that.”
Governor Wike said it is on record that Peterside, who hails from Opobo and was a Commissioner of Works, failed to complete the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity road due to his abysmal performance.
On the contrary, he who is from Obio-Akpor council, has successfully completed the road and will inaugurate it on Saturday.
He went on to challenge Peterside to show proof of projects he attracted to the state as DG NIMASA.
He said: “As a minister of State for Education, I brought Oil & Gas Polytechnic Bonny, faculty of law to UNIPORT, built faculty of social sciences UNIPORT, gave N500m grants to Ignatius Ajuru University and Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic Bori. You what did you bring ?
You were DG NIMASA when they took away the Cabotage office of NIMASA from Port Harcourt to Lagos and did nothing.
I will be in Opobo on Saturday happily.
An Ikwerre son has given Opobo people road to drive home for the first time”.
Senator Theodore Orji , who performed the flag off of the Woji-Aleto-Alesa-Refinery Road commended Governor Wike for running an inclusive government and executing projects that impact positively on the people of Rivers State.
“God specially packaged you to be the governor of Rivers State. And to show them that there is God, whatever you are doing is from the inspiration of God. Don’t relent.”
Senator Orji, who was the immediate past governor of Abia State, described Governor Wike as a solid political rock in the PDP that has remained as terror to the ruling party.
