The Justice George Omereji-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCI) set up by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, to look into the alleged illegal sales of assets of the state, on Wednesday, submitted its report, indicting the immediate past governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi.
Chairman of the panel, while speaking with newsmen after submitting the report and its recommendation to the governor, said N53 billion disappeared from the state reserve fund between 2014 and May, 2015.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with the various projects executed by the former governor, especially the controversial Justice Adolphous Karibe-Whyte Hospital and the Olympiad Hotel, saying they were conduit pipes used to siphon the state funds.
It will be recalled that Governor Wike set up the commission with the mandate of investigating the sale of the Omoku 150 MW gas turbine, Afam 360 MW gas turbine, Trans-Amadi 136 MW gas turbine and the Eleme 75 MW gas turbine.
The panel also investigated the sale of Olympia Hotel, the execution of the Mono-rail project, non-execution of the Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital, after the alleged payment of $39.2 million to the contractor that handled the project.
The commission was also mandated to investigate the disbursement and use of the state N2 billion agriculture credit guarantee scheme fund and the alleged withdrawal of N96 billion from the State Reserve Funds.
Justice Omereji, while speaking with newsmen, said the assignment was tasking, but added that he and the other members of the commission were not deterred or intimidated in any way.
He specifically said there was N55 billion in the Rivers State Reserve Fund up till last year, adding “but between 2014 and May, 2015, they were able to remove N53 billion.
“We found out that the money was not used for the projects in the state; it went to some individuals. This finding was from their own paper submitted to us. We also discovered that the money was given to people they like.
“We went to some of the projects’ sites. Like at the Justice Adolphous Karibe-Whyte Specialist Hospital, we did not see anything at all when we went there. When I even told the project contractor that we should go to the basement, he was afraid, saying snakes would bite us.
“But I insisted, as I told him that even if we see the snake, we would march on it and it would die. Behold, when we went inside, nothing. The whole billions of naira given to the man were all in vain. There was nothing to show for the money.
“On the Olympia Hotel, I was disappointed because of the nature of the agreement they said they reached, but we have recommended something to the state government on what should be done.”
The chairman of the JCI, however, refused to disclose the recommendations in the report as submitted to Governor Wike, noting it was left for the government to look into it and work on it.
“I don’t want to start talking about the contents of the report we have just submitted. The government will look at; the one they want to accept, they will accept. It is not good for me to reveal the content of the recommendation now, because it has just been submitted.
“We recommended that those found culpable should refund the money. If you are found culpable, we even recommended that some people should be prosecuted. I don’t want to tell you the name of those people (indicted), but it is in the report,” he said.
Addressing the governor while submitting the report, he advised that the state government should act quickly on the recommendations and ensure that the billions of naira allegedly stashed away in the private accounts of some individuals were recovered.
Justice Omereji said the commission received 442 exhibits and 27 memoranda, while 25 witnesses testified before it, adding that the commission visited several sites in line with its terms of reference.
“Government should act fast on the report and Rivers people will be better for it. If government acts fast, we will be able to recover billions stashed into where they kept them. That money belongs to the Rivers people and I hope government would act fast to recover it, so that it would be used for the people of Rivers State,” he said.
He noted that the commission’s work was delayed by two suits filed by former Governor Amaechi and Mr Augustine Wokocha and that the commission only started sitting after the dismissal of the suits, thus necessitating the two-week extension of its sittings.
Receiving the report, Governor Wike declared that his administration would diligently implement the recommendations of the commission in the interest of the state and its people.
He promised that he would make the content public and also make known the next line of action, adding that “we will make sure that we swing into action immediately to see that the recommendations by the commission are implemented.
“We will not be intimidated by anybody or group of persons. So many things have been done to discredit your commission, but to me, I know when the hands of a person are not clean, he resorts to the media.”
While commending members of the JCI for serving the state honestly and for working to time, Wike acknowledged that he was aware of the threats they faced in the course of carrying out the assignment.
“You have taken the bull by the horns to make sure that you served your fatherland. I know that you and your members have faced lots of threats and other challenges.
“But what is important in life is, once you are clean and your conscience is clear, you will not buckle under any pressure, rather, you will go ahead and do what is right,” he added.
Reacting, however, Amaechi put a lie to the claim by the commission’s chairman as he asserted that neither the N53 billion nor any amount got missing during the period in question.
The former governor, in a statement issued by his Commissioner for Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, said he rather saved money for the people of the state for the rainy day.
“The first point to be made here is that the administration of Governor Amaechi believed in saving for the rainy day. It is a mark of prudence that the administration committed to a mandatory saving early in its life.
“However, unfortunate developments in the management of our national resources and the downturn in the economy accelerated the rainy day,” she said.
Semenitari further said the response became necessary in order to make more clarifications and also give more information as they related to the amounts in question.
“At the inauguration of the Justice Omereji Commission, the claim was that the sum of N96 million was withdrawn from the fund by the administration of Governor Amaechi.
“The third point is that every withdrawal from the fund complied with the extant controls governing it.
“Following severe shortfalls in expected revenues, the administration made three withdrawals in 2014. Each withdrawal was in line with the governing law and the proceeds were applied for the purposes of government.
“The total savings by the state over the life of the administration was under N38,530,000,000. Earnings from the investment during the period were over N16 billion.
“The Fund had a Net Asset Value of over N1,200,000,000 at the end of the administration in May 2015,” she added.
Source: Leak Times.
