The Immediate Past Governor of Rivers State, Mr.
Rotimi Amaechi, has said the state was in
comatose when he assumed office more than eight
years ago.
Amaechi, in Abuja on Tuesday, added that because
his government was accountable to the people, he
would not shy away from giving the account of his
administration to the electorate.
The former governor was reacting to series of
allegations made against his government by his
successor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, at a press briefing in
Abuja on Monday.
Amaechi, who spoke through his former
Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim
Semenitari, said the sorry state of the state was
made worse due to many years of militancy and
criminality that, he said, forced government and
business in the state to a standstill.
Semenitari said most of the issues being raised by
Wike were also contained in the assignment the
governor gave to the commission of inquiry he set
up to look into how he ran the state.
The former commissioner said, “Amaechi inherited
a state that was in comatose and in dire need of
infrastructure. Years of militancy and criminality
had forced government and business in Rivers
State to a standstill.
“He therefore embarked on land reclamation in our
riverine communities and the massive construction
of roads, bridges and interchanges all over Rivers
State.
“Realising there is a direct link between state of
infrastructure and the growth rate of any
economy, It is to the credit of the
Amaechi administration that by the time he was
leaving office, he had completed 90 per cent of the
Phase 1A of the Rivers State Monorail, completed
two major interchanges, two flyovers, 25 bridges,
and five shore protection projects.
She said the Amaechi administration also
completed 890 kilometres of the on-going 1,424
kilometres road projects across the state.
She added that there were over six land
reclamation/shore protection projects at Andoni,
Opobo, Buguma, Abalama, Olumbie/Owukiri
Island, and Oba-Ama-Okrika with over
1,140,000km completed.
“Out of the roads completed, some of these were
federal roads for which the Rivers State
Government was owed N108billion. Mr. Wike as
Minister of State for Education was among
those who prevented former President Goodluck
Jonathan from paying the Rivers State Government
back these funds,” the former commissioner
added.
Semenitari said that other states like Akwa Ibom
and Abia received repayment for the federal roads
they constructed.
On the debris being owed the Ministry of Works,
she said when Amaechi was leaving office, the
debts owed the contractors, which she said were
for ongoing road projects,
totalled N44,942,354,44.10.
Besides, she said that the last government was
owing two banks N17.7bn – Agriculture loan from
the Central Bank of Nigeria – N2 billion; Zenith
Bank, N15.7 billion.
Semenitari denied the claim by Wike that she was
contacted by security agents before her official car
was forcefully taken away from her residence in
Port Harcourt.
According to her, “I find it strange that Mr. Wike
says that I was contacted by security agencies. It
might have been necessary that he provides proof
of such contact.
“I am also shocked that he conveniently failed to
acknowledge that it was an eight year old car and
that it was not factory proofed.
“He also failed to state that it was given to me after
several threats to my life because of my job
description and that this isn’t strange as he himself
as chief of staff was aware that there are political
office holders who are allotted official vehicles
from government house as the need or
circumstances may dictate.”
“Over and beyond all this, can Mr. Wike please
confirm if, as commissioner, I am entitled to leave
with the official cars used during my tenure and if
indeed he, as chief of staff and later minister of
state, did so.”
Semenitari said at no time did she claim that the
Lexus Jeep forcefully taken from her residence
belonged to her husband and that what belonged to
him was a Range Rover jeep. Source. http://www.gidimasters.com/2015/06/i-met-rivers-in-comatose-amaechi.html?m=1

Amaechi was part of the odili government.

Though he did exceptionally well in his first tenure... his records are still there for Wike to meet and possibly surpass.

o

huh

No be today

And left it in a State of Comatoses & Quagmire!