₦airaland Forum

FACT-CHECK: How true is Wike’s claim that his administration never received more than N200bn in any year as Rivers governor?

A former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has claimed that his then administration in Rivers never received more than N200billion in any particular year from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) while he was governor for eight years.

“Money can make you not see well—the kind of money the governors have now, we never saw it. That’s why most of them make mistakes. They think everything is about money.


“In all my life as governor for eight years. I have never received from the federation account throughout one year. I have never received more than N200 billion,” Mr Wike, who is now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, said while briefing some journalists on Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers.

“Never! The records are there. And so most of them are blindfolded, and I tell people money has its own limitations. It is not everything that you think money would work. No,” he added.


The minister said that the post–fuel subsidy windfall under President Bola Tinubu’s administration was responsible for “fiscal recklessness” by some governors.

The context
Mr Wike’s comment came amid a renewed political rift with his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, whose reported second-term ambition he opposes.

The fallout between Messrs Fubara and Wike had pushed Rivers into one of Nigeria’s most complex political crises in recent history. It defied two presidential interventions, split the House of Assembly into rival factions, led to the burning of local government secretariats, and resulted in deaths, including that of a security operative.

Apparently, to shake off the minister’s overbearing influence in the Rivers chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Fubara defected from the PDP to the APC, a move that has reshaped the state’s power dynamics.

The facts
Available FAAC data compiled by BudgIT, a civic organisation, contradict Mr Wike’s claim of not receiving more than N200 billion in any particular year when he was Rivers governor.

According to the records, Rivers State received the following FAAC allocations under Mr Wike’s second term in office: 2019: N169 billion; 2020: N149 billion; 2021: N170 billion; 2022: N293 billion; 2023: N339 billion.


It is worthy to note that 2022 was Mr Wike’s last full year in office, and Rivers State received N293 billion from FAAC—far above the N200 billion ceiling he claimed was never crossed.

The Verdict – False
The BudgIT figures for Rivers clearly show that Mr Wike’s administration received well over N200 billion in at least one year. His categorical assertion that this never happened during his eight-year tenure is not supported by verifiable data.

Why this matters
Mr Wike’s comment came against the backdrop of an intense political battle with Governor Fubara, whom he accuses of poor judgement and political disloyalty. By downplaying the scale of funds available during his own tenure, Mr Wike appears to be framing a moral argument against current governors, while rewriting fiscal history.

In a polity where public trust is fragile, precision with facts matters—especially when numbers are deployed as political weapons. On this claim, the record is clear: the numbers do not agree with Mr Wike’s claim.

MemphitzDgreat1:
The fall of Nyesom Wike WILL be televised. Hopefully, he will die afterwards!

Switruth:
You go cry according to ghe ghe.... Wike is a greedy man.

anonimi:
"Wike and Fayose have brought shame to PDP" -Ali Modu Sheriff

According to him, he will restructure the PDP in such a way that Wike and Fayose cannot contain because they have brought “shame” to the party.
Read what he said below

“I will engineer a restructuring of the PDP such that characters like Wike and Fayose cannot find a way through to attain any position of prominence in our party in the future. They have brought shame and agony through the application of their crude and godless politics which is at variance with the principles upon which our founding fathers built our great party.

We must find a way to sieve things so that only men of character and integrity can come through for positions of responsibility at all levels of our political engagement in the country. We must urgently steer the ship of PDP clear of the path of infamy which Wike and Fayose have brought our party, making Nigerians to mistake PDP as a training ground for thugs.

That is the urgent task we have. We cannot continue to advertise thug brand and expect Nigerians to take us seriously”.

https://igberetvnews.com/349783/wike-and-fayose-have-brought-shame-to-pdp-ali-modu-sheriff/#forward

Denalarian:
This man just read Law to intimidate.. that's why he put his wife as his 2IC to cleanup.. very rugged street guy you see here..

anonimi:
Wike lobbied PDP committee to be Atiku’s running mate – Ex-gov’ship aspirant

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:33:04 WAT

Muazu Magaji, a former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kano State, has alleged that the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, lobbied members of the party’s committee constituted to advise the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on the choice of his running mate.

Magaji disclosed this while speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, on Thursday.

The Kano politician also argued that there was no proof that Atiku promised Wike the vice president position as claimed.

The PDP committee had recommended the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel and Wike.

The committee, however, scored Wike above the other two contenders but Atiku decided to settle for Okowa. A decision that has since unsettled Wike’s camp.

Magaji, however, claimed that Wike lobbied to be scored ahead of others, adding that the Rivers State governor should not be trusted with important positions in the country.

https://dailytrust.com/wike-lobbied-pdp-committee-to-be-atikus-running-mate-ex-govship-aspirant/

ddippset:
Says a man who hijacked the party and singlehandedly produced the last 4 National Chairmen of the party for his own selfishness.

Says a man who accepted nomination to be running mate to Fulani Atiku.
He knew it was injustice to give Atiku the ticket yet he lobbied to be the VP.


He knew the party had to go South for the 2023 election, yet he still put Secondus as National Chaiman just to hijack the party..
Only to push Secondus out because he wanted the ticket 2023.

This man remains the biggest problem of PDP.

He can only deceive and fool his minions, not reasonable people.

Bobloco:
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/846885-fact-check-how-true-is-wikes-claim-that-his-administration-never-received-more-than-n200bn-in-any-year-as-rivers-governor.html?tztc=1

SisterAnn:
When you talk too much and too carelessly, you are bound to start telling lies.

Wke received over 300b in 2023 which is the year he handed over, you can be rest assured he made sure to cart the funds away with him as his birthright and severance pay.

Henix:
Even the 169 billion naira he received in 2019 is more than 600 billion naira when calculated in today's economy

Inspirer1:
This is why I don't like that "Fuel subsidy removal" stuff, more money to politicians at the expense of the masses....what's the difference? Marginal difference, just a change of who benefits... The masses are even worse off now than then.

Fiscus105:
Tinubu just took away the only benefit masses enjoying and give it to few privileged politicians.

I usually pity the miscreants who are still chanting Hosanna for the tyrant who is enslaving them, most especially those who don't have privileged to lick largesse from govt, even if it's crumble.

In other clime, govt would have set up, so many intervention to cushion effects of severe suffering the removal of subsidy causing, but for the acclaimed Messiah of zoo, he his less concerned, After all, the person that will die will die and those that remains will remain

Denalarian:
This man just read Law to intimidate.. that's why he put his wife as his 2IC to cleanup.. very rugged street guy you see here..