Politicians scheming over N600bn in Rivers coffers –Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that politicians are now scheming to get a share of the N600bn left in Rivers State coffers by the former Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), following the lifting of the six-month emergency rule in the state.
Wike made the allegation on Saturday evening when he met with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly at their legislative quarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, claiming that the disclosure of the funds had triggered the interest of politicians from within and outside the state.
According to Wike, some prominent politicians who recently visited Rivers State and met with Governor Siminalayi Fubara were not motivated by goodwill or political solidarity but by the desire to access the N600bn reportedly left behind by the Sole Administrator.
The FCT minister said such politicians had adopted a pattern of publicly praising the governor—who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress—while privately angling for a share of the state’s resources.
Wike said, “Given the experience in Nigerian politics, Nigerian politicians like Rivers money. I can tell you that. Go and study it. Nigerian politicians like Rivers money.
“If you want to make money in Rivers today, I don’t know how you made the mistake of announcing that there is N600bn. That mistake you made announcing that has triggered the interest of some politicians from other states, I know them.”
He accused the politicians of weaponising attacks against him as a strategy to ingratiate themselves with the state government, claiming that abusing him had become an easy route to benefiting from the funds.
