- The allegations of corruption against the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi may have been false afterall
- This is due to the recent confessions by the Integrity Friends for truth and peace Initiative a.k.a The Integrity Group
- The group, which is an anti-corruption watchdog had petitioned the authorities accusing Amaechi of corruption
An anti-corruption watchdog, The Integrity Group, have recanted its allegations against the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
The group had petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in a letter dated July 29, 2015 titled:
“CORRUPTION, CRIMINAL BREACH OF TRUST, UNLAWFUL ENRICHMENT, AND CONVERSION OF OVER 70 BILLION NAIRA STATE RESOURCES BY FORMER GOVERNOR ROTIMI AMAECHI AND OTHER FUNCTIONARIES,’’ demanding the investigation and prosecution of Rotimi Amaechi over an alleged conversion of Rivers state proceeds of the purported sales of state assets including power plants, a Karibi Whyte Hospital and diversion of some monies from the Rivers state Internal Revenue Service etc.
Amaechi cleared of any wrong-doing by the Integrity Group. Photo credit: Ministry of transportation
Same petition was addressed to the Senate President which was laid on the floor on August 8, 2015.
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But in a statement sent to NAIJ.com, the executive director of the group, Livingstone Wechie said the Rivers state government cashed into his group's investigation and furnished them with forged documents.
He continued: “May we state that our organization in all honesty relying on those documents unknown to have been forged and fabricated by the Wike-led Rivers state government, subsequently advised the Rivers state government to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate these allegations among others accordingly as part of our quest to get justice for the good people of Rivers state.
“The panel did its work in fairness to the chairman, Justice George Omereji and the members and submitted their report to the governor unknown to the world that it was all politics and documents tendered were fabricated and forged out of sheer desperation to indict Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and paint him black at all costs for selfish reasons.
“This is one reason among others that the Wike-led River state government having mischievously achieved their aim of diminishing Amaechi, are still unable, two years after, to commence prosecutorial actions as of right against Rotimi Amaechi knowing that the documents will be challenged having been forged.
“Our organization as a mark of the highest responsibility owes the world a duty of honesty and trust; not being a political platform but strictly an anti-corruption watchdog to question and engage any government without fear in keeping with probity in governance.
“May we state that just as we questioned the Amaechi government on major fiscal matters during the life of his administration through our various platforms, we shall also not spare the Wike administration which has shown gross abuse of powers much more than the Rotimi Amaechi administration at an alarming degree.”
The group challenged the Wike-led government to immediately publish all budgets of Rivers state for the past two years plus.
It also demanded the government to publish all procurement plans thereto, publish evidence of all competitive biddings and tenders on all projects and contracts executed so far under the Wike administration including his security votes and evidence of every statutory allocation to the three arms of government in Rivers state.
“The civil society in line with our good governance and accountability project shall not relent in continuously demanding accountable governance in the state and beyond to checkmate various frivolous activities and banquets not captured in any known budgets.
“Our peers, especially Lagos state has left us in the dust. Rather than govern, Rivers state has again been infested with a dictator who thinks of our State as his conquered territory.
“The time has come for all Rivers men and women of goodwill to rise up and demand their rights as citizens and residents of the state.
“Finally, we call on the general public and all relevant institutions to disregard all documents tendered by our organization indicting Rotimi Amaechi including particularly the so-called Omereji Report and the subsequent white paper by the Rivers state government as all documents tendered were all politically fabricated and forged by the Nyesom Wike government of Rivers state to achieve his unrighteous end,” the group concluded.
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Meanwhile, foremost political affairs analyst and researcher, Mr Uche Igwe has re-affirmed his earlier stance that most of the allegations of corruption against Amaechi were false.
Igwe stated this from his base in the United Kingdom after listening to the confessions of Wechie who appeared on a live television program on African Independent Television - Focus Nigeria on Tuesday, July 17 to make confessions on the role he played to nail Amaechi at all cost.
Watch Amaechi highlight the achievements of his ministry in the NAIJ.com TV report below: