The wife of former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, Judith Amaechi, has described as absurd and baseless the claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, that she received through her NGO N4bn monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to organize women empowerment and training, amounting to a total of N48bn from the commission.
Earlier this month, Wike was at Channels TV where he made the allegation, According to him, Mrs Amaechi was indicted in the unpublished forensic audit report of the NDDC. He said it was the former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that stopped the report from being released to the public.
Reacting to the claim, Mrs Amaechi in a statement released on Tuesday, July 22 by her spokesperson, Dike Bekwele, faulted Wike’s claim that she was indicted in a corruption probe involving the NDDC. She added that the allegation levelled against her by Wike was a “subtle blackmail to score cheap political goals”.
She stated that there was no iota of veracity in the allegation leveled by Wike.
“Dame Amaechi did not and has never received four billion naira monthly payments (₦4,000,000,000.00) from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. the statement read
The partnership between the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) and the NDDC is reciprocal, to jointly fund human capacity programmes and trainings for the teeming youths and women; supporting nano, micro, small and medium scale entrepreneurs, and its entrepreneurial development centre for youths and women of the Niger Delta Region.
It will be preposterous for Wike to allege that the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) or Dame Judith Amaechi was indicted in the NDDC forensic audit report, which has not been published to the Nigerian Public. It is both absurd, baseless, and a mere figment of Mr. Wike’s imagination.”
Mrs Amaechi challenged Wike to make public his version of the forensic audit report on the NDDC, where either she or the ESI was indicted.
“In the likely event that Wike fails to provide such report, then we challenge Mr. Wike to actuate his boast and make bold to tender his resignation as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, forthwith with an unreserved apology to the Nation,” the statement added.