- APC Chieftain Sad About Tinubu’s Silence Amidst Graft Allegations
Ofonime UMANAH/Ruth NWORIE
These are very challenging times for the FCT minister who has maintained a loud silence after he was accused of diverting about $300 million meant for Ogonis and allegedly using same to build malls in many parts of Rivers State.
His accuser, Omoyele Sowore, had also accused Wike of acquiring choice property abroad, as well as in some parts of Nigeria under questionable circumstances. But Wike has not uttered a word in defence, since pictures of the various property hit the internet. quite unlike him.
The development has attracted the anger of some stakeholders in Rivers State, including a chieftain of the APC, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze and a youth leader who runs the South South Youths Initiative, Comrade Imeabe Oscar Saviour.
Eze and Saviour spoke to TNN in separate online interviews, with Saviour expressing shock that Wike was yet to react to the allegation of diverting the $300 million funds belonging to the people of Ogoni.
He said: “Sometime ago, the House of Representatives member, Boma Goodhead, accused Barrister Nyesom Wike of being in possession of the 300 million US dollars belonging to the people of Ogoni. She went further to call on the attention of the EFCC, ICPC and other financial crime related agencies to invite her for proof and explanation.
“Up till date, she has not been invited, neither has she been consulted by the CPC, ICPC, or EFCC. Sometimes, we begin to wonder the kind of country we live in — that someone has been accused, with proof and readiness to testify, that the money belongs to the people of Ogoni but has been diverted to a private account, and yet nothing is being done about it.
“I think we must sincerely say that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is actually one of those administrations that we can consider as leading in terms of corruption. We were thinking that when Buhari came to campaign, he was going to stop corruption.
“He couldn’t fight corruption, and we expected that Bola Ahmed Tinubu would have done the needful. Unfortunately, a lot of his cabinet members and aides are being accused directly of siphoning money and being in possession of public funds.
“But then, the president is not doing anything about it. I think it is high time we call on the ICPC, EFCC, and other agencies saddled with the responsibility of investigating financial crimes to invite Nyesom Wike for questioning, so that Wike can actually come out to tell Rivers people, or the Ogonis, where he kept the money — the 300 million dollars belonging to the people of Ogoni.
“It is very important that Nyesom Wike comes out to explain where that money is, because up till now, some names mentioned are also from Ogoni and were said to be responsible for part of that money. That is the reason why some Ogonis or Ogoni elites, stakeholders, have not been able to make any pronouncement or criticism, even when some of us have publicly said Wike should come out — that the FCT Minister, former Governor, should come out to explain to the people of Ogoni about the accusation levelled against him concerning the 300 million US dollars belonging to the people of Ogoni.
“If the money was actually used to build Hyper City as alleged, then it is obvious that Hyper City now belongs to the people of Ogoni, because that is Ogoni money. That is oil money, which is also referred to as blood money. Ogoni oil is referred to as blood money. Anything attributed to Ogoni oil or belonging to the people of Ogoni is also referred to as the blood of oil.”
“This whole news is not coming to some of us as a surprise because it is one of those agitations, one of those complaints, one of those reports we have always raised — that Nyesom Wike has been using public resources or public funds for his own personal gain. We also remember how Nyesom Wike used Rivers State resources to sponsor Uche Secondus as the National Chairman of the PDP and also used the same Rivers State resources to sponsor his removal.
“We are aware that Nyesom Wike has been using Rivers State resources for his own personal gain without minding the interest or concerns of the public. Nyesom Wike is not interested, and Tinubu’s government is also not concerned about the reactions of Nigerians — about how public money is being used for personal projects. Rivers State resources have been abused severely, and nothing has been done about it.
“It is obvious that this is not news to us anymore, that Nyesom Wike is in possession of Rivers State resources for personal use. This has been going on, and no responsible government has been able to come in place to investigate or call for investigation into how Nyesom Wike has been spending public funds. Nobody, no government, has been able to act.
“Nyesom Wike should be probed or go under investigation. Finally, we want to sincerely call on Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu — if at all he means well for Nigerians, if at all he is ready for a government that works — to call on the attention of the ICPC and EFCC. We urge the President to direct the EFCC to investigate and probe the administration of Nyesom Wike as the former Governor of Rivers State, probe him as the former Supervisory Minister of Education, and probe him as the current FCT Minister.
“We are calling on Tinubu to sack Wike and also give directives to the EFCC and ICPC to immediately probe Nyesom Wike, so that Rivers money can be recovered, and Ogoni money can be recovered.”
TNN’s online interview with Eze went thus:
How did you receive the news of the allegations of corruption against Wike, by Sowore?
Like every Nigerian who may be shocked about the multitude of the revealed properties belonging to an individual by Sowore, but the truth is that some of us who knew Wike very well, the revelations don’t make any meaning to us as. We are aware of most of these revelations before this time, only that we lacked the courage like Sowore, to reveal some of these atrocities against humanity by an individual who thought by accumulating such unwarranted and illegal wealth, he can then purchase all Nigeria and institutions, knowing very well based on the connections of Wike and biased nature of our present government, that doesn’t care of fighting corruption, revealing some of these acts may not attract any action from them
Now that Sowore has revealed some of these acts, has the government or those charged to fight and expose corruption acted as if anything happened? Nigeria is doomed if things continue like this and that is why this government have to be flushed out come 2027 less more terrible situations await all of us.
If you had the opportunity of meeting Tinubu, what would you tell him to do with Wike over this matter?
Meeting Tinubu and reporting Wike to him is as good as reporting to Wike about Wike because Tinubu is not only aware of what Wike is doing but encouraging him to acquire more funds for their futile 2027 general elections
I will further counsel him that he has failed himself and those that thought that he was a wonderful democrat, but Wike has succeeded to ruin all that he has acquired as a democrat. But it is not too late to rescue himself by excusing Wike from further damaging him.
Most Nigerians were not interested to seeing Tinubu off come 2027 but because of the acts of Wike his plot for a second term is a dead dream
Talking about peace in Rivers State, would you say there is real peace? Is Wike and his loyalists giving Fubara peace?
It is not in Wike’s nature to give out peace as peace is totally far from his nature so how do you want those that he nurtured politically to give out peace. From what I have seen since Fubara came back, I think he has matured in this craft of governance and is ready to play the game accordingly. Let us just watch and see how it goes. With what Wike boys have done by refusing to attend state functions, particularly the Independence Day Church Service shows that this group doesn’t have any respect both for the governor and Nigeria as an entity and if they continue like this, they will only succeed in burying their political future.
