Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Ezenwowike (Con)
Governor-Elect
Press Statement
The people and residents of Rivers State watch with disdain the melodrama of so-called Rivers State legislators pretending to probe the administration of the defeated and lame-duck Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. In recent days the media has been awash with reports of the Rivers State House of Assembly purportedly investigating reports of unpaid salaries of workers, financial recklessness and profligacy of its political aides and appointees. In the words of the law-makers “financial frugality has been jettisoned to the waste bin. The local government areas are drifting to the Hobbesian State of Nature”. It is curious for the House of Assembly to suddenly pretend to show concern about mismanagement of public funds, and express worry about the state’s economy that is in shambles. There is more to this charade than meets the eye.
Despite the populist posturing of the so-called members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, every discerning observer can see through the smoke-screen of pretence. It is interesting that with a few days to the end of this ignominious administration the self-styled members of the House of Assembly are either just hearing or knowing that salaries and pensions have not been paid for many months and that Rivers State has been a victim of financial recklessness and gross maladministration, particularly in the last four years. The House of Assembly has never questioned Governor Amaechi over the tens of billions of Naira wasted on the mono-rail project that is “closer than never”. The N4.5 billion Naira Gov. Amaechi is spending without appropriation under the guise of conducting Local Government Council elections barely 5 days to the end of his administration has also curiously escaped their notice. Perhaps, we are expecting too much from legislators who eagerly look forward to their own share of the N4.5b largesse.
What an irony that it is the members of the ruling APC that are reeling out the wrongs and evils the good people of Rivers State have put up with all these years. We are, however, not fooled by the antics and drama playing out in what purports to be the House of Assembly.
It is common knowledge that these self-styled legislators only act in
accordance with the direction of Governor Amaechi. “Apparently, the game plan is ultimately, to pass a resolution exonerating Amaechi and blaming others for bad governance generally, and none payment of salaries and pensions, as well as gross mismanagement of the State funds, in particular. This poorly written script is disingenuous as it is fraudulent.
HON. BARR. FRANK OWHOR
Secretary, Transition Committee
