Is it possible for you to give us the state of finances of Rivers State when you took over?
The Permanent Secretaries didn’t give me briefs; they now went and met with the Transition Committee which now submitted its final report on Friday last week. From what the Accountant General gave me first of all, we have what we called the Government Account. The Government Account which is where the FAAC proceeds go to is zero, and that is our main account. The other ones are Ministries’ accounts. I can tell you in Ministry of Works, they were collecting multiples of N10 million to make N200 million to go and paint kerbs two days to our inauguration. I called the Perm Sec, and said, Perm Sec, you mean you people gave somebody contract and you pay him cash of N200 million?’ It is so funny.
They (officials of the former government of Governor Amaechi) said they kept N7 billion. But how could you have kept N7 billion when you owe salaries for how many months? For two months, they didn’t pay salaries- April and May, they didn’t pay. Sharks, Dolphins, Rivers Angels players were being owed eight months and I had to pay their salaries last week. I am paying the ones of the civil servants today (last Monday.) So, how could he say he left N7 billion? For four months, the refuse contractors were not paid and in the whole of Port Harcourt, it was refuse everywhere. And he said he kept N7 billion. The N7 billion is to do what? Pensioners have not been paid since February till now. Even the funds that were not missing were because we started raising alarm and from the 26/27, some banks, in order for us not to be angry with them had to stop some cheques. There was a cheque of N700 million through Skye Bank that didn’t go through because we raised an alarm. Looking at the Ministry of Works alone, the debt portfolio is not less than N150 billion. The loan he took from Zenith Bank he has not paid is about N15 billion. And Zenith Bank was deducting N1.5 billion every month from our money, but we said that will be too much for us. We are just coming into government. How much is our allocation that you will take N1.5 billion?
Given what you’ve described to us now, are you going to write the anti graft agencies to commence investigations into the finances of the State under the Amaechi administration?
No, I have set up a Commission of Enquiry; let’s see what they will come up with before you begin to talk about anti graft agencies. Let’s ascertain what actually happened, let them make recommendations.
Given the scenario you have presented, how would you fulfill your electoral promises to the people of Rivers State?
Fine, we know there are problems. But you didn’t seek for the people’s mandate to come and just celebrate. You sought for mandate because you want to help in solving problems and the people have given you the mandate. Now, we can’t continue complaining, but we must let the people know this is what is on ground, then we have to move on and work. We have sat down with the Accountant General, the Commissioner of Finance, the Secretary to Government and said, what do we do? If you are in Part Harcourt, you will know there is no road in the city now. We said let’s not talk about politics. Let’s go and bring companies that are reputable – Julius Berger, CCECC. We spoke to them and they came. Julius Berger has been out of Rivers State since 2003.
Now, we sat down and said where do we get money from? I called the Accountant General, ‘what is the minimum amount you get in VAT from the federation account monthly?’ He said N900 million a month. I said fine, we should use that as collateral, let’s talk to a bank which can give us money. Every month, the bank should collect so, so amount from the VAT proceeds. So, we agree and the bank said it will give us N10 billion for 20 months at 16 per cent- to collect N500 million for every month as payment. So, we still have N400 million to play with. And what did I do? There are some roads that the former administration awarded the contracts and are very important to the state.
So, we assigned some funds to complete the roads. When I went to Abonema, the other day, to complete the bridge there, we needed only N152 million. The Igulama-Iloabuchi road, only N280 million was needed to complete it and that is the road that will decongest the entire Port Harcourt. So, I called the contractor and asked him, you will sign for me, if I give you money, are you sure you will deliver? He said he will do it in six weeks, I said take your money, go and do it. The one of N152 million, I said how many weeks will it take you to complete it, he said four weeks. I said take your money, go and begin the work. And these funds are tied to the N10 billion.
The law faculty of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology which has been for the past 15 years, we gave about N400 million. The contractor said he will complete the building of the Law Faculty in two, three months. I said sign for me.
Now, look at the Judiciary, for one year, they have not worked, everywhere is dilapidated, there are some courts, you can’t sit in them. So, we took N300 million to the Judiciary, go and put the courts that have been destroyed when you were not sitting in order.
The House of Assembly, you know they’ve not sat there for over two years, even the condition of their residence is unbelievable, so we also gave them N300 million. Now, the roads in town are bad, littered with potholes, bad drainage. So, we said Julius Berger, take the whole of Trans, CCECC take whole of Diobu, let start with making the roads in the city motorable first. Bring back all the traffic lights- we have not less than 23 traffic lights within the city, but not one was working. So, we attach the N10 billion to all these projects.
Now, there are a lot of road contracts awarded by the last administration. There is one going to the University of Education awarded at the cost of about N9 billion, but it has paid about N4 billion. I will call the contractor because we can’t abandon the road, it so significant for us. There is one from Abonema to Woji which I heard they awarded for about N13 billion, Woji / Akpajio road about N14 billion. They have paid the contractors some money, but we will continue the road.
Are you going to continue working with the Council Chairmen elected at the twilight of the Amaechi administration?
Well, they are the Council Chairmen. For now, the matter is in court and the matter has been in court even before the elections but because of his level of impunity, he (Amaechi) refused to obey the court. We went to court to stop the election. The courts said don’t do the election.
INEC refused to give him what he asked for because the matter was in court, but he went ahead. But we follow due process; otherwise, the day I was inaugurated, I would have dissolved the Councils. We are waiting for the outcome of the matter from the court and whichever way the judgment goes, if we are not satisfied, we would go on appeal.
What is your reaction to the insinuation that you have a pact to be sharing Rivers State funds with former First Lady over her support for you during the election?
This country is where we don’t have respect for leadership and it is so ridiculous for anybody to say I and the former First Lady had a pact to remit money. It so unfortunate, what can I give to the former First Lady? She is from Rivers State, she wants her husband’s party to win Rivers State and she looks at all the people that are contesting the election, “who actually can make my husband win the election?”
I can’t understand this country, you were here when they said I was giving her one million dollars, it is so ridiculous that we never respect leadership. Can you say that to the wives of the other Presidents? Can anybody now say that Buhari’s wife, if she is in her position, it means that we should be giving her two million dollars? This is a country where we can say anything, so, no pact at all, at all.
You have spoken very well. But what is worrying most of us is your modus operandi. You see, like politics is all about managing perceptions, like now don’t you think you can handle the matters differently…
Like how?
For instance, the way you are going about recovering the government assets is very loud, don’t you think you can do it through the due process?
The Judicial Commission, is that not a due process
Like using a task force?
Who told you that we used a task force? I told you that we report to the security men and the security men had to go to the place
But we discovered that some of the assets they took didn’t belong to the government…
How did you discover that it didn’t belong to the government? They took one Lexus Jeep bullet proof, which one is ‘some of the assets?’ Who determines the quiet way to go about it? Which one is quiet, which one is noisy? To you now, what we have done this it is not quiet, all what we should have done is to write to EFCC?
For instance, the lady said that if you had written to her…
Why should we write to her? She said that we wanted to award contract and we wanted the whole world to know that she is one of the looters, look at the vehicle
Have you now confirmed that the vehicle belongs to government?
Is there anything contrary to that? If the husband owns it, let him sue us.
Recently, you sacked over 370 Polytechnic staff, what happened?
Now, that is why it is good to get your information right. Immediately I was announced the winner of the election, we started hearing rumours of employment of people, people said how can they be employing, I said don’t worry, let me see how they can bankroll the payroll and the rest. So, what did I do? I asked about the University and Rivers Polytechnic. I invited the Rector, the VC and the chairmen of the two governing councils to my office. I said VC, when did you start employing? He explained and I said fine. You, (Rector) when did you start? He said he got the approval in 2012, then started the process in 2013. Then, when did you start employing now? He said April 2015. So, unfortunately for him, his chairman heard a different thing.
The Chairman now said No, I was appointed in 2013 and when I came, you told me that you have finished employment, so you are telling me lie? He said No, that it was 2015 April. I said okay, have they started working? He said no, they are just started issuing out letters of employment and I said stop, don’t issue letters of employment, we will investigate this matter. When you say you sack, it is as if people are working, they are staff, they are earning salaries and then, you have gone to sack them. But that is not correct.
In any case, you’ve not been able to pay salaries for two months and now, you are employing more workers, how would you pay them their salaries? You just want to compound problems for the incoming administration. If you look at the documents, they started employing April 20. They are not staff because the mere fact that you have been given letters of employment does not make you a staff, you must fufill all other conditions such as: have you earned salary, have you even come to work one day? So, the issue of sacking lecturers is not true. You can only be sacked if you are a member of staff properly speaking. The man (Rector) is a terrible liar. When I was the Minister of State for Education, I implored it on Mr. President to give approval in Rivers State owned institutions- Rivers Polytechnic and the University of Education.
Mr President approves N500 million for them each. When I came to the state and appeared on a radio programme, Viewpoint, they asked me what had this government done for Rivers State? And I said, let me start from where I worked, education, see what the President did for the institutions owned by the State. Rivers State government told the Rector to go and announce that they never got such money. He went on air to say he didn’t get one naira. So, we were having a meeting NUC, TETFUND, and luckily, he came and I said Rector, the President approved this money and I got it released, but you went on air to say it is not correct, what kind of life are you living? He said, No, it is just pressure. You see how painful it is. The same man is the one now telling lies on employment. I never sacked any lecturer because when you employ somebody, there are rules guiding the employment.
You cannot just sack civil servants like that. You see why I said it is politics because the Trade Union Congress in the State has not said anything about it, now national has taken it up, crying more than the bereaved.
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