Dame Judith Amaechi, wife of former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, has strongly denied allegations by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that she received N4 billion monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for empowerment programmes.
Reacting through a statement issued on Tuesday by her media aide, Dike Bekwele, Mrs Amaechi described Wike’s allegation as “baseless, false, and aimed at tarnishing her image for political gain.”
Wike had made the claim during a recent live television appearance, alleging that Mrs Amaechi was paid N4 billion monthly by the NDDC and that the funds were mismanaged. He also called on President Bola Tinubu to release the long-awaited forensic audit report of the NDDC.
However, Mrs Amaechi dismissed the claim as unfounded and politically motivated, insisting that she never received such payments either personally or through her non-governmental organization, the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI).
“There is absolutely no iota of truth in the allegation made by Mr. Wike against Dame Amaechi and the Empowerment Support Initiative. She did not and has never received N4 billion monthly from the NDDC,” the statement read.
The statement clarified that ESI, incorporated in 2011 as a non-governmental organization, has worked in partnership with development agencies, including the NDDC, under verifiable memoranda of understanding to empower youth and women in the Niger Delta through entrepreneurial development and vocational training.
Mrs Amaechi noted that such collaborative projects were transparently executed and publicly documented.
She also refuted any claim of indictment in the forensic audit of the NDDC, noting that the report in question has yet to be made public.
“It is preposterous for Wike to allege any indictment in a report that has not been published. This is merely a figment of his imagination,” the statement said.
Mrs Amaechi further challenged the FCT Minister to produce any section of the audit report that implicates her or ESI. In the absence of such, she called on Wike to retract the allegation, tender a public apology, and resign his ministerial position.
“We advise Mr. Wike to refrain from making false and inflammatory statements that bring Nigeria’s image to disrepute. Such conduct is harmful to the country’s reputation, especially as we seek to attract foreign investment,” she concluded.
