$43m: Wike insists the money belongs to Rotimi Amaechi

Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, insists the $43 million recently found in an apartment at Ikoyi, Lagos state, belongs to his predecessor and now Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi.

Wike had previously alleged that Amaechi stole the money from the state account when he was still a governor of the state and called on the Federal government to return the money to the state.
Speaking during an Easter Church Service at Saint Peter's Anglican Church in Rumuepirikom yesterday, Wike said that the church has a responsibility to pray that God touches the Federal Government of Nigeria to return the money to the coffers of Rivers State, because the money belongs to Rivers State Government.

"We need the prayer of the Church , because there is nothing that prayer cannot do. Pray that God should touch the Government of Nigeria, so that they will return the money to us. What we are interested is for the money to come back to us."

Wike stated that contrary to claims by Rotimi Amaechi, he, Wike,  has not declared war on the Federal Government, but the Rivers State Government was simply requesting the return of funds belonging to the state.

"I cannot declare war on the Federal Government. Anybody bringing Buhari’s name should leave Buhari and face his own problems . The issue is who kept the money at the Ikoyi Residence. The money was kept there by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. No amount of blackmail, no amount of distraction will stop us from getting our money. "

He alleged that between 70 and 80 percent of the APC Campaigns in 2015 were sponsored using funds sourced by the Rivers State Government under the leadership of Rotimi Amaechi. Wike added that the idea of the selective war of corruption will not help development in the country.

He wondered why security intelligence works on opponents of the Federal Government, but when glaring corruption issues pop up like the Ikoyi case, where Billions of Dollars belonging to Rivers State have been found, the war on corruption is suspended and diversionary tactics adopted.