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Tag: Amaechi

  • Wike, Abe in alliance to defame me, alleges Amaechi

    MINISTER of Transportation and Director- General of President Buhari 2019 Campaign Organisation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, is accusing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator, representing Rivers South-East in the Senate, Magnus Abe, of conniving and conspiring to disparage and defame him.

    Amaechi, who is the immediate past governor of Rivers State and the leader of the APC in Rivers State and the South-South, says the duo of Abe and Wike “are plotting to use his former cabinet members to tell fake, concocted and distorted stories to the media that are meant to denigrate him, impugn his unblemished integrity and paint a very terrible image of him to members of the public.” In a statement released by his media office, Friday, the minister claimed that the plot is already far-gone and persons are being coached on what to say and how to say it.

    The statement read: “I am aware that two former commissioners who served in the State Executive Council when I was governor have been procured by Wike and Abe, jointly and collaboratively, to carry out this hatchet job of ‘hack Amaechi down’ campaign. The plan is to throw as much dirt at me as possible and rubbish my image. “While one is being coached in Rivers State Government House of what to say to the press and how to say it, to do maximum damage; the other one is busy distorting, concocting and fabricating fake screenshots, text messages, documents and all sorts in Senator Abe’s Freedom House campaign office in Port Harcourt; that they intend to release to the media to tarnish my image. “I want to alert the media and members of the public of the smear plot by these two political collaborators (Wike and Abe), to unjustly discredit and smear me for their selfish political reasons.”

    Amaechi noted that he would not be distracted by any cheap, fake smear campaign of calumny against him, while urging Rivers people to pay no heed to the “desperate attentionseeking duo of Wike and Abe and all of their fabricated lies” but focus on the goal of ensuring that Rivers State gets a better leader that would turn around the fortune of the state and its people for good, come 2019. He insisted that no amount of sabotage and fake stories will deter him and all genuine APC members, supporters and Rivers people from “changing and voting out the inept government in Rivers State, next year.” Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, in his reaction last night, through Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Chief Emma Okah, stated that the Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, was being haunted by his ugly actions, asking him to face the judgment of the people, instead of deluding himself that he (Wike) was after him. Wike declared that Amaechi falsely accused him and Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers Southeast) of conspiring to defame him (transportation minister). Okah said: “The assertion (by Amaechi) is false.

    Governor Wike has no time to take issues with paper tigers and base politicians, who cannot win elections in their wards and local governments, without the help of security agencies. “Senator Abe is an adult and a distinguished member of the National Assembly, who does not need any collaboration to resist the wrong visited upon him by the former governor of Rivers State), by denying him right to political aspiration. “Every Nigerian knows the love lost between Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and the Transportation Minister and since 2013.

    The latter has used every opportunity to insult the governor of Rivers State and his government and he sees nothing wrong with that. Why is the transportation minister now afraid of receiving a little of the same meal he has served others? “While the transportation minister is diverting attention from the obvious questions of his failure to attract any project to Rivers State, despite the enormous sacrifice the state made in bringing about the APC-led government at the centre, the government and people of Rivers State will remain focused in demanding explanations on the economic rape he (Amaechi) inflicted on the state and the failure of his party to plant any project in the state.” Efforts to speak with Abe’s spokesperson, Parry Benson, was unsuccessful as his mobile line was not reachable.

    Text and WhatsApp messages sent to his mobile line had yet to be replied, as at press time. The Director-General of Abe’s governorship campaign organisation, and former Rivers Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice in Amaechi’s government, Worgu Boms, declined comment when our correspondent reached out to him on the telephone. Senator Abe on his part, neither answered calls put through to his MTN mobile line nor replied the text and WhatsApp messages sent to him.

  • Amaechi not responsible for Abe’s political woes, says APC chieftain

    A CHIEFTAIN of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has insisted the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is not responsible for the political woes of Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers Southeast).

    He described the remark by Abe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA)), that nobody could stop his governorship ambition, as reckless, unfortunate and undemocratic.

    Eze noted that Abe’s statement brought out his undemocratic nature, with insinuation that the electorate or party members cannot stop him.

    He said: “Abe, as a citizen of Nigeria, is well qualified to contest any electoral position in the country, but to go about it as if it is a do-or-die affair is what will make it impossible for such a dream to be realised through APC during the 2019 general election.

    “Abe must stop blaming his mentor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, as the person behind his political woes, but rather blame himself for whatever he is going through in his political life.

    “It is a fact that Amaechi’s impact in the political life of Abe cannot be overemphasised, which made the senator to proudly and openly state that Amaechi had invested so much in my political career, making him to become the highest political investment of Amaechi in Nigeria.

    “It beats my imagination that Abe, who knows what Amaechi has invested in him politically, will  still constitute himself as a stumbling block to APC dislodging Governor Nyesom Wike, whose tenure as governor has become anathema and a curse to the state.”

    The APC chieftain urged Abe to stop dropping names of leaders of the party, including President Muhamnadu Buhari; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; wife of the President, Aisha Buhari; and APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole; as those behind him, to deceive his followers.

    Eze cautioned Abe against aligning himself with Wike and other external forces to divide and undermine the progressive vision and mission of APC in Rivers, while urging him to retrace his step.

  • Rivers govt asks Amaechi to account for sold state’s assets

    Rivers State government has asked the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to account for the  $308 million (about N112 billion) proceeds of the sale towards the end of his administration of the state’s gas turbine power stations to Sahara Energy, belonging to Tonye Cole, the endorsed governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

    Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications Emma Okah yesterday in Port Harcourt alleged that the proceeds of the sale of the power stations were diverted to fund political activities of APC was responsible for why Amaechi’s government abandoned so many uncompleted projects and owed salaries and pensions to workers before he left office in 2015.

    The transportation minister, on Sunday in Port Harcourt, at an APC’s rally to receive defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said: “Nothing is greater than God. I closed my mouth for nearly three years, to enable Wike to do his work. Instead of doing his work, he was busy going everywhere, talking and stealing our money. Wike stole N117 billion belonging to Rivers State, as revealed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).”

    Okah claimed that besides the power assets which Amaechi sold to Sahara Energy, the same company also bought the Olympia Hotel in the old Government Reservation Area (GRA), Port Harcourt and other high-value state assets, under suspicious circumstances.

    He said: “The Justice Omereji Commission of Inquiry investigated the spurious sales and indicted the Minister for Transportation. Instead of refunding the money, the minister rushed to court to set aside the findings of the commission. He lost at the High Court and at the Court of Appeal. His appeal to the Supreme Court has been abandoned, because for over a year, he has failed to file a brief of argument.

    “This is why the minister is arm-twisting his party members in the state and forcing Mr. Tonye Cole on them as their anointed flag bearer in the 2019 governorship polls. There is need to cover the skeletons in the cupboard.

    “Instead of explaining why he took such contagious economic steps against the state, the former Rivers governor is busy blackmailing the government of Rivers State and supporting the EFCC to disobey existing court orders and harass the government of Rivers State and its officials.”

  • Amaechi to Abe: ‘I am not your leader’

    GOING by a statement credited yesterday to Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, the crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) may not be over yet.

    The minister and leader of the APC in the Southsouth state has disowned Senator Magnus Abe, who is jostling for the party’s governorship ticket.

    Last week, Abe acknowledged Amaechi as his leader. But the minister said the senator’s actions were targeted at weakening and destroying the party.

    Amaechi, in a statement in Abuja by his media office, said Abe cannot refer to him (Amaechi) as a leader when he publicly insults him, his wife and others.

  • Wike, Amaechi clash over 2019

    Minister for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has said  Governor Nyesom Wike is in a panic over 2019 elections.

    The minister accused the governor of sponsoring members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to cause confusion.

    Commissioner for Information and Communications Emma Okah, reacting on behalf of Wike, noted that the govenor can never panic over 2019.

    Amaechi spoke yesterday at Rumueme Civic Centre, Port Harcourt in  Obio/Akpor Local Government, at a rally to receive defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    At the rally are Senator Andrew Uchendu (Rivers East); endorsed APC governorship candidate Pastor Tonye Cole; state APC Chairman Ojukaye Flag-Amachree; and leader of the party in Obio/Akpor Chikodi Dike, among other top politicians.

    Amaechi, the director-general of Buhari/Osinbajo Re-election Campaign Organisation, said: “Nothing is greater than God. I closed my mouth for nearly three years, to enable Wike to do his work. Instead of doing his work, he was busy going everywhere, talking and stealing our money. Wike stole N117 billion belonging to Rivers State, as revealed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    “Wike is sponsoring people in our party (APC) to disintegrate the party. Now, I have come out. The way to go about it is to let the party at the national and to let the country know that we are ready for elections. All these people distracting us inside the party, under the sponsorship of Wike, we will ignore them, because Wike must go in 2019.

    “This is not a campaign rally, but it is a rally to show the world that we are in Wike’s village. Just five minutes trek. I walked from there to this place. When I was running for governor, if you entered Ubima (his hometown in Ikwerre LGA) and you come out alive, then you are a good man. We have entered here (Rumueme Civic Centre), we will enter again and again.

    “I am very impressed with the quality of people who are defecting to APC. Wike has stopped shouting. I told you he would stop shouting. I told you we would go underground, we would work and seeing our work, Wike would panic. Now, Wike is panicking and I am enjoying it. Do not be afraid anymore. Wike does not have the monopoly of killing.”

    “I want to know the membership of APC in Rivers State. Get registered in APC and also get your Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). I will come ward by ward to meet you. If our membership base in 796,000 as at now, we have won the elections.”

    Okah said: “Amaechi is the person sponsoring opposition against Governor Wike and the Rivers State government. Amaechi should look inwards and solve his problems, rather than blaming the focused and performing governor of Rivers State. Governor Wike is solidly on the ground in Rivers State. His administration has enough development projects across the 23 LGAs of the state to justify his re-election next year.”

  • Amaechi to Abe: ‘I am not your leader’

    The Minister of Transportation and Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi has disowned Senator Magnus Abe.

    Amaechi also said Abe’s actions are targeted at weakening and destroying the party.

    Amaechi in a statement in Abuja on Sunday by his media office, said Abe cannot refer to him (Amaechi) as a leader when he publicly insults him, his wife and others.

    The Senator representing Rivers South-East in the National Assembly had last week, at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, told reporters that Amaechi is his Leader.

    He said: “Amaechi is my Leader. He is not contesting the elections. If he were contesting, I won’t contest against him. The battle for the party ticket is between me and anyone who felt he has something better to offer than me and not with the Minister.

    “I want direct primary but he prefers indirect. If the primaries are conducted today in a free, fair and transparent manner and members of the party felt that I should not represent them, I will accept it in good faith and support the party”.

    Reacting to the statement credited to Abe, the Minister at the weekend  said  Abe should stop deceiving the public by saying ‘Amaechi is my Leader’.

    According to the statement: “I am not Magnus Abe’s leader. Abe has long left me and the political family that is largely responsible for his rise and fame in politics.

    “How can I be Abe’s leader when he and the minions sponsored by him (Abe), privately and publicly abuses, insults, cast aspersions on me, my wife and members of my family, daily? Is that how a follower treats his Leader?

    “It’s cheap and indeed shameful political sophistry for Abe to stand in the APC secretariat and deceitfully say I am his Leader, while all he has done, both privately and publicly in recent times is to undermine me, the APC and desecrate the APC in Rivers State.

    “As a matter of fact, it is indeed very doubtful if Senator Abe is still in the APC. He mouths APC but his actions belie his words and clearly tell a different story.

    “A man who wakes up, create an imaginary parallel party executive and went ahead to open an office for the non-existent parallel executive, that has no base and foundation, cannot be said to be committed, in anyway, to the party. As a matter of fact, his actions are obviously targeted at weakening and destroying the party.

    “Such a hypocritical, devious character cannot be my follower. I am not his Leader,”  he stated.

  • No conflict with Amaechi, says Abe

    The senator representing Rivers East and governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Magnus Abe, has said his disagreement with the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has nothing to do with leadership of the party in the state.

    Abe told reporters at the APC Secretariat that although he disagreed with the minister, they were not in any form of conflict.

    He noted that the minister only felt he should not contest the governorship, but he belives he has something to offer.

    “Amaechi is my leader. He is not contesting the elections. If he were contesting, I won’t contest against him. The battle for the party ticket is between me and anyone who felt he has something better to offer than me and not with the minister.

    “I want direct primary, but he prefers indirect. If the primaries are conducted today in in a free, fair and transparent manner, and members of the party felt that I should not represent them, I will accept it in good faith and support the party”.

    Abe noted that the APC in Rivers has what it takes to unseat the PDP government, led by Nyesom Wike.

    The senator said with his experience, he was better placed to fly the party flag, adding that as a founding member of APC in the state, he believe he has done much for the party.

    He said the party at this point needed someone with experience and political credentials to take over the state from PDP.

    He, however, played down on the crisis in the state chapter, expressing confidence the party will go into elections  united.

    Speaking on the party’s position on leadership of the Senate led by Bukola Saraki, Abe noted that APC’s position remains that a member of a minority party should not lead the majority.

     

     

  • FG to convert Nigeria Shippers’ Council to National Transport Commission

    Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, says the Federal Government is set to convert Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) to National Transport Commission (NTC).

    Amaechi said this at a news conference on the achievement of the ministry on Wednesday in Abuja.

    He said that the National Assembly had passed a bill that Shippers’ Council should be transformed to a commission, adding that the bill was currently awaiting presidential assent to become a law.

    “Senate has passed the bill that converts Nigeria Shippers’ Council to National Transport Commission (NTC), the bill is currently waiting for the assent of the President.

    “When NTC is signed into law it will be capable of setting the transport sector on the path of positive development,’’ he said.

    Amaechi said it would also create a multi-modal transport sector economic and safety oversight commission that would drive the national transport policy.

    Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers’ Council, Mr Hassan Bello said that plans were ongoing to commence building of the TTPs in Enugu and Kogi states.

    Bello noted that Truck Transit Parks (TTPs) is privately driven, adding that NSC was working with the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to achieve that.

    He said that plans were being concluded with ICRC, adding that in two-weeks there would be expression of interest to the private sector to come and bid.

    “So far we have two that are coming, the one at Enugu, Enugu state government has donated land to NSC and the one in Lokoja, the Kogi state government has also donated land to NSC.

    “We are concluding with ICRC and soon, in two weeks time the private sector will come and bid.

    “As soon as the biding is done, construction will take about 16 months for us to complete the Truck Transit Parks in those two locations.

    “There are others coming up, we have heard that there’s a tremendous response by international investors and many states have expressed interest to have TTPs.

    “We need to have more transport infrastructures and the Federal Ministry of Transport is supporting this.”

    Bello, who also spoke on dry ports in the country, said that the dry ports were established to avoid the mistakes of the seaports where there were congestions.

    He said the council plan to operate 24 hours services so that goods can be cleared within 48 hours.

    He added that the council was working with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other relevant agencies to make sure that everything takes effect.

    “The success of dry port depends on rail connection, we need locomotives and NRC has promised to give us at least ten locomotives to Kaduna, because there are cargos there.

    “We need the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Kaduna State government to complete the access roads so that there won’t be challenges,” he said. (NAN)

  • Nigerians ‘ll enjoy 24-hour power supply if Buhari is re-elected, says Amaechi

    Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has said Nigerians will enjoy 24 hours electricity if President Muhammadu Buhari is re-elected.

    He said the Buhari administration has achieved a lot in security, road, war against corruption and so on.

    The minister, who spoke yesterday during an interactive session with the media, said the government was tackling killings associated with herdsmen,

    Commenting on why Buhari and the APC government deserved a second term, Amaechi said: “Nigerians have taught me a lesson I learnt in politics and that is why nothing bothers me again. The people praising you today, if you see them when you are out of power, you will be shocked. Those singing hallelujah and hosanna will still be the same people to shout crucify him tomorrow.

    “We have done much more than transport. In terms of corruption; this economy was a rent economy. Public money was spent anyhow and it was an economy that was not worked hard for. This is why you see politicians today very rich and one year after government, they are poor. They are like that because they don’t know how to manage the money.

    “When Buhari came, he said no and that we cannot continue to spend anyhow. Buhari has not said people should not steal; he has rather kept quiet to see who can steal because there is a consequence for stealing.

    “I don’t want to say it has stopped completely, but it has reduced. Before, there were many empty houses in Abuja. People were building and speculating that new politicians would come in and buy. But we came in, we could not buy because of the economy. So if you say Buhari has not done anything on corruption, you are being most unfair.

    “Also, the 2016 budget was six per cent capital, but we are doing 20 per cent capital now. We are doing 80 per cent recurrent and 20 per cent capital. We believe that in the next two to three years, we will get to 30 per cent capital and we will get there if we reduce the current expenditure and deal with wastages.”

    He continued: “It is also unfair if Nigerians think the Ministry of Works is not working. The road to Bonny was abandoned after Obasanjo left the government.

    “The contract sum for the road was below N39billion, but it is now N120billion. When I was governor, I wrote to the Federal Government under Jonathan that I wanted to do the road for N39billion, but they didn’t reply me.

    “My final year as governor, Energy wrote that they would take care of 50 per cent of the bill and I wrote again to the Federal Government, but they didn’t reply because I was in APC. Now that the Federal Government wants to do it, the cost is now N120billion.

    “So, Buhari government is dealing with corruption, building roads. The worst road in Nigeria used to be between Uyo and Calabar, but it has been awarded.

    “The road to Enugu too that people are complaining about, contractors are working on the road already. The work may be slow, but they are working. When we came, oil was $28 per barrel and our budget was $35 and suddenly it dropped, but the minister of Budget managed it for us to survive. Now oil is $74, but we still have not reached $110. If we get to that, things will change rapidly. Also, the Ilorin-Jebba road. Contracts for the construction of many roads have been awarded.

    “There is also an improvement in power. We have moved from 3000megawatt to 7000, but we are distributing 5000 because some of the infrastructures are not in good state. But we are fixing them.

    “The expectation is that it should be 24 hours power supply, but there will still be a gap. But if you give us a second term, that gap will be closed.”

    On insecurity, he said: “There is improvement in security. When the President promised security; he was looking at Boko Haram.  Boko Haram no longer have the power that they had then. Before we came, the situation was worse, churches were not safe, but now you can go to church freely and nearly all the security agencies that had special protection have reduced their protection gates because fears have reduced.

    “The threats, which used to envelope the North, have reduced and we are addressing the ones in Borno, unlike before where they would overrun villages and hoist their flags and say they owned the villages.

    “If you ask of our achievement, I think many people can attest to what we have done. People no longer go through rigorous searches before entering public places.”

  • FG negotiates $6bn loan to complete Ibadan/Kano rail corridor – Amaechi

    Minister for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has said that the Federal Government is negotiating a six-billion dollar loan with the Chinese government to complete the Ibadan to Kano rail track.

    Amaechi made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during a news conference on the overhaul of the transport sector since the inception of the current administration.

    According to Ameachi, completing the Ibadan to Kano corridor among others in the country will help to boost the nation’s economy.

    “We are currently in negotiation with the China EXIM bank to get nearly about six billion dollars to do from Ibadan to Kano.

    “It is a difficult decision because the money required is about 8 billion dollars to do the double track but the Chinese are insisting that they cannot fund double track so they are asking us to do a single track.

    “They are asking us to do a single track and they want it at Minna so that instead of going from Minna to Kaduna, we should go from Minna to Abuja and then join it from Abuja to Kaduna.

    “But there are those who argue that we should not accept that, rather we should tell them (Chinese) to fund it in segments. This, however, does not make economic sense.

    “We are compelled to adjust just to have movement of goods, personnel and services from Lagos to Kano.

    “What makes economic sense is the ability to get  the track to a seaport so that we can move goods.

    “ What makes economic sense to rail services is the movement of goods,’’ Amaech said

    Amaechi said that the ministry was also in talk with some companies in America to fund the Lagos to Calabar rail corridor and another Chinese company to fund Port Harcourt to Maiduguri corridor.

    He explained that this was in line with the directives of President Muhamaddu Buhari that the rail lines must reach all state capitals.

    The minister of transportation said that there was also a huge improvement in the water transportation sector.

    Amaechi said that on the approval for waterways security, 195 million dollars had been approved as he expressed confidence that it would help reduce crime in the maritime sector.

    According to him, the Federal Government has approved l 195 million dollars to hire an Israeli company to help train security personnel to man the waterways.

    He said under the watch of the current administration, the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA) had moved from contract awarding to a proper regulatory agency.

    Amaechi said that the aviation sector had also experienced a great overhaul which improved safety without incidence of plane crash during the current administration.

    He said to ensure the continued safety in the aviation sector, the Federal Government would ensure that equipment and policies remained in place. (NAN)