Transition has remained turbulent in many states since the May 29 handover in Nigeria as some new governors are currently engaged in serious battle with their predecessors over alleged frauds, indecent debts, and sundry political differences. Last week, we presented the first installment of the report on turbulent transition in Nigeria. In the concluding part of the report, Precious Dikewoha in Port Harcourt, Abdulgafar Alabelewe in Kaduna and Okungbowa Aiwerie in Asaba, present the intrigues in the states they cover
Rivers The last transition in Rivers State from former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of All Progressives Congress (APC) to Governor Nyesom Wike of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is probably the most turbulent in Nigeria this year.
The face-off between the two politicians and their supporters was so turbulent that many feared it may resort to uncontrollable bloody clashes. At the end of the election, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Wike the winner while Amaechi and his party, the APC, cried blue murder.
That was not the end of the face-off. Even before he was sworn-in, Wike swore to probe Amaechi, while the latter headed to court to challenge the election and the result, describing them as a sham. Wike had followed up by confiscating some of the vehicles and other properties used by top officials in Amaechi’s government. The drama remains most intriguing.
The story of the two political leaders dates back beyond May 26, 2007, when the Supreme Court’s judgment favoured Amaechi, thereby launching him as the governor of the oil-rich state. That judgment not only marked the beginning of his journey as the governor of Rivers State, it also marked the beginning of his political sojourn alongside his now estranged political ally, Wike.
However Amaechi’s political history could be incomplete without tracing his humble beginning as a true godson of former Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State. Notwithstanding the political disagreement between Odili and Amaechi, many people still believe their quarrel is only on the surface as far as politics is concerned.
Many political analysts in the state had described Amaechi as one of the luckiest politicians in the modern politics of Rivers State. He rose on the back of former governor, Dr Peter Odili, to become the Speaker of the State House of Assembly in 1999. He remained on that post until 2007. He was therefore the longest serving Speaker since the creation of the state in 1967.
Speaking on Amaechi’s achievement as the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Azubike Chikere Wajoku, former member representing Ikwerre Constituency at Rivers State House of Assembly, who lost out to the PDP candidate at the last Assembly election in the state said, “Amaechi presided over an Assembly that was in every standard very peaceful, devoid of rancor, mainly because the three arms of government were strictly run in accordance with the rule of law”.
It would be recalled that the administration of Odili witnessed a dramatic transformation in terms of elitist projects, even though he was accused of donating Rivers State money to lazy politicians who have nothing to offer to the state instead of concentrating on capital projects. But we cannot forget that he moved the Assembly from the ramshackle structure in the state secretariat to the dome, a befitting edifice located on the Moscow road, which is also good enough for legislative business.
In 2007, former President Olusegun Obasanjo put a spanner in the works of Amaechi’s governorship plan with his novel K-Leg saga, thereby temporarily denying him the opportunity of contesting the election of that year as a governorship candidate on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Amaechi reportedly escaped to Ghana, probably to regroup for a greater fight ahead of him. While he was away, Amaechi teamed up with some political allies, including Barrister Nyesom Wike, who had served as a two-time chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area while Amaechi was Speaker of the state Assembly.
Because of Wike’s contribution to the struggle that led to Amaechi’s victory at the Supreme Court, he became the first to be appointed into political position as the Chief of Staff in Amaechi’s new government in 2007. And in the euphoria of that judgment, Amaechi quickly established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) with the late Justice Kayode Esho as chairman. The commission was widely condemned by many Rivers people as it was viewed as being politically motivated to witch-hunt his former boss, Odili, and other politicians in the state.
Odili and Dr. Abiye Sekibo who were allegedly some of the targets by the commission, refused to make any appearance, citing insecurity in Port-Harcourt at the time as an excuse. Odili had expressed concern that he would not have any justice with Eso as the chairman of the commission.
In his first tenure as governor of Rivers State, Amaechi received encomiums from the Rivers people for his foresight in the provision of infrastructural development in the state. Roads were expanded, several health centers built, model schools, student scholarship and many more.
However, his disagreement with Wike and other PDP chieftains over the rotation policy in the state is believed the root cause of his current face-off with Wike.
However, Wike’s associates say the foundation for the current squabble was laid when Amaechi left the seat of power without a formal handover to his successor. But Amaechi’s Commissioner of Information, Ibim Semenitari, explained that Amaechi handed over the affairs of the state to the Secretary to the State Government.
Wike on his part had complained that Amaechi bluntly refused to set up a transition committee to synergise with that of his committee to work out a smooth transition for his government.
There is no doubt up till date that Wike’s intention to probe the administration of Amaechi did not start today. Wike at the presentation of vehicles to PDP local government chairmen in the state last year said “Once the Independent National Electoral Commission announces the victory of President Jonathan, we will immediately shut down the Port-Harcourt International Airport and all land and sea boarders in Rivers State to prevent Governor Amaechi from escaping.”
So, when the governor set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry for the investigation of the former governor with respect to the sale of valued assets of the state and other related matters, it did not come as a surprise to many. The six-member investigative panel has Justice George Omereji as chairman. Other members of the committee are Dr Edith Chukwu, Chief Monday Ekekenta, Rev. Canon Alex Usifo and Elder Ignatius Piegbara while Mrs. Florence Fiberesima and Dr. Zaccheaus Adango will serve as secretary and counsel to the commission respectively.
Rivers State governor at the inauguration of the commission in Port-Harcourt gave them 23 terms of reference to work with. The governor charged the commission to investigate the sale of Omoku 150 MW Gas Turbine, Afam 360 MW Gas Turbine, Trans Amadi 136 MW as well as the sale of Olympia Hotel.
Other areas the commission was to look into were the mono-rail project, the non-execution of the contract for the construction of the Justice Adolphus Karibi Whyte Specialist Hospital, the disbursement of the sum of N2bn Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Funds and the withdrawal and expenditure of the accrued N96 billion from Rivers State Reserve Fund without compliance with the Rivers State Reserve Fund Law No.2 of 2008.
The commission was also charged to ascertain the circumstances of the sale of the Omoku, Trans Amadi and Eleme Gas Turbine by the former governor. They are to also identify the purchaser of the gas turbine, the total costs for which they were sold and the whereabouts of the proceeds of their sale.
It is also to ascertain whether the transaction was conducted with the requisite transparency and accountability in accordance with the provisions of the extant laws in force in Rivers State and to determine if the government and the people of Rivers State have any equity left in the said gas turbines and the value of such equity among other issues.
The state chapter of APC in its reaction dismissed the probe as “a wild goose chase”. The party in a statement signed by its chairman, Dr Davis Ikanya, said “this is at best a fruitless and laughable venture, a wild goose chase”.
The party noted that Amaechi ran a transparent administration and made it a habit to render account of his stewardship to Rivers people almost on a quarterly basis throughout his eight years in office as governor.
The party stated that it is aware of the governor’s desperate effort to bring down Amaechi and rubbish his good name despite all his feats, adding that the probe is aimed to stop President Muhammadu Buhari from appointing the former governor into his cabinet.
But Wike’s Commissioner for Housing, Barrister Emma Okah, said Amaechi is being mischievous for accusing the state government of witch hunting him through the probe, stressing that there is nothing wrong or immoral for an administration that received and managed about three trillion naira on behalf of the people of Rivers State to explain some of her actions.
He said the governor is merely protecting the people’s interest by inquiring into how public resources were allegedly wasted, stolen or misappropriated by the past administration, adding that every lover of democracy and rule of law should not complain about the probe. He said the simple thing Amaechi should do if invited by any commission of inquiry is to state his own side of the story and tender documents to buttress his case.
On the dwindling financial issue of the state, Amaechi before he left the seat of power in the state had on several occasions complained that the state is broke. But the PDP leadership in the state sponsored by Wike said he was deceiving Rivers people.
But with the current situation of the state financial status, where Wike is struggling to pay salaries of civil servants, leading to reduction of staff strength through the recent sack of thousand of lecturers in the state and the disbandment of Rivers State traffic marshals it seems Amaechi may have been right after all.
The Rivers State House of Assembly under the administration of the immediate past governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi, had before now ordered the Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue Generation, Chief Nwankwo Nwankwo, and the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Chamberline Peterside, to appear before it over the dwindling revenue base of the state.
Also summoned at that time was the chairman of Rivers State Internal Revenue Service Board (RSBIR), Mrs. Onene Osila Obele, over what the lawmakers described as a “monumental fraud” in the agency. The invitation to the trio followed a motion to strengthen the internal revenue base of the state, which was presented by the then Deputy Leader of the House, Hon. Ename Robinson Ewor.
Ewor, had in the motion, urged the House to strengthen the state’s revenue base to enable the then governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, meet up with the daily administration of the state. He stated that in the last one year, the state had witnessed a downward trend on receipt of monies accrued to the state from the federation account.
The former Deputy Leader said; “From a monthly average of about N17 billion to N13 billion. This amount cannot cater for the payment of staff salaries, overheard and general administration of the state monthly.”
But the then Leader of the House, Hon. Chidi Julius Lloyd, stated that there is a monumental fraud going on at the internal revenue office, accusing the board of not making efforts to improve the revenue base of the state.
Speaking through his Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, over the financial crisis of the state, Amaechi, before he left office, said the PDP was being mischievous by its deliberate resort to falsehood.
“It is the PDP that owes Rivers people the return of its revenue diverted by the Federal Government to other states as well as the millions spent by Amaechi administration to fix its (FG’s) roads in the state. Amaechi has paid civil servants up to the month of April. He had committed himself to the welfare of Rivers’ civil servants these past eight years and had exemplified that by regular payment of salaries in the face of dwindling national revenue,” she said.
Delta
Delta State Government has fallen on hard times. With a huge debt overhang and falling revenues from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), the resource-rich state is in dire financial straits.
While the immediate past administration of ex-Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has been tight lipped about the true financial state of the state’s economy in the last 8 years, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has been more forthcoming.
Okowa, who gave specifics in a briefing with lawmakers on the state’s financial status recently in Asaba, the Delta State capital, painted a bleak picture confronting his administration in its bid to implement his electoral promises.
With a debt profile of N637.2 billion owed to commercial banks and outstanding contractual obligations, the current regime headed by Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has called for belt tightening measures and understanding from Deltans.
Okowa gave a breakdown of the current indebtedness to commercial banks as N98.62 billion (principal sum) while outstanding contractual obligation is N538, 601,421.50.
He said in 2011, the state government took a N50 billion facility from the bond market with a repayment period of seven years in 84 installments at N1.098 billion each month, adding that the facility will terminate in September 2018 with a further 40 more installments (totalling N43.92 billion) to pay effect from June 2015.
According to Okowa, in November 2014, Delta State acted as guarantor to some contractors supported by the issuance of an Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO) of N2.23billion monthly for which the contractor has received the total of N40 billion.
Okowa said having paid four installments; the state has 20 more monthly installments totaling N44.60billion extending through year 2017 to pay.
Furthermore, Okowa said the state has an outstanding overdraft facility with Zenith Bank Plc of N19 billion and N715 million, adding that there are other smaller loan and overdraft facilities totaling N2 billion that have to be paid.
He added that with effect from June through to March 2017 after a deduction of N4.60 billion from Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) receipts, the state will draw a meagre N3.4 billion assuming the FAAC allocation stays at N8.03 billion.
With receipts from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) at N2.0 billion monthly, the implication is that funds available to run the state is a meagre N5.40 billion monthly.
Okowa lamented that with a workforce of over 60,000 persons and wage bill of N7, 437,940,015.38, the available fund of N5.4 billion is insufficient to offset wage bill, let alone, fund overheads or capital projects.
He urged the legislature to review the 2015 budget of N409 billion, adding that ‘it is no longer realistic in the wake of current realities’.
The Nation gathered that the alleged financial recklessness of the Uduaghan administration continued to its dying days, a situation that caused frosty relationship between the incumbent and his predecessor.
It was gathered that an alarmed Okowa, who got wind of pressure by the ex-Governor Uduaghan on the state’s Accountant General to spend the state’s April N9 billion federal allocation, allegedly instigated the disappearance of Mr. Cyril Agbele.
Mr Agbele who hails from the same local government as Governor Okowa escaped to Lagos on the orders of Governor Okowa.
It was learnt that the ex-Governor wanted release of funds ostensibly for security agencies and the transition committee of the then governor-elect, but sources say that the funds were meant for contract done by his wife amounting to N5billion.
Another move allegedly made by ex-Governor Uduaghan to further plunder the state’s resources was frustrated after the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, stopped a move for a N40 billion bond from the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Although both the former governor and the current governor are from the same political party, the PDP, their differences can be traced back to the pre-election decisions, when it was alleged that the then governor Uduaghan dumped Okowa, who later won both the party nomination and the governorship election.
So, beyond the alleged accumulation of excess debt, insiders said the current transition turbulence in Delta is also political.
Kaduna
Kaduna State is one of the states in the country where transition may be described as somehow turbulent. It began as debt controversy although it has now been laid to rest. However, the new government, led by Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, still laments the economic realities of the state, alleging that the state is broke.
The controversy, which was very hot, was laid to rest on the eve of the swearing-in of Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on May 29. His predecessor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, had then debunked the earlier speculation that the state was indebted to the tune of over N100 billion.
r El-Rufai after emerging the winner of the April 11 gubernatorial poll had vowed to probe the administration of Governor Yero over the allegation of financial recklessness.
At a reception organised for him by the Kaduna Peoples Association at the Arewa House, Kaduna,
?El-Rufai had said that the debt profile of the state will run into N100 billion before the May 29, 2015 hand over date.
According to him, the PDP administrations at federal and state levels had become so bad that they had to obtain loans to pay salaries. Therefore, Nigerians should stop congratulating him and the President-elect, but should rather pity them and pray for them to succeed because of the “bankrupt economy” they would inherit.
He stated categorically that Kaduna State had incurred N90billion debt and that before the May 29 hand over date, the debt might increase to N100billion.
But to the amazement of everyone and Governor El-Rufai, the immediate past Governor Yero took advantage of the presentation of handover notes to give analysis of debts, which according him were incurred by his predecessors since 1965 long before the state was carved out of the then North Central State in 1975, and how far he has gone in settling those debts within and outside the Nigerian soil.
According to him, the sum of N8.6billion was left in the state’s treasury as at 28 of May, 2015, contrary to the insinuation that the treasury was empty.
Yero said All Progressives Congress (APC) must deliver all the election promises to the people of the state, saying that the party has no excuse not to.
While addressing newsmen shortly after he presented the handover note to El-Rufai at Sir Ibrahim Kashim House, Kaduna, he further cleared the air on the alleged debt he would be leaving behind.
In his words; “I joined the Kaduna State Government as a Commissioner for Finance. And I know the real position of financial status of the state. People are more concerned about insinuation that we are leaving behind N109billion. Well, they may be right or wrong.
“In spite of the numerous people-oriented projects executed by the outgoing administration, a total cash balance of N8.6 billion would be left in various accounts as at 28th May, 2015.
“The current debt position of the state as at 28th May,2015 is a total debt stock of N73,933,104,923.22 which comprises of external and internal debts”, stressed the governor.
Yero stated that external debt stood at N46.062 billion while the internal loans which include bond, contractors’ arrears, gratuity arrears and CBN MSMEDF stands at N27, 870 billion.
“The state government awarded 82 number contracts for the construction/rehabilitation of roads, culverts, drainages and bridges with a distance of 327.93km.
“In the same vein, 32 road projects have also been completed with 67.50 kilometres surface dressed finished and 75.798 kilometres with asphaltic wearing course finish.
“The remaining other projects are at various stages of completion. The contracts were awarded at the cost of N61, 108,376,239.09 of which the sum of N30,949,987,696.67 has been paid”, added the former governor.
Meanwhile, Governor El-Rufai, who had earlier vowed to probe Yero’s administration, quickly confessed that the situation is not as bad as he thought.
He said he was accepting the handing over notes with all sense of humility and equally with heavy responsibility and burden.
He said, “The situation is not as bad as we thought, we will engage officials to seek clarification where necessary.
“We will govern the state with the fear of God, equity and justice; we assure you that we will work as hard as we can to make Kaduna great again”, he reiterated.
But whether Yero’s claims were the true position of the state economy or not, El-Rufai has not come out clearly to tell, expect that the new governor has continued to reiterate at every forum that the financial state of Kaduna is poor. This according to him informed his resolve to slash the salary and allowances of both himself and his deputy, until the time the economy of the state stabilizes.
The public explanation and acceptance of Yero and El-RUfai respectively notwithstanding, observers said the transition turbulence in Kaduna is also political following the results of the governorship election in the state.