Dame Judith Amaechi, wife of former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, has issued a strong rebuttal to allegations made by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, that she receives ₦4 billion monthly from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) through her NGO, the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI).
“There is absolutely no iota of veracity in the allegation made by Mr. Wike,” her media aide, Dike Bekwele, declared in a statement issued Tuesday.
“Dame Amaechi did not and has never received four billion naira monthly payments from the NDDC.”
The response follows Wike’s claims during a live appearance on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” where he accused Mrs. Amaechi and ESI of siphoning funds meant for women’s training in the Niger Delta.
“In one of his rather cyclic, hysteric, poor and recurring live television outings, Nyesom Wike, in his habitual manner, accused Dame Amaechi and ESI of receiving ₦4 billion monthly from the NDDC,” Bekwele stated.
He dismissed the claim as a “mere blackmail intended to undermine the reputation and integrity” of both Dame Amaechi and her organisation.
According to Bekwele, ESI is a non-profit entity registered in 2011, operating in partnership with NDDC through a public memorandum of understanding aimed at empowering women and youth across the region.
“The partnership has been successfully executed since its commencement… with numerous youths and women within the Niger Delta benefitting from the scheme,” he said.
On Wike’s assertion that the alleged payment was cited in the NDDC’s forensic audit report, Bekwele replied:
“It is both absurd, baseless, and a mere figment of Mr. Wike’s imaginations.”
He challenged the minister to publicly release the report, stating:
“We, therefore, challenge Mr. Wike to make public his version of the forensic audit report… In the likely event that Wike fails to provide such a report, we challenge him to tender his resignation as FCT Minister and issue an unreserved public apology to the nation.”
The statement concluded with a swipe at Wike’s public conduct:
“May we advise Mr. Wike to stop bringing the country’s image to disrepute, as his uncouth and uncultured attitude is capable of under-marketing Nigeria’s efforts to attract foreign investment.”
