The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has claimed that politicians are after the ₦600 billion left in Rivers State coffers by the former Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.).
According to Wike, politicians are flocking to visit Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara because of their desire to access the ₦600bn left behind by Ibas.
Wike made the allegation when he met with members of the Rivers State House of Assembly at their legislative quarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt.
The FCT minister said such politicians had adopted a pattern of publicly praising the governor, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while privately angling for a share of the state’s resources.
Wike said, “Given the experience in Nigerian politics, Nigerian politicians like Rivers money. I can tell you that. Go and study it. Nigerian politicians like Rivers money.
“If you want to make money in Rivers today, I don’t know how you made the mistake of announcing that there is ₦600bn. That mistake you made announcing that has triggered the interest of some politicians from other states, I know them.”
He accused the politicians of weaponising attacks against him as a strategy to ingratiate themselves with the state government, claiming that abusing him had become an easy route to benefiting from the funds.
“They will now tell somebody here, this Wike enough is enough, they collect. Don’t worry, Wike, his own time is finished, they collect.
“So for you to be able to suck part of that ₦600 and something billion, you must say Wike’s time is over,” he said.
Wike added that the revelation of the size of the funds had effectively “opened the door” to political opportunists, whom he described as fraudsters.
“That is the way now. If you want to suck from that ₦600 and something billion, you went and told the public, you opened the whole thing. So you know, people were hanging around. Now you are the one who opened the door to having this kind of money. So what do you want them to do? People are waiting for where they will perch,” he stated.