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Wike begged desperately to be Rivers finance commissioner, but I stopped him – Amaechi
Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers, has narrated how Nyesom Wike, practically begged to be made Commissioner for Finance, in his government, but was denied the privilege, but instead given the position of Chief of Staff (CoS).
Amaechi, currently at loggerheads with Wike, now Minister the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), told his host, while appearing on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS, television network, that the Minister went as far as begging Muhammed Adoke, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ) to help him in his bid to secure the commissioner’s job, which would put him in direct management of the purse of the oil-rich state.
However, Amaechi, who left the governorship office for Wike, to serve of two-term Minister of Transportation, while the latter served as governor for the same period, though did not elaborate on why he did not yield to the pressure, said he opted for the CoS position, so that he could keep a direct eye on the FCT Minister, as a personal staff.
Coming on the heels of an attack by Wike, who berated him for lying to Nigerians by claiming that he was hungry, Amaechi, after living off government patronage for was on25 years, Amaechi, said he would not join issues with someone he employed as a staff.
Amaechi, had at lecture to mark his 60th birthday, declared that he was going into a coalition with the likes of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, because, like many Nigerians, he was hungry.
But in a lacerating attack on Monday, Wike told reporters he invited to his house that the former governor had no reason to complain, accusing him of choosing a landmark event like his birthday to lie to Nigerians.
Hear him: “We have no time to listen to nonsense in Nigeria. I don’t understand why a man like Amaechi would choose his 60th birthday to lie to Nigerians about being hungry. He was Speaker from 1999 to 2007, Governor from 2007 to 2015, and Minister from 2015 to 2023. He never spoke about hunger during those years.
“Now they are regrouping. They are only hungry for power. This shows his failure. How can you trivialise the issue of hunger? He joined Atiku and claimed hunger. It is clear he cannot stay out of power. From 1999 to 2023, Amaechi stood before Nigerians and claimed hunger. He was a former governor who couldn’t secure even 25% for Buhari during elections, despite being the campaign DG.”
The FCT Minister also, recounted how he was central in making Amaechi Governor, saying: “I was the one God used to make Amaechi governor. I will even give you a tape from what he said in church; that after God, I’m next. But he went on national television to say that I was his staff, his employee. It wasn’t funny, but I said no problem. We all sat to make him the governor and I was the one who championed it.
“How do you call someone who made you governor an employee? Even after he became governor, he sought my advice on how to run his government and offered me commissioner of finance but I rejected the offer because I wanted to be the chief of staff.”
Confronted with the comment, Amaechi, while brushing it off, offered: “I was once his boss. Whether he likes it or not. I hired him. I could have said no. God, Peter Odili, the judiciary and the Rivers state people made me governor. Ask him how he made me governor. I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children. I’m calling names. Muhammed Adoke came to Rivers to ask me to make him Commissioner for Finance. I wanted him as chief of staff so I could supervise him.
“I didn’t offer him commissioner for finance. You see, I’m saying this because I don’t want to join issues with children. You know, he made himself chief of staff. He made himself governor. He made himself minister. He made himself local government chairman.”
“The current chairman of INEC, if he was the chairman in 2015, we would not have won. That’s an important point. May God bless Jega. It’s a very interesting point. Because the ground rules were clear. The current chairman of INEC can only be compared to Iwu. When we were to register APC, Jega opened the door and we complied with the registration requirements. He got APC registered.
“The current man, if you comply with all these, he would not register you. Already INEC is biased. So, the only thing I can tell you now is that looking at the way Nigeria has run the election, even the option A4 led us forward. At least a lot of transparency.
“You were sure of what was going on. Then we came back to meet people like Iwu and others and the current one and things got worse. So, you don’t know whether to say we are progressing or we are regressing… there’s a state capture using the electoral institution as a machine.”
It was another day of misery in Kwara State, when daredevil terrorists reportedly stormed Yashikira Community in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, and as has been the case in many of the attacks, abducting scores of residents including women and children.
But, apparently to register their authority, the gunmen, who were said to have operated for hours without challenge from the security operatives, were said to have torched the palace of the Emir.
The attackers, which reportedly occurred late Sunday night were said to have announced their presence through heavy firing and after storming the palace of the monarch during the period, set it on fire before whisking away their victims, but a similar attempt at the police station in the community, was repelled.
While some of the residents, narrated how the spent hours without resistance, leaving behind destruction and fear in the border community, another account said the villagers were caught unawares as the gunmen invaded the town under the cover of darkness.
However operatives made up of the police and military personnel, were said to have launched a manhunt immediately for the immediate rescue of the victims, including throwing a cordon in the area as part of the mission.
“The suspect offered ₦500 million to the SPU commander in an attempt to make the team stand down and allow him to contact his associates to move the consignment elsewhere. The offer was rejected immediately and properly documented for further investigation.”
These were the exact words of Olohundare Jimoh Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), with which he detailed how operatives of the Zone 2 Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) scoffed at a N500million bribe to turn their eyes off the importation of a huge consignment of drugs imported into the country.
This was part of the details of a major breakthrough by the operatives after bursting a major drug trafficking syndicate in Lagos, which led to the seizure of suspected illicit drugs estimated at ₦7.8 billion and arresting several suspects, including the alleged kingpin.
In the operation, reportedly carried out by officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) in collaboration with divisional police detectives, the operatives, were said to have stormed a house in Mende, Maryland area of Lagos, following months of surveillance and intelligence gathering coordinated by the Zone 2 Headquarters.
The recovered drugs consisted of hundreds of bags of suspected Canadian Loud, allegedly stored in the residence of the prime suspect, Jimoh, said disclosing that the suspect was apprehended on May 19 after weeks of strategic monitoring by operatives.
Offering further details, he said the operation was executed with technical support and guidance from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, alongside coordinated efforts between the SPU and divisional police teams.
Jimoh revealed that during the operation, the suspect allegedly attempted to bribe the SPU commander with ₦500 million to compromise the mission and allow the movement of the drug consignment.
The AIG described the development as a reflection of the renewed professionalism and operational discipline being entrenched in the Force under the current policing strategy.
He noted that the success of the operation underscored the importance of deploying specialized police units alongside conventional divisional teams in tackling organized crime.
According to him, the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of rapid containment strategies, intelligence-led policing, and professional conduct among the operatives involved in the raid.
“Rapid containment was achieved as the Special Protection Unit worked with divisional teams to secure the perimeter and prevent escape or interference with evidence.
“The operation was intelligence-driven, following months of surveillance and technical monitoring before the raid was carried out.
“The immediate rejection and documentation of the bribe attempt also reflect the standard expected from redeployed personnel at the divisional level,” Jimoh added.
Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for their professionalism, saying the success of the operation validated the ongoing redeployment of personnel to divisions and units across Lagos and Ogun states.
The IGP noted: “Policing must be close to the people, and our specialized units must work side by side with divisional teams on the ground.
“The professionalism shown by the SPU commander in rejecting a ₦500 million bribe and following due procedure is the standard we expect. It shows that when you put your best foot forward at the grassroots, you get results and restore public trust.”
Disu further assured that the Force leadership would continue to reward integrity while holding officers accountable to the highest ethical standards.
Police authorities said exhibits recovered during the operation have been properly documented and will be tendered in court. The suspects are currently in custody while investigations continue to track down other members of the drug trafficking network.
Slavery is a wound on the memory of the Universal Church, Pope Leo XIV, said on Monday, as he issued a fresh apology over the participation of the the Catholic Church in the centuries-long delay in condemning slavery.
The pontiff stressed the position of the church after his predecessors had offered similar apologies, said: “For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
Writing in a major text that warned about “new forms of slavery” behind the digital economy, the joined John Paul II, who denounced slave trade in 1992 before issuing a sweeping request for forgiveness for historical injustices in 2000 and Pope Francis who also repeatedly denounced contemporary forms of slavery.
In his own vein, Pope Leo, pointed out that the Church owned slaves until the Middle Ages and it also advised European sovereigns on how to justify the enslavement of “infidels.”
He stressed in “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), a document focused primarily on the rise of artificial intelligence, that it was only in the 19th century that “a formal, absolute and universal condemnation of slavery was clearly articulated.”
Hear him: “It is true that past events cannot be judged anachronistically, as though the moral criteria that matured over time had always been available. Yet neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the Church came to denounce the scourge of slavery. This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached.”
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